Gen Z Recruitment – 7 tips to attract and connect with the next generation.

August 19^th, 2021

Gen Z is the latest generation that is now entering the workforce market. They are often described as socially conscious digital natives with a highly ambitious attitude and without any doubt, they are one of the most challenging target groups to approach by recruiters. To attract GenZ you have to constantly adapt communication strategies, break through stereotypes, and look for out-of-the-box solutions. But most importantly you need to keep them engaged.

It’s crucial to know who they are and what they care about. As the insights from the Most Desired Employers Survey 2020 show their main professional objectives are maintaining work-life balance (38%), developing new skills (32%), and making a positive impact on society (27%). Knowing this will help you navigate your employer branding adapting to their actual preferences.

In this article, we would like to share some tips on how to establish a good connection with gen Z candidates that very soon will become an important and dominant part of your workforce.

Gen Z candidates are used to living their lives online and expect a similar experience when job seeking. Taking into consideration they spend most of their time scrolling through social media this is the place to interact with them and grow the visibility of your employer brand. However, make sure to define the most effective channels and adapt the style of communication to make the most of it. You can find useful information on this subject in our new eBook.

Furthermore, what other tools are there to consider?

• Chatbots – very useful as they can help replace more repetitive elements of the hiring process and provide real-time answers to candidates.
• Gamification – a fun and engaging way for candidates to get to know what your organization is all about that also allows you to properly assess their profile.

Following the trend established by millennials and the ways the recent pandemic changed our perception towards work, GenZ is now set on work flexibility and openness towards working remotely. It’s also amplified by fear of not being able to focus on finishing their studies if they start an internship or entry-level job. So providing them with the flexibility they need in order to also join the classes or exams will be a key selling point for your career opportunity.

What should you take into consideration to attract top GenZ talents:

• Value performance more than strict working hours.
• Be open towards work from home policy.
• Bet on integrating a hybrid work system.
• Listen to the individual needs of your entry-level employees.

Mental health is a big subject right now as everyone is struggling with the ongoing pandemic. Young people are especially vulnerable to experiencing those issues. Showing them that you genuinely care about their wellbeing is the best you can do. For example, you can take extra care of your employees by activating an effective stress management program at your company or at least make space to talk about possible challenges they might be going through.

Some of the young people are extremely busy, and they bet on being efficient in whatever they do. That’s why niche events dedicated to a specific audience are a great way to connect directly with the right profile of candidates.

Let’s take for example Finance Recruitment Day we had in March this year. This online event was designed exclusively for candidates that interested in growing their career in Finance related fields. It was a great opportunity for the companies to track highly motivated candidates and add them to their talents pipeline.

Another great event to come this year in November is Top Talents Connected. For this event, the best Romanian students and fresh graduates compete in a tough selection process to get the invitation for a two-day event with agenda focused on their development. The event includes a networking space to meet employers and discuss career opportunities, such as internships, trainee and management trainee programs. Make sure not to miss this opportunity by contacting us and reserving your spot on time.

run tight selection to invite only 400 high potential candidates with the best

As our studies show, offering learning and development opportunities is the best way to gain the attention of young professionals and hang on to top talents. Generation Z is ambitious and focused on acquiring new skills needed in the workplace of the future. They will gladly follow an employer who will help them map the road to a career in the desired domain and help grow their potential.

If you see your company getting involved in this part of the next-generation story you simply can’t miss NextGen Academy – a project where you can support young people in one of those fields:

• Technologies of the Future
• Skills of the Future
• Employability

There is a lot to learn about how to design winning Internship & Trainee Program, something that we researched and already wrote about here . Nevertheless, you should always try your best in providing your interns with the best experience possible. This will impact the way your organization is perceived on a much larger scale you might think. Generation Z is very outspoken about their experiences and now they have the right tools in place to spread their opinions about you as an employer.

In case you already have a great internship or trainee program in place, it would be a shame not to promote it during an Internship&Trainee Marathon 2021 . One of the biggest online events designed to match young talents with the right opportunity.

One of the key facts regarding Gen Z is that there is a lot of uncertainty about their future career. What they seek is guidance and information about different types of career opportunities, recruitment process and what can they to in order to increase their employability chances.

All of these insights they can find in Career Guide which promotes all major internship & trainee programs in 2021 and brings all students relevant career information from the top employers in Romania.

When we talk about ways to attract different generations it’s important to realize that in case of Gen Z – they are not the ones that will come to you – you will need to show some initiative and reach out to them in order to succeed.

This year, at Catalyst Solutions we brought together a series of projects dedicated to connect and engage young talents with your employer brand. Explore them here or contact us directly at angajatori@catalyst.ro so we can advise you on levelling up your Gen Z employer branding game.

Be social, be mobile, be agile and stay tuned!