Attracting, engaging, and retaining top candidates was always a challenge. And now, the talent market is more frenzied than ever. Plus, you must have a clever tactic for the generations that are just entering the pool of countless job opportunities. So, how to recruit Gen Z candidates? What do they truly want, and how will you meet their expectations?
This comprehensive guide will help you out. It covers a few ridiculously simple tips and offers some valuable insights that will turn the tables for you. And so, regardless of whether you have an in-house recruiter or choose to go for a recruitment agency, make sure that they understand the talents you need on your team.
How do you recruit Gen Z and Millennials?
Did you ever truly grasp the concept of how to recruit millennials? If you did, here’s some great news. There are lots of similarities between them and the next generation of job seekers. Sure, a few differences are bound to pop up. But, what these two groups have in common are these key points:
- Most are technologically inclined and expect the same level of knowledge and enthusiasm from their future employers,
- A great number of candidates from both groups feels the massive impact of your brand and reputation,
- A larger part of both groups appreciates the flexibility and has an unmistakable sense of smelling whether your culture is healthy & balanced.
Since most talents from both generations are active social media users, you can use that fact as a valid recruiting technique.
And lastly, keep these key takeaways in mind: most Millennials and Gen Z candidates consider salary and work-life balance to be crucial when looking into a potential employer.
Know the basic difference: What attracts Gen Z VS. Millennials?
What sets these two generations of digital natives apart? Well, there are a few small contrasts. For instance, the majority of Millennials look forward to personal and professional growth and seek new challenges regularly. Their principal aim here is to climb the ladder and take a step forward quickly. On the other hand, the junior league of tech-savvy talents who are entering the market with a bang is more inclined toward being very precise about their daily duties and have a taste for job rotation. So, they enjoy the opportunity to rotate through different roles throughout their first few years within a company.
And here’s a fact to learn ASAP: the number of talents with engineering majors is on the rise. In fact, it has doubled between Gen X and Gen Z. Also, while most Millennials choose their majors in science, business, and healthcare, Gen Zer’s choices often include psychology or another social science.
Key tips on how to recruit generation Z
Some sets of perks and employee benefits work like a charm regardless of your target group. Things like flexibility, a healthy environment, and a strong sense of providing a good work-life balance are always the way to attract and retain employees. Have a look at these advantages in more detail and read a few more tested tips on how to recruit generation Z candidates.
Offer flexibility
We got used to working from home – as a necessity rather than a benefit. And now, we have another remote vs. on-site battle going on: introducing a hybrid working environment. Letting the employees have a say in whether they’d pick a remote day or come to the office is still a major advantage. And much like Millennials, Generation Z will also appreciate this sort of flexibility. The ideal scenario is a “work-from-anywhere” policy which will surely grant superb results. It will bring enhancements in terms of employee experience and satisfaction. Plus, it won’t affect productivity and profits since the coming generations are fluent in all tech tools, platforms, and gizmos.
Promote a work-life balance
All surveys have shown the same result. Employees around the globe feel that working for a company that promotes a healthy work-life balance is crucial. So, first of all, managers should highlight this particular attitude and mention it in meetings, chit-chats, 1:1, and job ads as well. But words will only get you so far. You should take excellent care of your employees’ health by offering them insurance packages that suit them. Also, give them some extra paid time off. Do things that will have a lasting impact on their well-being and their perception of your company.
Focus on development opportunities
Coming up with a brilliant employee development plan is still absolutely necessary. And one essential rule will never go out of style: each development plan should be personalized. Be sure to speak about this throughout the recruitment process and communicate it through your social media.
So how to get started with an effective plan for employees’ development? First, assess the company’s needs and the possibilities it can truly offer. Then, align these goals with the aims your employees have. Understand their short-term objectives first and find out how they can be reached successfully. You can consider different seminars, conferences, workshops, online courses, educational materials, and more. Listen to your crew and find the best ways to educate and engage them.
Build a strong and healthy culture & encourage teamwork
The main thing on the agenda here is a matter of social responsibility. It should become an integral element of your company’s culture. Because – few things are more important to most members of this generation that’s about to conquer the job market than a firm’s commitment to social responsibility. Their key fields of interest include equity and environmental issues. But here’s the vital part: you can’t afford to be all talk and no action. So do the good work, and don’t be afraid to show it to your audience and talent pool.
In addition, most candidates who are just kick-starting their search are huge on teamwork & peer coaching programs. They find this way of learning and encouragement to be the most effective one. And this should go without saying – micromanagement is a major no-no. So, help them get knowledge while spreading a sense of positivity and belonging.
