There are changes on both the demand side and the supply side of the labor market as the American population is aging. We now have 5 generations represented in the workforce: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. While some expectations and needs are similar regardless of generation, these shifting demographics will continue to significantly impact the workforce and therefore organizations. 

With all these generations represented and the demographic shifts going on, how we attract top talent is changing; how we define roles and right fit are evolving as we seek to retain top talent; and how technology weaves through all of this is ever changing – from recruitment through retention. 

So, how do you attract the right talent for your business?  

RTS, TriBridge Partners, and Berger HR Solutions recently co-hosted a panel discussion, where they shared their experiences and strategies on how to align your core values with your hiring process, identify the different factors to attract various generations of job seekers, and leverage technology for hiring and retaining the right employees. 

Five Different Generations in the Labor Market Today 

Before we can dive into the tips and best practices, we need to first understand the different generations in the workforce. 

• Traditionalists (1928-1945) were born during the Great Depression and World War II. These people are still working. In fact, studies show that 12% of people above 75 will actively participate in the workforce by 2030. 

• Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Many retired during the pandemic. On average they held 12 jobs over their lifetime, only half of which were after age 24. They’re loyal with a deep understanding of their roles and industries. 

• Gen X (1965-1980) are “the latchkey kids” known for independence as they grew up during a time when more women went into the job market so many were home alone before their parents returned from work. 

• Millennials (1981-1996) sit on both sides of the technological shift. They were born before the popularization of the internet and personal computers. The Great Recession, a tough job market, and high student loans defined their entrance into the workforce. 

• Gen Z, the digital natives. Born between 1997 and 2012 they came of age with cell phones, social media, and rapidly developing technology. They’re the most diverse generation in US history and represent over one fourth of the American population. According to a Glassdoor report, 2024 is the first year that Gen Z outnumbers Baby Boomers in the workplace. 

Our audience walked away from the seminar with several strategies in five categories in the recruitment and retention process, which we discuss below. 

1. Know Your Business Values 

“What should companies do to attract the right talent? They should ask themselves, ‘Do we want people who want to be paid or want excellence?’” Paul Younkins, Founding Principal of TriBridge Partners opened the discussion with these thought-provoking questions.  

Your company should examine who you are, how you think, what your core values and business goals are. Your answers should not be aspirational, rather who you are and what you stand for today, and always strive to be authentic.  

Once you have your authentic core values identified, then go sell it. Your story should resonate with the people you want on your team.  

As an example of how to define who you are, Lenny Giller, President of Reliable Technology Services shared his personal experience going through this soul-searching exercise. “Basically, we identified our top performers and evaluated what characteristics and values they already possessed. We quickly realized that the set of terms matched my business partner’s and my core values; however, we never formally communicated them. We made a strategic effort to communicate our values to our employees, which was critical to our recruiting process, boosting employee morale, and strengthening our brand.” 

This is the first step in aligning your hiring process with what you think, say, and do to attract the right talent.

2. Live Your Core Values  

It is not enough to identify your values; you must practice them in everything you do, say, and think. To exemplify how to do that, Paul discussed a 7 steps process to align your values with recruiting:

1. Clarify Your Core Values and Vision – Be clear about your company’s mission, vision, and core values.  Define key traits, such as integrity, teamwork, and innovation, and how they translate into job roles.
2. Create Transparent and Aligned Job Descriptions – Ensure your job postings clearly articulate the values and expectations you have for candidates. Avoid ambiguous language and be upfront about what kind of person will thrive in your culture.  In job descriptions, emphasize not just the skills required but also the alignment with company culture, such as teamwork, adaptability, or customer focus. 
3. Assess for Values as Well as Skills – Implement interview processes that evaluate both hard skills and cultural fit. Use behavioral and situational questions that reveal how candidates align with your company’s values. 

4. Involve Key Stakeholders – Involve leaders and team members who exemplify the company’s values in the hiring process. Their input will help maintain alignment between what the company believes in and the kind of talent brought on board. 

5. Showcase Your Culture During Recruitment – Be transparent about your company culture throughout the recruitment process. Highlight how you live out your values day-to-day, whether through workplace policies, employee programs, or work-life balance. 

6. Use Consistent, Value-Based Criteria – What You Do: Standardize your evaluation criteria across all hiring stages to ensure fairness and alignment with your values. Avoid relying solely on gut instinct and instead ensure you’re assessing candidates based on clear, consistent criteria.

• • Suggestion: Develop a scoring matrix that ranks candidates on cultural fit, along with skill sets and experience. Train hiring managers to use this method consistently. 

7. Follow Through Post-Hiring – After hiring, ensure new employees receive onboarding that reinforces your company’s values and expectations. Demonstrate through actions that you hold yourself and your teams accountable to the same standards you seek in your candidates. 

• • Suggestion: Implement mentorship programs or performance evaluations that check in on both skill growth and cultural alignment, reinforcing the values you want to maintain.

Kristyn Berger, President of Berger HR Solutions agreed with Paul’s 7 steps and added that your company leadership should buy into your core values otherwise you’ll have a difficult time keeping them alive. She also shared a few more examples of how to integrate your values into your everyday life beyond hanging posters around the office – e.g. defend the absent in meetings and give out rewards for those who exemplify your values. These accomplish several things – confirm core values, recognize employees, and provide examples to other employees how to live your values. 

An example: Living your core values makes a difference in hiring and retention 

By the time you accomplish all 7 steps, you can safely say you have built a strong value-based culture. As an example, Paul mentioned his conversation with an auto service owner to learn why people were flocking to work there. 

The business provided market rate salaries, and standard 401(k), so Paul didn’t understand what was so special about the shop that their employees loved the company. The owner explained that he provided clean and starched uniforms to his mechanics every day, he replaced their tools every 6 months, and the floors were heated so their feet would not be cold during the winter. These perks sent a message that he valued his employees. 

Paul left the audience pondering this question: “What tools do you give your employees so they can deliver excellence through technology?” 

3. Hiring and Onboarding Top Talent