How to Recruit Generation Z

They are Socially Responsible; they want the work that they do to have a purpose. 

They want Transparency in the workplace, that includes everything such as hours they will be working, salaries, what their job role entails, how they are perceived and achieving and what everyone else is doing within the business. 

They are Connected, they have strong networks, they understand about speaking to people and using technology to do this. 

They are Experiential, they are looking for experiences. What experiences are they going to get working for you? 

They are Flexible, they don’t necessarily want to part of the office, they don’t necessarily want to work 9-5, however they do want face to face contact with people but on a flexible basis. 

They are Realistic, they want to know what the world can offer them, they know what they want out of life and they are realistic about how they achieve that. 

 

Also understanding what they are not can also be helpful when recruiting Generation Z: 

Resilient, they will be happy to give up if things get tough or aren’t what they want. 

Shy, they will exude confidence, so it is important to look beyond this when recruiting. 

Loyal, this ties in with their resilience they will up sticks and start again if the going gets tough. 

Something to note is that 51% of leaders are currently Generation X and therefore often the parents of Generation Z, they aren’t stupid they understand that in the recruitment process they need to meet people half way, but you also need to meet them at the half way point. 

 

Now we know who they are here are our Top 3 Tips to recruit and engage with Generation Z: 

1. Be Clear on what you do and why you do it! 

Remember they are looking for purposeful driven work and are socially responsible – they want to see how you fit this too. 

Communicate your mission, your vision and how you contribute to society. Make this visible on your website, social media platforms so they can find this information themselves for applying to join your organisation, then reiterate it during your communication with them. 

 

2. Meet your Talent in a Digital World! 

75% of Generation Z prefer to communicate via text, use this within your recruitment process. 

95% of Generation Z use a smart phone – tech needs to be mobile enabled and intuitive, your website and job adverts need to be viewable via a small screen. 

 

3. Demonstrate how they will Interact in the Workplace! 

Generation Z crave 1-2-1 interaction in the workplace so they will be looking for the human side of your organisation, you can help with this by ensuring your leadership team are visible on social media, posting about the business. 

If you are using collaborative communication tools such as Slack or Yammer, ensure they know you are and that they will be when they work with you. 

They want 2-way personal conversations – think about using their language and personalising your conversations and feedback when talking to them throughout the process. 

 

One last thing that is important when recruiting, 60% of Generation Z prefers to rely on referrals about an organisation from current or former employees – make this part of your recruitment too, Glassdoor or Indeed reviews for example are very important and give them a look in to your culture, if you have bad reviews respond to these well and they can see you care. For more help and guidance on this subject please also see another blog we have written “The Importance of Employer Branding” on our website. 

 

If you want to discuss any or all the above points, please call Emerald Starfish on 0116 2080246.