Pay attention to diversity and its massive significance
If your ideal candidate scents a negative aura around your company’s culture, they definitely won’t keep moving forward with the process. And this sort of “word of mouth” goes way beyond any benefits and incentives you may offer. The basic concept of “do people enjoy working for you?” is the main thing to focus on, and then – there is a matter of candidate experience as well.
According to studies, 83% of Gen Z candidates find diversity and inclusion to be among the most important factors when it comes to picking a future employer. These candidates usually think of workplace diversity as a more all-embracing thing, which means that it should be about more than age, gender, race, etc. So, their chosen employer must accept, respect, and value uniqueness and different attitudes.
How do you attract Gen Z candidates – Bonus points
In addition to the principal qualities a Gen Zer’s employer must have, there are a few extra points to keep in mind. First of all, memorize this: an early bird is never late! So, start your search for the best fit as soon as possible. Do it before your actual hiring need pops up. Make your company interesting to the crowd you will be recruiting in the near future. And then, explore your options & boost your old ways!
Target them early
One of the key tips to recruit Gen Z candidates is to spot them ASAP. Maybe you won’t recruit them at this very moment. But you should still make sure to grab their attention. Wanna know a trick to be more successful in this domain. Here’s the drill: start by segmenting them into three groups:
- High school grads who seek employment immediately,
- Those who plan to go to college first,
- Graduated candidates.
Yes, now is the time to panic because some of your future employees were born back when Call Me Maybe was a major bop and not a form of being subtly ghosted during a recruitment process.
Nevertheless, here’s another piece of news for you: part of your hiring strategies will be experimental here. Come up with a tactic and monitor its progress. The great thing is that recruitment analytics and marketing KPIs never go out of style, even if your 2012 taste in pretty much everything starts to feel like an absolute cringe. So, you won’t be just exploring with no real backup.
Reach out to freelancers
Many businesses rely on freelance and flexible talents to get better results. And, many will agree – not all roles require a long-term hire. It goes the other way, too. So, many Gen Z candidates do not actually want a permanent anchor. Plus, since the whole job market has been a bit crazy over the past few years, many applicants who do want a steady job are still looking – and freelancing!
And there’s a stat that testifies to this claim. According to surveys, 50% of Generation Zers have freelance gigs and engagements. That being said – it is quite obvious that they do enjoy their freedom, flexibility, and remote work, + they are pretty much involved in digital communities. With advanced tools and communications platforms that allow smooth team collaboration – you know that both freelance and remote arrangements can work perfectly for everyone!
Be fresh, innovative & tech-savvy
If you truly want to succeed and learn how to recruit Gen Z candidates, get ready to speak to the most tech-savvy generation. So, to connect with these active and passive talents, you must speak their language. Disclaimer: slang and abbreviations aren’t mandatory IRL. In fact, speaking the same lingo means using their preferred platforms and media.
Plus, it certainly means that each part of your online presence (like website, career page, social media, and more) needs to be fully optimized and mobile-friendly. Studies show that 83.89% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. So just imagine your potential hires canvassing job postings through them. And finally, make sure you offer virtual face-to-face interviews using the best, brand-new video conferencing tools.
The ultimate piece of advice: Enhance your recruitment process
How can companies attract Gen Z applicants? Well, the short answer is to have their entire recruitment process improved. Regardless of whether you rely on an in-house recruiter or put a recruitment agency in charge, this point is an absolute must. Here are a few key tips:
- Use an ATS and explore various recruiting tools,
- Write a precise job description that has all the crucial information,
- Build a strong branding strategy.
So, first of all, be sure to keep things nice and simple. Provide your target audience with small, easily digestible chunks of information, like short, informative videos or valuable reviews and testimonials. Your online reputation is essential when recruiting the digital-savvy generation because one thing is guaranteed – they’ll run a meticulous search on your firm.
Also, the whole drill simply must be short and sweet. Those horror stories about late replies and countless stages of (redundant) interviews have to stay in the past. That is unless your recruitment targets are to annoy prospective hires. Keep a clear goal in mind and pave the simplest possible way toward it.
Follow these tips & steps to learn how to recruit Gen Z
Learning how to recruit Gen Z candidates isn’t that hard. Just memorize these essential tips and stick to them. Then, give a once over to your recruitment strategies. See if there are some issues to fix and gaps to overcome. And start now!
And if you want to escape potential drama & dodge the common headaches related to hiring – reach out to a reputable recruitment agency and meet your skilled, new employees fast.
