Is it true that entire industries and businesses will rise and fall in the wake of Generation Z?
It also notes that Gen Z is the most diverse generation in America’s history. “Traditional” is not a word that this generation gets excited about, and it’s important to keep this in mind when you’re recruiting and developing young talent.
Recruiting and retaining Gen Z employees starts with understanding what they value. Just as importantly, it pays to know what turns off high-value Gen Z talent. Your organization’s future could hinge on your ability to study and appease this emergent talent base.
Authenticity gets results
When dealing with a diverse talent base, the cookie-cutter approach just doesn’t cut it. You’re not addressing a uniform candidate pool, and so a uniform approach is hardly appropriate.
An authentic approach, on the other hand, resonates with candidates of all backgrounds and experiences. When your organization embraces authenticity in recruiting, you attract not only diverse talent, but capable talent. This is the diversity ideal.
It’s simply not true that top candidates will be wooed by the richest offer. Young talent in today’s marketplace will take a pay cut if it means securing a better professional fit.
They may very well choose the company that reaches out to them on social media, takes a prolonged interest in them as a person and goes the extra mile in recruiting over the company that offers more money, but in a very impersonal manner.
Younger candidates associate a savvy recruiting pitch with authenticity. Shrewdly, many Gen Z-ers see such authenticity as a harbinger of their future at the company — their employer interactions, work evaluations, salary negotiations and overall satisfaction.
Authentic recruiting is tailor-made for each candidate. The approach is perfectly suited to a diverse talent pool, and is therefore the ideal approach for the age of diversity. Ultimately, top talent of all stripes will acknowledge your personal approach and be more inclined to sign on the dotted line.
Gen Z is savvy
Companies that remain stuck in the days of massive job fairs and in-person interviews are at a competitive disadvantage in 2021 and beyond.
Young talent expects the recruiting process to be conducted largely online. Innovative organizations will gladly meet them there, and won’t skip a beat from their legacy recruiting practices.
Your recruiters can speak the language of Gen Z prospects by:
- Following and engaging with them on social media
- Gleaning as much data about the prospect’s likes and dislikes from their online presence
- Introducing the candidate to your organization’s social channels, which allows them to absorb your values and culture
- Crafting a recruiting pitch around information you gain from their online personality
These approaches indicate that your organization is in-tune with Gen Z’s modus operandi. You may even use tech behind the scenes as you recruit your top candidates.
Tech to recruit
As Toolbox explains, some organizations are leveraging natural language processing (NLP), predictive analytics, and other cutting-edge tech to facilitate recruitment. Why not be just as tech savvy as the candidates that you are recruiting?
When you do identify the right candidates, the spotlight will be reflected back upon your organization. For top-tier talent, interviews are often two-way. When candidates realize that you are interested in them, they will examine your organizational credentials through Gen Z-centric lens.
Before you establish online relationships with individual recruits, you will want to tune your brand’s messaging to reflect Gen Z’s prevailing values.
Aligning values
The sooner your organization embraces Gen Z, the sooner top young talent will embrace your organization. Values like diversity, meaningful professional relationships, and flexibility are non-negotiables for young talent today.
Your recruiting must reflect the tastes of today’s emerging professionals. To attract and retain top talent, you may:
- Offer flexible compensation options, as young professionals have shown interest in student loan repayment assistance and other non-traditional forms of compensation
- Provide peer coaching programs to ease the candidate into your organization’s culture
- Show the recruit instances of teamwork within your organization, as being part of a community has great appeal to young professionals
- Explain how your organization embraces diversity beyond the cliché talking points
Don’t be afraid to ask candidates what they value in an employer. This direct approach is authentic, and it can help you avoid hiring someone who is not the right fit.
Embrace authenticity, technology and Gen Z’s core values
With technology on your side, your recruiters have more access to young talent than ever before. By crafting hyper-personal recruiting pitches delivered where candidates are most comfortable (Instagram), you position your organization as a true contender.
Gen Z isn’t as mercurial as some might suggest. But they do expect a different recruiting experience than their parents had.
Embrace change. Offer a paid trial project instead of the crusty, trite interview carousel. Don’t be afraid to meet a recruit in their DMs.
Word of your direct, authentic recruiting approach will spread. And, if your values and culture check out, you may just find top talent hitting up your DMs, offering their services.
Authenticity combined with Gen Z-friendly values and a tech-driven approach is a strong recruiting formula.