Gen Z is here to stay.
Members of this generation, born between 1995 and 2009, range from high-school students to those turning 30 next year. And they’re taking the world – and the workforce – by storm. So, you’d best get to know them and how to recruit and retain them as you solidify your upcoming business plans.
Gen Z Values
By 2025, Gen Z members are expected to represent 27 percent of the workforce. Throughout their lives, they have been virtually connected to people worldwide, as the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age. Their lives revolve around the latest technology – and this is what truly sets them apart from their predecessors.
- As they are naturally open to a world of possibilities, Gen Zs tend to see few to no boundaries and have high expectations for their employers. While traditional benefits like salary still hold importance, they often prioritize values like empowerment and flexibility over, for instance, climbing the corporate ladder.
- Friends and family matter, too. In one recent survey, 42 percent of Gen Zs said they valued work-life balance, remote working, and flexible leave as leading factors in deciding where to work.
- Gen Zs expect employers to show, not just tell, how they care for people and the planet. Additional leading values among these up-and-coming professionals are diversity, equity and inclusion, and opportunities to expand their skillsets and broaden their horizons.
Gen Z and Your Career Site
Transparency is another important value to Gen Zs, so be sure your career site features clear, compelling information about benefits, development offerings, and other features that resonate with today’s younger candidates. User-friendly sites are key, as Gen Zs are naturally accustomed to immediate information access.
Throughout your site, focus not only on job openings, but also provide insights into your company culture, work environment, and values. There are various tools you can use to accomplish this, including:
- Employee Testimonials: High-quality, credible content is essential for you to build and maintain your competitive employer brand. Employee testimonials can be extremely impactful as job seekers of all ages place high trust in what members of your current workforce have to say.
- Day-in-the-Life Images and Videos: Use these to bring to life values like diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and work-life balance, which will resonate well among the Gen Z demographic.
- Chatbots: These AI-powered programs have become more advanced with developments in natural language processing and machine learning. They’re smarter and better at instantly responding than they’ve ever been before.
… And It’s Gotta Be Mobile
On average, Gen Zs spend four hours and 15 minutes every day on mobile devices, and 95 percent of them own a smartphone, so mobile optimization of your career site is essential. Because Gen Z is a mobile-first generation, they are most likely to use their phones as their primary device for activities including shopping, entertainment, social interaction – and job hunting.
To learn more about building your recruitment strategy to appeal to today’s job seekers – including your industry-leading career site – contact Haley Marketing today.
