With 61 million people from Gen Z now entering the workforce, recruiting this demographic is requiring employers to reexamine the tactics they’ve been relying on for decades, including creating digital-first experiences for a digitally-native generation. 

Gen-Zers have very different values, preferences and priorities when looking for a job. Below are five key characteristics of this generation of workers and the top three digital recruiting trends for attracting this next wave of job candidates entering the workforce.

Five Key Characteristics of Gen Z Workers:

Stable and Secure

In contrast to many Millennials, whose cravings for unique experiences led to a generation-wide reputation for excessive job-hopping, Gen-Zers plan on sticking with an employer for longer periods of time.

In fact, one study found that nearly half of new graduates name security and stability in their job as a top career goal. This contrasts sharply with compensation and work-life balance concerns of new job seekers just half a decade ago.

And who can blame them? As younger children, many watched their parents and older siblings experience one financial setback after another while struggling through The Great Recession in 2007, then record-high unemployment rates in 2020.

Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive

Gen-Zers themselves are the most diverse generation in the U.S. yet. According to Pew Research, 52% of post-Millennials are non-Hispanic whites. In regard to workplace priorities, Gen-Zers view employer values as almost as important as salary when it comes to a potential position and this includes diversity. 

Demonstrating a company culture that is committed to inclusivity, upfront during the hiring process, provides candidates a window into their future of working for that company and creates a sense of belonging and buy-in from the onset.

Politically Engaged

Gen-Zers are politically motiviated, voting in higher numbers than the previous generation (55%  vs. 46.1%). And the values driving the youngest generation to the polls are overwhelmingly more progressive than those of previous generations.

Gen-Zers expect both their elected officials and employers to embrace policies with a progressive stance toward issues of race, gender and sexual orientation. To attract these workers, companies must demonstrate their commitment to hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce starting with the hiring process. 

Digital-First

Gen Z is the first generation considered to be “digital natives.” They grew up on social media and blend the digital and physical worlds like never before. In fact, 58% say they have a hard time going four hours or more without Internet access.

As a result, Gen-Zers now expect more and more advanced uses of technology from the organizations they build relationships with: especially their employer. Those that will succeed will master digital experiences. 

Flexible About When & Where Work Gets Done

At the end of 2019, 51% of college graduates rated geographic location as a “very important” part of their job search; today, that number has dropped to 39%.

Even before the start of the pandemic, many planned to embrace remote work regardless of where they lived. With so many Gen-Zers treating geography as more or less irrelevant in regard to their employment, employers should do the same. 

Top 3 Digital Recruiting Trends to Attract Gen Z Workers:

Companies implementing a forward-thinking approach to technology, coupled with a continued prioritization of diversity and belonging, are having greater success with hiring and retention.

A recent global hiring trends report found that the companies meeting hiring demands more successfully, and more quickly, are the ones that have introduced job-matching technologies (57%), moved to a combination of both in-person and virtual interviews (37%) and have implemented technologies such as AI, chatbots and skills assessments (24%) in the last year.

As the workforce continues to be more digitally inclined, talent teams that innovate will be much more equipped to meet the demands of the moment. Here are three current recruiting trends to more effectively engage and hire Gen Z workers. 

Incorporate AI and Texting Automation to Keep Them Engaged

Gen Z grew up with technology– computers, the internet, social media, and texting. According to the Financial Services Job Seeker Trends Survey 2021, 79.4% of candidates prefer scheduling an interview via text over email or a phone call.

Not to mention, texts have a 98% open rate versus 20% with email. In order to engage this generation, employers need to incorporate text and chat tools into their hiring approach.

Candidates can quickly reply to texts no matter where they are and recruiters can engage 4x more candidates 5x faster than email. Plus, text-powered chatbots pre-screen candidates and allow them to schedule and reschedule interviews from the ease of their phones.  

Promote Flexibility with On-Demand Video Interviewing

Did you know that most video interviews completed in 2021 were done outside normal business hours? The hiring experience is a reflection of the employee experience.

In fact, 78% say the overall candidate experience is an indicator of how a company values its people, making an elevated one a powerful competitive advantage for employers. 

Offering on-demand video interviewing allows candidates to put their best foot forward–which may not be 9-5 when there are school and work demands. 

Use Automation to Promote DEI Goals and Mitigate Unconscious Bias

According to Intel, diversity “will be a workplace deal-breaker for Gen Z.” Over a third of Gen-Zers say if given two similar offers, they would undoubtedly choose the company they perceived as more diverse and inclusive.

Gen Z candidates are seeking companies that align with their values, and they’re 204% more likely to engage with that employer when candidates perceive the hiring process as fair.

Technology solutions like HireVue Builder, which is validated by data scientists and IO psychologists to actively combat bias, allows hiring managers to build and structure interviews with validated questions to provide the same experience for all candidates ensuring consistency and fairness. 

Key Takeaways

In today’s hiring world, experience and engagement are what really matter to job seekers and that is especially true of the youngest generation of workers. Tech tools like conversational AI-powered recruiting assistants can engage job seekers wherever they are, whenever they want — and guide them through a set of easy next steps. 

Tech hiring tools are being widely embraced by employers. Not only do they provide a better experience for candidates, companies who automate more of their hiring process also reported a significantly shorter time-to-hire, experience greater flexibility and have an easier time identifying the best candidates.

Recruiting
Authors
Anthony A. Reynolds

Anthony A. Reynolds is the Chief Executive Officer at HireVue, the global leader in video interviewing, assessments and text-enabled recruiting tools.