How to Recruit Generation Z in 2020

Members of Generation Z (Gen Z) – will soon add 61 million people to the workforce.1 While recruiting Gen Z-ers, keep in mind that they are different from the employees that came before them. What worked at the beginning of the decade is no longer effective as we enter 2020.

Who is Gen Z?

Gen Z-ers are commonly categorized as those born in 1997 and after. Gen Z-ers born in 1997 are now 22 years old – this means that the oldest members of Gen Z are either already employed or are on the cusp of looking for employment

What recruiters need to know about Gen Z:

  1. They are motivated by personal achievement – They strive to be successful in long-lasting, stable jobs, different from the job-hopping approach millennials are known for.
  2. They are hesitant to take on student loans – many are open to forgoing college altogether if they know they can get high-paying jobs without a degree.
  3. The most common keywords used in positive job reviews left by members of Gen Z are “flexible hours,” “work environment,” and “good pay.”2
  4. They have an average attention span of 8.25 seconds3 – if you’re looking to recruit a member of Gen Z, you have a limited amount of time to grab their attention.

While recruiting members of Gen Z, it’s important to note that Gen Z is 100 percent digital native. They are the first job seekers to be born during the age of smartphones and have never known a world without the convenience and speed of digital interaction. Most of their world in instant and they expect the same experience when it comes to job searches and the hiring process.

How to Connect with Generation Z:

Gen Z-ers spend a lot of time on social media apps – clocking in a staggering 10.6 hours spent on their phone daily.4 Use this to your advantage by promoting your brand across social media networks that will influence the next generation of candidates. Unlike millennials, you’re less likely to grab a Gen Z-ers attention of Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. Most Gen Z-ers are on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

To successfully recruit and connect with those in Gen Z you must be willing to understand what drives them, where they spend most of their time, and acknowledge that their needs are different than generations before them. Failure to adapt to Gen Z could be detrimental to a company’s ability to recruit and keep talented people.

  1. Pew Research Center
  2. Glassdoor.com
  3. Recruitee.com
  4. Adobe Summit

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