Hiring Gen Z presents unique opportunities and challenges for companies in today's workforce. With their distinct preferences, values, and digital fluency, understanding how to effectively attract, engage, and retain Gen Z talent is essential for businesses aiming to thrive in the modern landscape.
What is Gen Z?
Generation Z stands for individuals born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s. They are the latest generation of workers entering the workforce.
Gen Z is a true digital native and grew up with the rapid advancement of technology. They went through the pandemic during their studies or early in their careers, and come with great resilience, but different expectations than the Millennials workforce.
Hiring Gen Z? Beware:
According to LinkedIn, successfully attracting and retaining Gen Z talent is the second most-pressing concern for recruiters over the next five years, according to LinkedIn’s recent Future of Recruiting 2024 report.
- Financial Security: Gen Z grew up seeing their parents struggle through economic downturns and they want to be smarter with money than their elders. For them, economic security is really important. They want jobs that give stable income streams and help avoid debt.
- Workplace Benefits: When Gen Z look for a new job, 53% of them think about the benefits the job offers. On average, they're even willing to accept a 19% lower salary if it means they get good non-salary perks.
- Personal and Professional Development: A whopping 80% of Gen Z want jobs where they can learn and develop new skills rather than focusing only on one skill. It’s a must to highlight possibilities to have career progression vertically or sideways! It’s not just about landing the next manager role. Gen Z is receptive about moving across functions as additional opportunities to add to their skillsets. Leverage on sharing true stories of both vertical and horizontal promotions to attract Gen Z.
- Flexibility: About 39% of Gen Z want jobs that offer flexibility to work remotely. And interestingly, 71% of those who already work remotely or in hybrid setups would not want to go back to a fully in-person workplace.
Hiring young people from Generation Z comes with its unique challenge. Unlike older generations who were impressed by promises of future rewards from a company, Gen Z is more interested in what they can get instantaneously. They are not focused on “money only”; they want something extra to catch their eye. What’s more, since they have grown up with lots of technology around them, they do not like waiting around during long job application processes.
Overcoming challenges in hiring younger workers is crucial because Gen Z is set to outnumber Boomers in the global workforce in some asian countries. Here are five smart strategies that forward-thinking companies are using to tackle this.
1. Leverage your organization’s internal influencers to engage with Gen Z!
Make sure your company values are lived within the inside. Traditional corporate videos are not enough to capture the interest of Gen Z. Instead, they want to see real ambassadors or internal influencers of the organisation talking about the company, sharing real-life experiences, without corporate jargon. If you are authentic, chances are they will follow you.
Adopt authenticity in corporate messages and pick real internal influencers to highlight your company's values, ensuring to incorporate your organisation's perspective on work-life balance, diversity, learning and career advancement, social impact and sustainability.
Every job seeker expects employers to promote their strengths and the perks of working with them. But when a company partners with an influencer, it can make potential applicants pause and really consider what that company represents. If they already admire and trust the influencer, they might view your brand more favorably because of the collaboration.
Some employers are finding success at leveraging internal influencers (internal employees) who have a social media following that is not directly connected to the company.
2. Reach them where they are, use social media!
Gen Z do not scroll for hours on traditional job boards. Instead, organisations should understand how to “get to them”. According to The DCDX "2023 3rd Annual Gen Z Screen Time Report", Gen Z spend on average 7 hours and 7 minutes on their mobile phone per day. And yes, Gen Z is on :
- TikTok
While most companies maintain a social media presence, it's essential to consistently share engaging content to attract their attention. This visibility increases the likelihood of Gen Z finding your company on your social media page. Before they apply on your career page, they are most likely to land on your social media!
3. Promote social “shorts” instead of long traditional corporate videos
To reach Gen Z, your organisation shall adopt short video formats they will consume. On average, short videos increase job applications by 20%.
What are in shorts : Video shorts on social media refers to a brief video clip typically ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes in duration. These videos are designed to quickly engage viewers and convey a message or story within a short timeframe. Video shorts are often used on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Twitter to entertain, inform, or promote content in a concise and visually engaging format.
- Include Huneety 20% boost slide
- Include a Huneety short
5. Make the application process quick and easy
Gen Z is not keen on spending a lot of time on the hiring process. In fact, a study found that 60% prefer the application process to take less than 15 minutes. To attract more applications from this demographic, consider eliminating unnecessary steps, like asking candidates to upload their resume and then manually fill out their job history. At Huneety, we observed that conversion rates from job seeker to applicant increase by 300% when the job application takes five minutes or less. Even if you do not follow this exact approach, simplifying your application process could help keep Gen Z applicants engaged.
6. Embrace Texting as a Communication Tool
It is becoming increasingly important for recruiters to maintain ongoing relationships with potential candidates, even when there is not an immediate job opening. Research suggests that 90% of Gen Z prefer communicating via text rather than phone calls. In fact, some Gen Z find talking on the phone to be anxiety-inducing. Texting allows for quick and direct communication, which aligns well with the fast-paced nature of modern communication. Recruiters can learn from this approach and incorporate texting into their strategies for staying in touch with candidates. By doing so, recruiters can foster stronger connections with potential hires and be better positioned to fill future roles efficiently.
Additional benefits of text communication with Gen Z:
- Quick Communication: Texting allows for fast updates, reminders, and follow-ups, keeping candidates informed.
- Better Response Rates: Candidates are more likely to read and respond to texts promptly, speeding up communication.
- Personalized Interaction: Texting enables tailored messages, addressing specific questions or concerns for a more engaging experience.
- Streamlined Process: Texting helps in scheduling interviews, exchanging information, and providing feedback efficiently, reducing delays in recruitment.
How Huneety can help your organization hire Gen Z
Huneety provides organisations with a complete solution to hire Gen Z and young graduates. With Huneety, each company in will benefit from :
- Free employer branding videos aim to boost social engagement on social media. The Huneety team utilizes "shorts" and collaborates with HR departments to personalize messages using authentic ambassadors, enhancing online engagement.
- The Huneety platform ensures a fast and smooth recruitment process. Candidates can submit applications without resumes, completing the process in under 3 minutes effortlessly.
- SMS communication channels are prioritized to improve the hiring process on the platform.
- Promotion of your organization’s hiring on social media to receive hundreds of Gen Z and young graduates in less than 5 days.
Click here to schedule a free consultation about Gen Z hiring.
