How to attract the next generation of employees

To continue business growth, it is important to attract the next generation of employees. At Cultivate’23, a panel of horticulture students from AmericanHort’s HortScholar program explained what they look for in a company when applying for jobs and the best ways to reach their generation.

Healthy company culture

A healthy company culture is important to the younger generation. When students meet recruiters at job fairs, they are evaluating that employee – Are they positive? Are they friendly? Do they listen? Are they helpful? Kaitlin Swiantek, a horticulture master’s student at the University of Georgia, explains that she looks for current employees who feel appreciated and encouraged from all levels of employment, whether that’s the CEO, a manager or someone working in the lab.

One way a company can communicate its culture to applicants is by having current employees express the company’s culture in their own words. A company can list quotes somewhere on the website, on the application or give the applicant the chance to talk directly to a current employee.

Brandan Shur, a master’s student at North Carolina State University, shares that he values a company with an open-door policy. “If someone is interested in your company, let them come behind the scenes and shadow someone, so they can really understand what your company is like and see what the workers are doing,” Shur says. “This is a good way to understand a company’s culture.”

Technology and tools

A company that takes advantage of new technology and tools will attract the younger generation. Taylor DeLand, a second-year student at Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute, explains that she looks for companies that have automation.

“Automation definitely helps with time, especially on these hot summer days when you're running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to water everything,” DeLand says. “Booms help, and automated watering systems that can sensor. If you’re running short on time, it’s nice to have a boom that you can just set off and water in 10 minutes. If you’re doing it by hand, it could take 40 minutes.”

“I’m a really big fan of sensors that pair with your phone, and this doesn’t have to be a really large infrastructure,” Shur says. “It’s nice to have when it’s 10 at night, and if I’m head grower, I can make sure my plants are okay, whether that’s temperature, lighting and see, at least environmentally, that my plants are fine. I think some small sensors go a long way.”

Social media and websites

The younger generation uses social media regularly, and they often look for jobs through platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Facebook and Instagram. Armando Villa-Ignacio, a graduate student in the horticulture and landscape architecture department at Colorado State University, explains that the Meta algorithm will suggest other accounts to follow based on the accounts the user is already following and interacting with. So, even if a person isn’t following your company’s account, there’s a chance your company’s account will be suggested into the user’s feed if that user already follows and interacts with accounts similar to yours.

“Honestly, some of us might still use Facebook, but most of us use Instagram,” Villa-Ignacio says. “If your company posts consistently, posts great content and posts ‘Hey, we’re looking to hire,’ you’d be surprised at the amount of people that will see that and apply.”

“It’s like Facebook reads your mind,” DeLand says. “If you like one plant thing or company, it will give you 20.”

DeLand grew up in a small town, and from her experience it’s hard to find small- to medium-sized nursery and greenhouse companies that are hiring because most companies that size are not on the internet. “It would be nice if some of those smaller and medium sized companies could get their information out on Indeed and LinkedIn because I know they’re hiring. It’s just too hard to find.”

Seed Your Future is another platform students are using to find jobs. Students are already going to the website to find scholarships and other programs, so companies will have good exposure targeting the next generation of employees.

“I would definitely recommend that website to every company because the school systems are really trying to partner with Seed Your Future,” Shur says. “There’s not a month that goes by that I don’t hear about Seed Your Future. They’re doing a good job visiting schools, and it’s a good place to put out applications and find students.”

The students on the panel also expressed that they value meeting members of a company in person, and often after making that in-person connection, students will visit the company’s website and social media channels to learn more and reach out about job openings.

“If your company visits ag institutes or universities and gives an hour-long lecture, there are 30-50 students that are going to fall in love with you and really want to learn more about your company,” Shur says.

Pay transparency and benefits

Another important factor is pay transparency. Villa-Ignacio explains that most of the people in his generation will not apply or even look at an application if the pay range isn’t listed.

“When I'm looking at an application online, I like to see pay transparency,” says Hamilton Crockett, a master’s student pursuing a degree in plant pathology at Louisiana State University. “Most companies and employers already have the idea of the range they’re willing to pay for the position, and providing a range for that person looking at the application will not only save them time but also save the employer’s time.”

It’s important for companies to showcase its benefits that go beyond the standard healthcare, dental, vision and 401k. Most companies will have those standard benefits, so what does your company offer that makes it standout from others? Crockett explains that she will most likely work in a lab, so she looks for benefits such as stand-up desks or an area to walk and stretch her legs.

Invests in their employees

Regan Draeger, a recent graduate of The Ohio State University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in sustainable plant systems with a specialization in horticulture, explains that her generation is constantly looking for a company that’s going to invest in their employees, whether that’s paying for them to go to conferences, educational workshops or developing a program that funds further education degrees.

“We’re looking for something that shows the company is truly interested in developing us as a person,” Draeger says.