The fourth part in a series for communities to better understand how to attract and retain younger talent in their region.

Establish user-generated online calendar of things to do in the region and use the calendar on other content sites

The number one thing YPs wanted was a user-generated web site of things to do in the region. Finally, two different groups stepped up simultaneously to deliver a site, yet both having a unique niche. MyScoper.com and RoanokeNights.com both have been very successful in communicating things to do in the region. By having an open source site created by the community, more events are showcased and therefore enhancing the perception of things to do. Also, syndicating the site on other region-centric content sites has also assisted organizations in not having to dedicate a person to do it manually.

This is the third part of a series to better help communities who are struggling to attract and retain their best and brightest. Use this technique.

Media pitches on your successes

Pitching stories to media outlets about YP initiatives is easier than you think. Perhaps because the media outlets are desperately trying reach this demographic audience, or perhaps most of the reporters who are YPs in a smaller media market can identify with the issue. These PR stories have been great at reaching some of the target audience, but it has also reached the parents of these YPs who have told their children. Also, since most the video clips and news articles are online, we can easily use them to promote/validate our programs with ease through email and other peer-to-peer channels.

This is the first part of a multi-part series which will help communities attract and retain the next generation of workers. We know about 90% of MSAs are losing this coveted population and they are going to about 25-30 regions in the US. If you are not in that list, then what can you do to retain your brightest?

Here is the first suggestion based on my previous experience with the City of Roanoke, Virginia.

Create a talent hub capturing contact information of people who want to live in your community

You probably hear a lot of chatter about people wanting to return to your region (i.e. you go to cocktail parties and parents say their son or daughter is looking to come back and needs help). Typically, there is no system or database consisting of all people who are interested in returning or staying, as well as, a periodic communication tool alerting them of jobs.

We created a very simple front-end website. We sent out a press release, got several free offline stories. People began to talk about it and use it. Folks began to see it produced results and it spread to over 3000+ people who wanted to be in our region. There were zero dollars spent specifically promoting the website. Viral marketing and organic search engine optimization generated people from 46 states. We have been able to quantify 80+ success stories of people finding jobs through the database and probably countless others unknown to us.

81 Reasons to Connect is an initiative of the Roanoke Creative Connectors program inspired by the work of Richard Florida.

The goal of this initiative is to bring together the Roanoke and Blacksburg MSAs – what we call the RNR (Roanoke and New River Valleys). On Thursday, leader Jay Foster gave a compelling presentation at the NCTC Tech and Toast in Blacksburg to over 100 attendees.

The energy, passion, discussion generated at the meeting has carried over in subsequent follow up meetings and discussions. Join the group’s Facebook page and Follow the Roanoke Creative Connectors on Twitter.

It’s been about two weeks since I started in recruiting at a tech firm in Blacksburg. It’s taken a while to adjust and as a result, I have taken a sabbatical from social media to focus on this transition.

The transition has included being one of the youngest to one of the oldest, working from an office to working at a cubicle, going to work early versus going to work late, knowing a little something about technology to not know a darn thing, business attire to casual attire, and a number of other culture shifts that simply takes a while to get adjusted.

The glaring observation from moving into a high-tech start up company is that our firm is uniquely different in many ways. The firm has amassed a hub of talent that cannot be duplicated anywhere in the RNR. It’s impressive. Other firms are wise to incorporate these traits into their organization to sustain, grow and prosper.

• Our Culture Maven has done a great job engaging employees and creating a work environment that has been recognized as one of the Top 50 places to work by FORTUNE magazine.
• The BHAG goals the founders continue to have inspire many to push the envelope on a daily basis.
• Staying on top of the latest technology is a daily part of the job.

From my experience, the transition will take time, but it is needed in order to compete globally for talent and to also create a job growth needed for the region. We need other companies locally to embrace an engaged culture, BHAGs and adopting new technology.