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Starting their careers during and post-Covid, Generation Z entered the world of work in a pivotal era: colleagues across the globe took a step back to reassess work/life balance and prioritise what was actually most important to them. Some employees of all generations maintain more traditional values, for example attaining a particular status or buying a house (and paying off a mortgage), but the pandemic and our increasingly interconnected world have opened up a wave of possibilities for the realities of working life. Gen Z are asking more from their employers, expecting a career aligned to purpose and their own priorities, and in today’s candidate-led market, can afford to be choosy about their next career move. So how can companies attract and engage this increasingly diverse, demanding demographic?
6 Ways Employers Can Hire Diverse Gen Z Talent Pools
- Build and Promote a Truly Sustainable Brand – Growing up through the acceleration of the climate crisis means young people are also fluent in sustainability, seeing climate change as the world’s most important challenge of the near and long-term future. Tech-savvy and brought up on user-generated content across social media channels, Gen Z value authenticity and can spot dishonesty a mile off: employers must steer clear of greenwashing and virtue signalling, instead promoting the real activities and outcomes generated directly by the company for the wider world. Authentic and sustainable employer brands are built by donating money and volunteering time to sustainable causes rather than simple gestures like changing logo colours, making sustainable business investments and being transparent about the organisation’s impact, and actively supporting underrepresented communities within their own workforce through internships, mentoring programmes, funded training and colleague networks.
- Craft Your Employer Brand Around Purpose – In the past few years, Gen Z have seen their parents and co-workers say no to longer hours and higher workloads in favour of spending time with family, and leave high-paying careers in favour of more creative pursuits, entrepreneurial opportunities and social causes with personal meaning for them. The youngest demographic to enter the workforce are increasingly connecting their day jobs to their own identities and personal goals, seeking employer values and missions to match their own. Although specific to each individual, Gen Z have a greater appetite to use their careers to pursue their own personal and societal ambitions, as well as being financially rewarded in their day job. Employers can harness this enthusiasm through a transparent employer brand that communicates the company’s purpose, its positive impact on society and how new younger employees can be directly involved with this purpose and truly make a difference in their daily jobs.
- Diversify Talent Attraction Methods – Gen Z are more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations, and are much more likely to be aware of and open about their LGBTQ+, disability and neurodiversity status. Diversity and Inclusion are core concerns of jobseekers from the youngest demographic. Companies can demonstrate their internal diversity and inclusion success by sharing personal stories of younger diverse employees across their social media channels, publicly championing the achievements and promotions of these diverse staff members, and promoting D&I initiatives like networking groups and mentoring programmes. Instead of expecting diverse and younger audiences to engage with the brand of their own accord, businesses need to proactively seek out talent pools in the spaces where they already exist. Companies can promote an inclusive employer brand by interacting and building relationships online through message boards, groups and events focused around the interests of diverse Gen Z audiences.
- Diversify the Application & Interview Process – Diverse groups require a diverse recruitment approach. Job adverts are often unintentionally biased towards specific groups of individuals due to the language used and requirements requested. As younger people have fewer years of experience than older demographics and were disproportionately affected by redundancies in the pandemic, employers should reassess job adverts and remove any requirements that are not necessary for the role (such as 7 years’ experience working as a Java Developer or specific high level qualifications) and that may make younger applicants doubt their suitability despite their skills and knowledge. Covid-19 also means Gen Z have had far less exposure to office working and in-person mentorship opportunities than their older colleagues, putting younger individuals at a disadvantage in understanding professional communication and office culture, which can fuel anxiety over job interviews and hiring manager expectations. Flexibility during the interview process helps level the playing field, ensuring those who have experienced workplace anxiety and those who identify as disabled, neurodiverse or having mental health challenges can be more comfortable and perform their best in their home environment during video interviews. Candidates who have a positive application and interview experience will provide a much more accurate representation of their skills, knowledge and aptitude throughout assessment stages, improving the success of the recruitment process for both employers and talent pools.
- Build Relationships with Students – Partnering schools, colleges and Universities places a company’s brand right in front of thousands of young people, and empowers the organisation to deliver the exact brand message that will create a positive employer image in the eyes of students. When it comes to really connecting a brand with the younger demographic, sponsoring University events will only go so far. Employers can directly attract and engage with Gen Z through University Career Fairs, hosting their own workshops for students to raise awareness of careers in their industry, and helping with employability programmes. Students who have already begun a relationship with a company whilst still at University will be far more likely to apply to that employer’s graduate schemes and job opportunities – and recommend the employer to their own networks – in the future.
- Partner with Specialists – The best way to attract and engage any talent pool is to work with those who best understand the talent pool’s wants, needs and challenges. Recruitment agencies that specialise in recruiting diverse professionals, graduates and younger demographics will speak with thousands of individuals every week, and will have experience in both helping organisations improve their employer brand to maximise quality candidate applications, and in pitching employers in the most appealing way possible to encourage Gen Z candidates to interview.
Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.