How to appeal to Gen Z candidates
How to appeal to Gen Z candidates
If you’re looking for a phrase that sums up the Gen Z workforce – then it has to be ‘hard to please’.
You could add to that, ‘elusive’ and ‘picky’, but let’s not tar them all with the same brush.
However, it is important for businesses to be aware that this next generation of employees (born mid-1990s to early 2000s), have a far different concept of the world of work to the rest of us.
As the first truly ‘digital generation’, their ideals and expectations are not the same as the generation before – the Millennials – and so businesses need to become more switched on as to how recruit and keep Gen Z employees – or face a revolving door of having to constantly keep hiring.
Research from Gartner – How to appeal to Generation Z candidates – has indicated how serious a problem this could become, with those that have already entered the workforce regretting the choices they have made.
It has found that in 2018, 40 per cent of Gen Z respondents reported that they would not repeat their decision to accept the job offer they had accepted and only 51 per cent said they could see themselves having a long career at their organisation. It also noted that more than one-third of candidates who regret their decision intend to leave their position within 12 months.
The upshot of candidate regret is high turnover, low engagement and low productivity, which is not ideal for any business in what are already challenging times.
“To address this increase in candidate regret — and stem the ensuing issues with underperforming talent and/or high turnover — organisations need to better understand what Generation Z candidates want,” said Lauren Smith, vice president of Gartner’s HR practice.
So, if you want to hire and retain Gen Z candidates there are two distinct demands that need to be met – flexibility and development opportunities.
Gen Z candidates are attuned to the latest technology and tools, particularly via smartphone and laptops, and so don’t expect to be ‘chained’ to a desk or set hours in one location. They expect, nay demand, that they can work from any location – be it another office or home!
They also want to see flexibility while at work. They do not expect a draconian approach in the working environment, but they expect work to also include play, which can be interpreted in many ways, and that it is incorporated into the working day. (Maybe a location for a table tennis set isn’t a bad idea after all?)
Once you have satisfied that flexible working won’t be an issue, you then must appeal to their desire for continual development or face the fact they won’t be around for long as they go somewhere that will deliver.
In 2018, 23 per cent of Gen Z candidates listed development opportunities as a top attraction driver, compared to only 17 per cent of their millennial predecessors in 2013.
They don’t want to come and work for you and get left behind by technology advancements. They want to make sure they are knowledgeable and relevant and never risk becoming a ‘dinosaur’. To that end, as an employer you need to have a training programme that will deliver this that will ensure opportunities and time is provided. It could be a webinar, seminar, training days, boot camps…you name it. If you can match the drive and desire of the candidate, then the likelihood is you’ll be more successful in recruiting them.
If you’d like to know more about developing a successful recruitment strategy across all age groups, then Clarico has the expertise to assist you.