Teresa Murphey is the founder and President of Hire Ventures, Inc. She loves to help simplify all things HR so that business owners can focus on what they do best! As she says, “I started Hire Ventures in 2001 because I saw a need that so many small growing companies had in terms of hiring and managing their people, but these companies didn’t necessarily need a full-time HR person on staff.”
Hire Ventures started in the high tech, high growth recruiting consulting space but has evolved over the years to cover all things HR & Recruiting. They love working with small businesses that are passion and purpose driven in what they do.
Teresa is originally from Montana, but now she lives in Atlanta with her husband and her two daughters (sadly, her 13.5-year-old hound dog passed away in January).
Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want To Miss:
- What makes millennials different? It’s a huge generation and millennials are basically the children of the baby boomers and grew up with technology. They have new traits that revolve around that technology. Often millennials are good at multitasking, but they tend to be a little impatient.
- How does the tech make them different? Human nature makes each generation different. However, millennials grew up with technology and that definitely sets them apart. This generation is more connected socially and grew up with more instant gratification.
- Why is it crucial to have set steps for hiring process as a small business owner? A bad hire can distract the entire workplace and lower morale. If you have a streamlined recruiting process then you can often evade those issues. You don’t have to have the exact same questions, but a framework for pre-screening is imperative. Then, you can decide to meet with the person to finalize their eligibility.
- Should you let them access your social media? Yes! Include them and make them feel like a bigger part of your business. They will engage on a level that connects with them. More that that, it can help you if you’re not as comfortable with Facebook live or social media sharing. When people see employees that are happily engaged with the social media presence, then possible employees and clients will get a better idea of how awesome of a company you have.
Show Highlights:
- What is a millennial?[1:50] Born early 80’s and early 2000’s and they can range in age anywhere from 14-37, quite a big range. For the most part, they grew up with technology that increased every year.
- How is it different when you are recruiting a millennial?< [5:30] If you have a strong recruiting process, then you’ll be effective no matter what you do. However, millennials don’t like to wait and like to know immediately if they have the job and that’s why you see a lot more applicants and faster turnover in letting prospective employees. They want to know right away if they have a chance for this position before moving on to the next.
- What can you do to help keep the newer generation happy in the workplace? [10:00] They are much more socially connected and they like to have a purpose and feel important. The need for attention can be seen as a negative, but it isn’t always that way. It can open up ways of communication. Millennials have grown up in a time where they want to be a part of something “bigger than themselves.”
- Motivating your staff [13:40] If we relate ourselves to the millennials, needing to be tech savvy and having constant feedback or recognition. It doesn’t have to be money, it can be little things like appreciation activities. It can be as small as a monthly lunch or awards for different things.
- Applicant Tracking Program [17:00] This helps you find your employment brand. You can easily implement them to help create a careers page for you and brings tons of benefits.
- Some resources that you could use [21:00] We don’t like to sell things on our podcasts, but here are some really great resources that you need to check out.
Tweetables:
[Tweet ““The millennial generation is a huge generation.””]
[Tweet ““I think the millennials get a bad rep sometimes…because people don’t understand them.””]
[Tweet ““You either can complain or you can learn and do something about it. Those are your two options.””]
[Tweet ““If you hire the right person the rest of that employment relationship is smooth sailing.””]
Links:
Check out the blog at https://hireventures.com/2018/02/07/how-not-to-hire-a-millennial/
Share The Show:
Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review!
- Click this link – Bella In Your Business
- Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork
- Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section
- Click on ‘Write a Review
Transcript:
Bella: This is episode 92 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting, and today I have an interesting story for you. I was in one of my boss mom Facebook groups, and someone had posted an article that they just wrote about how to not hire a millennial. As you can tell, I was totally excited about it because we’re always talking about this in our pet sitting groups. It was such a well-written article that I needed to reach out. So I reached out and found myself talking to this wonderful guest we’re going to have today. Her name is Teresa Murphey. She’s the founder and president of HireVentures. She loves to simplify things in HR and has been doing it since 2001, so quite a while—she’s not new to the game. She’s got a lot of tricks in her hat. We talked on the phone and hit it off like best friends. I said, “You have to come on my podcast.” In fact, you guys, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from Teresa because we’re going to do an entire series in some manner or form. But HireVentures started in 2001, and she’s been working with business owners ever since.
Bella: So Teresa, without further ado, welcome to the show.
Teresa: Thank you, Bella. I’m so excited to be here.
Bella: Now, did I give your introduction enough of a foundation of who you are, or are there any gaps we need to fill in?
Teresa: No, I think you did great.
Bella: Awesome. So you have this awesome blog post that I’m going to put in the show notes so everyone can read it. It was called How Not to Hire a Millennial, and it was written by a millennial. Before we start, why don’t you break down what a millennial is?
Teresa: Sure. I do think it’s important to understand what we’re talking about when we say “millennial.” I’m not a millennial myself, but millennials are typically born between the early ’80s and the early 2000s. So in 2018, that would mean they’re anywhere from about 14 to 37 years old.
