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Recruiting "Generation F": How CT employers can attract this up-and-coming workforce demographic

They’re fickle, technology-savvy and perpetually connected.  And, at least in their own minds, they’re in the driver’s seat of today’s workforce.

Are you ready to attract them?  Like it or not, the Facebook generation, affectionately referred to as “Generation F,” will become essential to your organization’s future success.

They approach work differently.  Unlike previous demographics, Gen F expects the social environment of their work life to mirror the social context of the Web – rather than the bureaucratic and downright archaic management practices still used in many of Connecticut’s businesses.  Having grown up online, these workers are already transforming how work gets done – and creating a major paradigm shift in recruiting.

Simply put, Gen F wants to work for companies that are “with it” – not “past it.”  So to attract the best talent Generation F has to offer, make sure your organization possesses these characteristics relevant to today’s social Web:

Leaders are service-oriented. On the Web, credible arguments, demonstrated expertise and selfless behavior are the only catalysts for getting things done.  Gen F wants to work for leaders who are committed to serving the needs of all employees – not merely commanding or sanctioning.

Work groups are self-defined, self-organized and self-governed. In online communities, you link up with individuals of your choosing, follow whom you want and share with select groups or people.  A company that is “with it” allows employees to create their own project teams, establish mutually beneficial goals and monitor their own progress.

Diverse ideas all compete on equal footing. On today’s Web, every idea has the chance to gain a following based solely on its perceived merit – and not the political power of its proponents.  To attract Gen F, create an environment in which employees at all levels have an equal ability to control company conversations and have their ideas taken seriously.

Resources are not allocated, but attracted. Traditionally, large organizations allocate resources based on top-down, budget-driven principles.  Companies attractive to generation Facebook more closely follow the Web’s “market economy” resource model, in which human currency (i.e., time, attention and effort) naturally flows toward ideas and projects that are attractive – and away from those that aren’t.

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