Free Agent Nation

Posted on February 27, 2007
Filed Under Online Recruiting, Gen Y, Best Practices, War for Talent |

One of the new buzzwords we are hearing more and more about is the “free agent.”

This term was pretty much created for the Gen Y generation. The new generation entering the workforce all want to be free agents. They want to work the hours they want to work. Live where they want to live. And get paid what they want to earn.

Sounds great to me! Where do I sign up?

There are even websites pushing this. Check out Kelly Services recent website http://www.itstimetogetalife.com/.

Unfortunately, as employers, we must address and create a strategy for this new generation. They are our future workforce, whether we like it or not. With that being said, let me pose this idea to you: Reports have found that seventy-five percent of this demographic choose a “cool place to live” before they even begin to look for a “cool place to work.”

What cooler place is there to live than Las Vegas? This generation has been brainwashed with Las Vegas media for many, many years starting with CSI. Then MTV’s Real World. The list goes on and on. There is not a member of the generation Y that is unaware of Las Vegas. The majority think “Las Vegas is Cool.”

So how do you reach this generation? Gen Y all grew up with a computer in the house and a cell phone in their pocket. They use the Internet more than past generations watch television. They surf the web. They look for their jobs online. They use employment websites to search Las Vegas jobs. If you are jobs are not present, they do not know about you.

To learn more about Generation Y - Here are some great white papers:

NAS Communications - Generation Y - The Millenials
Tom Fitzgerald (NevadaWorks) - Generational Differences