The future of work has much to do with Gen Z as the generation will comprise about 27 percent of the workforce by 2025. Despite knowing the vital role this generation will play in the years to come, many HR leaders and organizations are unsure about how to recruit and retain Gen Z workers.
So, what are examples of job seeker preferences recruiters should keep in mind as hiring heats up? According to Neil Costa, CEO & Founder of HireClix, a time-consuming application can severely hurt a company’s recruitment efforts.
“Younger generations like Gen Z have significantly less tolerance for long job applications than older generations like Baby Boomers according to HireClix’s CX Survey,” Costa recently shared with HR Daily Advisor. “However, regardless of the age of the target job seeker demographic, we recommend trying to keep the application process to five minutes or less, focusing on candidate lead capture versus a full application process. Simple and easy is more aligned with what the job seeker wants.
“In this time of economic uncertainty, we’ve also begun to see job seekers look at total compensation packages versus just salary,” he added. “Factors like flexible hours, PTO, and remote work weigh heavily into candidate decisions, so it’s important your employer branding and employee value proposition state your available benefits clearly.”
In this week’s HR Query, Costa shares advice about how employers can tailor their messaging to meet Gen Z where they are, platforms to use to recruit, and how to hang on to top talent.
Here’s what he had to say.
Knowing Gen Z prioritizes job benefits, company values, flexibility, workplace culture, etc., what can companies looking to hire at scale do to tailor their messaging and meet the modern workforce where they are?
NC: As I said earlier, job seekers from Gen Z are looking at the full picture when making the decision to change jobs. It’s no longer just about salary; a company must be aggressive in the way it’s marketing its values and total compensation package. They must be storytellers. With this type of employer branding, we usually recommend starting to activate on channels a company has control over like their LinkedIn page and their own career site, using tailored and clear messaging to convey all the benefits the employer has to offer.
When it comes to recruiting for Gen Z, it’s also important to meet them where they are. For example, while ZipRecruiter and Indeed rank among the best job search platforms in general, the CX Survey showed LinkedIn and TikTok to be more influential for Gen Z. They also job search predominantly on their mobile devices, so having a quick, mobile-friendly application process is imperative to recruiting this generation.
What platforms should recruiters be looking at to support hiring Gen Z?
NC: Traditional job boards are important and included in most of our media plans for clients; however, job boards only reach active candidates, and they only account for a small percentage of the overall time spent online. That is why we suggest going beyond the job boards to sites like YouTube and TikTok to recruit Gen Z, which engages so heavily online. Of course, the sites and tactics we recommend depend heavily on the industry in which you are recruiting. For example, if we were to build a campaign for more technical jobs, we’d suggest reaching Gen Z on Reddit or even Steam.
As some employees may be looking to shift gears during this time, how can companies hang on to top talent?
NC: The best piece of advice I can offer you is to ask your employees what they need and how the company can best support them. These types of “stay interviews” can go a long way in retaining top talent by engaging your workforce and making employees feel heard. It is especially important as the younger generations’ values differ from what the workforce has been used to previously.