How to Write Better Manufacturing Job Descriptions to Attract Millennials

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Every first Friday of October, the U.S. celebrates National Manufacturing Day. The latest celebration, however, wasn’t all about cheers.

More than 3,000 manufacturers have opened their facilities to young people of all school ages in an effort to attract younger individuals, especially Millennials, to consider a career in this sector.

This decision comes at a crucial time. Baby Boomers (people born within 1946-1964), who comprise the largest share of the sector manufacturing workforce, start retiring, but the younger generations seem to ignore the field when considering their future.

It’s quite likely that the upcoming workforce shortage will be a profound problem since Millennials lack interest in taking up careers in manufacturing.

If you’re reading this, chances are high that you’re also looking to attract more recent graduates to your manufacturing company because many Baby Boomers retire and you need to replace them.

Since about 70 percent of Millennials look for jobs online, we’re going to share five tips on how to write manufacturing job descriptions for this generation.

 

1. Grab Their Attention by Impressing Them Right Away

It’s very hard to impress a Millennial with your sales figures or the number of subsidiaries you have overseas. Usually, they aren’t particularly impressed by your ability to make money for your investors; moreover, they live in times of rapid change, which means they’ve seen all kinds of companies and have an idea about how they work.

That’s why you should try to impress them quickly with something they consider interesting. This could be, for example, a quick paragraph describing the impact they’ll make on the job.

It’s a known fact that most workers under 40 are looking for meaningful jobs, so you should make the first paragraph of your job description by asking the readers if they would like to make a difference when working for you.

For example, manufacturing businesses can let the readers know that they’re using environmentally safe components to make products, thus reducing the impact of harmful materials on our planet. By doing so, you’ll let them know that working with you means contributing to saving the environment.

 

2. Avoid Corporate Slang, Buzzwords, and Big Numbers

As was briefly mentioned above, younger generations of workers won’t be impressed by the fact that you have a lot of companies overseas or corporate buzzwords such as industry practices, thought leadership, and bottom-line impact.

One reason why this young generation has been avoiding manufacturing jobs is that the work doesn’t resonate with them, and corporate-speak reminds them of that.

 

3. Make Job Title Reader-Friendly

To make it “reader-friendly,” consider the following:

  • Avoid industry jargon and abbreviations
  • Make sure that the title is specific by avoiding buzzwords like “ninja” and “rockstar”
  • Identify the level of experience – junior, mid, and senior.

 

4. Include Unique Company Benefits and Perks

Millennials don’t blindly accept the trappings of the traditional workplace. They’ll work hard and do what it takes, but they want to see the purpose and value of what is being asked of them.

You need to let them know that your company has interesting perks for them to persuade them to read further. In fact, this is the best moment to make your company shine.

Feel free to mention perks and benefits that can improve the routines of your workers – community events, free gym, lunch discount, a ping pong table, etc. For example, at Timberland, they offer their employees up to 40 hours of paid time to serve as volunteers in community projects.

Since the brand is known for being environmentally conscious, this program is another reason why younger workers who care about the environment want to join the company.

Be clear and try to sound as positive as you can to illustrate how these perks could improve an ordinary day of your workers to encourage the reader to imagine taking advantage of them.

If you need help with describing this in a concise manner, consider using the best practices of professional writers and successful examples from other industries.

“If you can’t make your job description sound cool, you are not going to attract people,” claims Patricia Paz, an HR manager for TopWritersReview.

 

5. Describe How They Will Grow as Professionals

Developing as a professional is one of the main goals of many Millennials, therefore, they want to know what kind of a plan your company has for them.

Being unsure about their future as a professional is a big problem for emerging members of the workforce; in fact, Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2019 found that 49 percent of the generation are ready to quit their jobs in the next two years.

This means that their companies might not be providing them with sufficient opportunities for career growth and challenges. So, to avoid being one of these companies, you need to have a clear plan for the professional development of your next generation of workers and describe it in job ads.

Don’t make it sound like they will be stuck with you for years, though. Just let them know what you have for them and how they can develop and become better professionals.

 

Conclusion

While most manufacturing businesses are struggling to recruit recent graduates and members of Gen Y to replace Baby Boomers, you can get ahead by creating compelling job descriptions and attracting more of them to apply.

This could be your first step to addressing the skill gap that can keep your business competitive for years to come.

Remember, however, that all you write in job descriptions should be true and to the point. Consider the needs and goals of your target audience and you’ll attract Millennial applicants looking for challenges and experiences.

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