Attracting and retaining today’s teen work force requires a whole new set of tools, with technology as the foundation.

Filling hourly foodservice positions used to be fairly simple and routine: Simply place an ad in the local paper or ask your current employees if any of their friends were looking for work. Usually, you’d have a new hire within days. That’s all there was to it. And you could get back to running your business.

But that’s all changed. Today, teens have access to plenty of entry-level jobs. They want to know what you’ll do for them before they apply. Distracted by the gadgets of the Internet age, it’s hard to get their attention. Traditional approaches to recruiting millennials just don’t work.

Today’s teens have changed – and if you haven’t adjusted your recruiting approach, you’ll continue to come up short. To ensure you catch their attention, throw out as wide of a net as possible by using more than one of these eight tactics:

Can You See Me Now? – Visually communicate your message. Create your own video that highlights the benefits, fun and friends that will come with working at your company. Utilize music, colors, movement and cast other teens to tell your story. Use this as a TV commercial on local channels, e-mail to prospective new hires and stream on your Web site.

The Need for Speed – Today’s teens are on a faster-paced schedule and have a shorter attention span than any previous generation. Keep your applications short and respond to all completed applications within 24 hours to what the next step is. If you wait too long, they’ll be applying somewhere else.   

Go Digital – Teens have never known a life without computers. You should have a Web site where prospective employees can complete and submit an online application.

Advertise Online – The Web is a way of life for teens today. Stay away from the local ads in your daily paper – that will be the last place a teen will look. Use employment Web sites, such as snagajob.com, teens4hire.org or craigslist.org. Most communities have localized Internet employment sites. Don’t forget social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. By the way, it’s OK if you don’t know much about the Web – your current teen staff does. Ask them for their input and include them in the process.

Go Back to School – You have to earn a teen’s loyalty and confidence. In addition to job postings that are engaging, use age-appropriate design and humor to communicate your employment message, get involved.  Volunteer your expertise in the classroom or on campus to build trust.  Don’t forget to reach out to the local home school community.

Send Out the Troops – Have an internal recruitment program in place that motivates your current teen staff to attract as many people as possible. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can also employ a signing bonus paid directly to your new hire.

Shop Till They Drop – Loyal customers can make loyal employees. Communicate to your teen customers that you have positions available and the benefits they would receive by being a part of the team. It’d better look like a fun place to work.

Work with Strategic Retail Partners – Find other businesses where teens shop and/or spend time that you can build a partnership with to communicate your employment opportunities. Purchase your incentives from the businesses and/or give them free product or passes. By aligning yourself with select music and clothing stores,  and restaurants and movie theaters, you will put your company name in front of prospective teen staff.

Recruiting more teens is just the beginning to building a strong foundation for your business. As your company becomes more competitive, you can begin hiring only the best of the best. The end result? You’ll have a more motivated work force with improved retention.

Ken Whiting is a foodservice operator, expert on providing solutions for teenage work force challenges, and consultant to leisure, food and beverage businesses. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For a free copy of WAVES 101 Best Ways to Recruit, Retain, Educate and Motivate Today’s Teens, visit www.WAVESforsuccess.com.