Gen Z, the newest and post-millennial generation, are those born between 1997 and 2012. With nearly 68 million Gen Z residents in the United States, the labor market is seeing a surge in these young adults applying for and starting careers. Recruiters and other HR professionals are constantly evolving their methods and finding new channels for recruiting Gen Z talent. This generation, also dubbed the digital natives, has grown up with the internet, social media platforms, and influencers. As a result, they are faster at processing information, scouring the internet, and using these platforms for finding work. Because of this, there is a big opportunity for attracting Gen Z recruits in this digital landscape.
Before diving into the channels that are effective for recruiting Gen Z’ers, let’s take a quick look at what is important to them. For many of those in Generation Z, higher education is a priority. Health care and mental health are also important to their values and needs. Other social awareness issues, such as race equity and the environment are often brought up as significant importance to this age group.
When it comes to jobs and careers, Gen Z is focused on a number of factors, such as work-life balance, job duties and responsibilities, and salary. Employee benefits are also important and expected, such as medical insurance, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and student loan repayment. Having an all-encompassing understanding of who Gen Z is and what matters to them most can help you hone in your recruiting efforts.
Using this knowledge and applying it to recruiting and talent acquisition can help you hone in on the most important channels and avenues for finding Gen Z talent. Where are Gen Z graduates searching for jobs? What platforms are used frequently for applying to positions or researching careers? How are recruiters building relationships with Gen Z’ers? Here are some of the top tips for Gen Z talent recruitment:
Utilize online and social media platforms
Gen Z loves browsing social media and online resources. With their eyes constantly on screens, it is crucial to have an encompassing strategy for utilizing these platforms to attract and recruit talent. Here are the top suggestions that can provide a great return on your time and investments:
- LinkedIn– WIth over 700 million users and 55 million companies registered on the platform, LinkedIn has and continues to be a recruitment behemoth. The sheer number of users, which includes many Gen Z students and workers, makes it a no-brainer. Focus on building relationships, creating beneficial content, gaining followers, and building trust with your desired demographics. Be sure to post new job openings, any career fairs or hiring events, and share tidbits about your company culture on your business page.
- Instagram– As most organizations and brands have realized, Instagram has a plethora of potential recruits using their stories, posts, and other features every second of the day. This social media network has continually climbed in popularity with Gen Z, making it a must for recruiting efforts. Utilize your business page and/or your own recruitment or personal Instagram work account for recruiting purposes. Sharing fun and engaging content on Instagram stories, on posts, and on Instagram live can help build relationships, referrals, and followers. Providing visual posts about the company and the positions you are looking to fill will help potential recruits gain a better understanding of your organization.
- TikTok– Although some recruiters would not think of TikTok for recruitment, the rise in popularity of this platform is hard to ignore. According to eMarketer, by the end of this year, the video app will have a larger number of Gen Z users in the US than that of Instagram. This year in the US, TikTok will have 37.3 million Gen Z users (born between 1997 and 2012) who access their accounts at least once per month. With statistics like that, using the network and finding Gen Z talent on TikTok needs to be a priority. Do you have Gen Z talent already in your organization? If so, ask them to be brand ambassadors and to share videos highlighting the company culture. Have a social media team? Be sure they are creating engaging content as well.
- YouTube– As one of the most engaging platforms online, nearly everyone, including Gen Z, is using YouTube for entertainment and education. Using videos to highlight employees, company culture, your office or facilities, and potential career openings are worthwhile. You can also utilize YouTube live to broadcast fun company events, networking events, or career fairs. If you don’t have a team to produce high-quality video content on YouTube, you can still upload educational content around the company and careers that could be helpful to potential recruits.
- Clubhouse, Podcasts, and more– With podcasts and apps like Clubhouse continuing to gain new users and listeners, be sure to consider these and other similar channels for recruiting Gen Z. Audio like this is listened to frequently and can provide a way to create the recruiting messaging and results you are looking for. For example, if the capabilities in your company allow, start a podcast that shares company openings, career advice, and similar. If that is not an option, find industry-related podcasts and reach out to be a guest. This type of exposure can be invaluable for talent acquisition. In addition, spend some time on Clubhouse to learn the platform and see if your organization can benefit from its use. Lastly, social media and online networks are constantly appearing and changing. Stay in tune with the latest research and trends to keep connected with Gen Z.
- Generate referrals from existing employees – Referrals are a dream come true for recruiters. Not only do referrals reduce costs and time for hiring talent, they typically stay longer with the company, increasing your retention rate. Many Gen Z recruits prefer to get referred to a potential employer from a current or even a former employer. Having a trusted resource within provides them with a level of understanding and insider knowledge that is impossible to provide in any other way. Speak to your current employees and inquire about any family or friends that are just entering the workforce from college or are looking for a new opportunity.
- Don’t forget about career fairs – Gen Z isn’t only online and with their heads buried into their devices. In-person career fairs are still valued. The face-to-face hiring events provide interactions that can not be found or experienced digitally. Be sure to promote any career fairs online and through social media, but get back to the basics with a well-planned career fair to recruit Gen Z talent.
As you see, finding, attracting, and hiring Gen Z talent requires a well-rounded strategy in today’s digital landscape. Being flexible in your approach and staying on top of the latest data and trends will allow you to maximize your recruitment efforts. Include these important channels in your future Gen Z talent search and be sure to foster these channels for best results. As with anything, it will take time and consistency to separate yourself from others that are also hoping to land that Gen Z talent.
