7 things you need to know about hiring Generation Z

If you’ve finally got your strategies down pat for hiring Millennials, now a new generation is making its mark – Generation Z.  

They’re born between the late 1990s and 2010 and are most comfortable in digital habitats.  They are also ambitious and favour opportunities and workplace culture like no other generation. So, how do you make recruitment Gen Z-friendly? 

Like it’s become for many of us, mobile social media use is second nature for Gen Z, so you need to leverage this screen time with breakthrough advertising and opportunities.  Daniel Tee, Practice Lead – Financial Services at MARS Recruitment emphasises the importance of having a digital ecosystem to reach Gen Z through relevant channels “where they live”. In other words, recruiters need to have innovative marketing and social media strategies to pique the interest of their Generation Z clients. 

“The best time to reach them is not necessarily when they are actively looking for work, but passively while they are consuming social media,” Tee adds.

Many Generation Z employees crave opportunities that are progressive and unique. “They value work-life balance and social opportunities in a way we haven’t experienced before,” Tee says.

So much so that a report by Accenture UK indicated that 62% of Gen Z would “choose a fun, positive and social atmosphere at work over salary.”

Robyn Djelassi, Head of People & Culture at Vinomofo, agrees.  Having recruited a decent Generation Z workforce, she says, “working from home, volunteer leave and part-time work are absolute expectations if the role allows for it.” 

A recent Deloitte study showed that 33% of respondents would quit their job in the next two years if there were not enough opportunities to advance, followed closely by a lack of learning and development opportunities (27%).  

To cater for this focus on progression, on top of their wine education programs, Vinomofo promotes from within where possible and provides secondment opportunities to different areas of the business.

When Deloitte asked about ‘success markers’, just 56% of Gen Z indicated that earning a high salary was at the top of their list of ambitions.

This demographic has other aspirations, particularly when it comes to workplaces that have strong values and corporate social responsibility.  

“Having an overarching sense of social responsibility and being authentically committed to issues like climate change, mental health and inclusivity will definitely make you an employer of choice with Generation Z,” Tee says.

Unlike their predecessors, many Generation Z employees value experience and culture over set career paths, which puts the pressure on hirers to make positions attractive. Mundane aspects of traditional roles are becoming less appealing, so Tee says that hirers need to consider how they can change positions to merge other responsibilities and utilise other skills-sets.  

Many Gen Z employees won’t settle for a one-size-fits all approach – they want a personalised experience rather than a scattergun attitude.  “Texting or emailing each individual applicant with a personal message and sign off will definitely pay dividends,” Djelassi says.

The same goes for onboarding. “Gen Z are much more eager to seek feedback and confident to ask questions, so workplaces need to be prepared for this,” she says.  

As a general rule of thumb, Generation Z don’t see the point wasting time in the office doing ‘busy work’ but they do give a lot in return.  According to the Accenture report, six in 10 new graduates consider it acceptable to work on evenings and weekends and 83% would relocate to another city for the right job offer.

What they really crave is a personalised experience that hits the right note between salary, work-life balance, learning and development opportunities and career development. 

“They bring a fresh new perspective and remind us that there is more to life than 12-hour days in the office,” Djelassi says.