Bella: So quite a big range. And that’s definitely a lot of the people—pet sitters and dog walkers—one of their avatars that they target are college students. They’re great to do overnights, they have flexible schedules, sometimes online classes. So we do find ourselves hiring in that age range more often than not. But what makes millennials so different compared to baby boomers or Gen Xers?
Teresa: One thing to note is that the millennial generation is huge—they’re basically the children of the baby boomers. They’re entering the workforce and grew up surrounded by technology. They have certain traits that are important to understand, and much of that relates to technology. When I was a child, I had to check out a book or a movie from the store, and it had to be returned. I didn’t have a cell phone until after college. We had to write letters. This generation, on the other hand, is capable of performing a lot of different technological tasks. They’re excellent multitaskers and a little impatient because of it.
Bella: I feel like I’m on the cusp. I’m 36, born in ’82, and during school, it was only in high school when the cool kids started getting cell phones—paid by the minute. When I came home from basketball practice, I still used the payphone and called collect, saying, “Come pick me up.” The thing that kills me—and the reason I wanted to talk about this—is because millennials get a bad rap sometimes, just because people don’t understand them. It’s a detriment to businesses that lump everyone in a 20-year category.
Teresa: You’re absolutely right. Every generation is often looked down upon by the previous one. It’s human nature. I personally feel like, even though I’m Gen X, I relate to the millennial mindset—I love technology. Because of their ability to embrace it, the speed at which we do things—hiring, onboarding, training—has changed. Millennials might get a bad rep for being distracted, but they’re also great multitaskers.
Bella: So when recruiting millennials, what’s very different from hiring other people?
Teresa: That’s a great question. I feel like if you have a solid recruiting process and system, you’ll be effective at recruiting anyone. Millennials have just pushed us to improve. They’ve made hiring managers realize they can’t get away with the old tactics that worked 10 years ago. That’s why we’re seeing more socially enabled recruiting and HR systems. If you have a standardized process that can attract, screen, and onboard consistently, you’ll succeed across any age group.
Bella: That brings me to my next question—how crucial is it for small business owners to have written steps for hiring and onboarding?
Teresa: It’s extremely important. I’ve seen what a bad hire can do—not just morale-wise but in terms of time and distraction. Consistency is key. You can’t properly compare candidates if your process isn’t consistent. It doesn’t mean asking the exact same questions, but the framework should be similar. Pre-screen candidates online, follow up with questions, conduct a phone interview to gauge communication, then meet in person to confirm impressions. Depending on liability, include background checks or reference checks.
Bella: Exactly! It’s so easy for small business owners to get in hot water without realizing it.
Teresa: Yes, laws vary by state. Some states have stricter screening and onboarding laws. You must know what applies to you.
Bella: Once you’ve hired millennials, what can small business owners do to keep them happy?
Teresa: Millennials often want purpose behind what they do. They’re the most socially connected generation. They like feeling part of something. They crave feedback—an annual performance review isn’t enough. We need more transparency and communication, developing them as individuals.
Bella: That’s fantastic. The workforce today is so different from older generations that just punched in and out daily. People now seek fulfillment and purpose—look at brands like Tom’s Shoes or Ethos Water. The face of business is changing, and we have to adapt. You can either complain or learn how to motivate people. Speaking of motivation, how can leaders better motivate their staff?
Teresa: If we relate it back to millennials, they crave feedback and recognition—not necessarily monetary. It can be activities or experiences, team outings, or even a small monthly lunch to recognize people.
Bella: Do you think allowing them to take over the Facebook page or post lives about their work would motivate them?
Teresa: Yes, absolutely. Including them in social media, using hashtags, letting them showcase their work—it makes them feel valued and part of the bigger picture.
Bella: And it helps the company too. When recruiting, people will look at your social media and website. Seeing happy employees makes them want to work for you.
Teresa: Exactly. It’s about employer branding. Systems now can automate that. Applicant tracking systems let you create a careers page, post to multiple job boards, and manage applications seamlessly. It creates a great experience for both candidates and employers.
Bella: That sounds amazing. Why are so many people still doing this the hard way?
Teresa: Recruiting can be expensive and time-consuming. Posting on Craigslist gets you unqualified applicants. Having a system streamlines the process, automates communication, and ensures transparency.
Bella: That sounds like a dream. You actually help business owners set up these systems, right?
Teresa: Yes. We’re consultants who implement recruiting and HR systems for a flat $99 fee. We handle setup, customization, templates, and integration so business owners can focus on their work.
Bella: That’s such an incredible resource. You’re offering what big companies have, but affordable for small business owners.
Teresa: Exactly. We act as an extension of your HR team—on-demand HR and recruiting experts. We handle everything from compliance to screening and interviewing.
Bella: That’s amazing. We’ll definitely have to bring you back to talk about letting employees go. Thank you so much, Teresa. To everyone listening, you can visit hireventures.com/anniversary for details. All info is in the show notes. If you liked this episode, subscribe and comment—we’ll be watching. And remember, always keep jumping.