Hiring Gen Z: Effective Strategies to Attract the Next Generation of Talent

Last updated on February 15, 2024

Gen Z is the future of the labor force: due to their young age, they have just started their careers so they are full of energy and ambition. But they are even more conscious about what they want than Millennials. Thus, currently, they are the hardest-to-attract generation. So, to boost your team with Gen Z employees, you need to master the art of modern recruiting.

How do you achieve that? Let’s find out!

Gen Z and Millennials by age

Born between 1997 and 2015, Gen Z job seekers are 8 to 26 years old in 2023. This means that half of them are seniors at college, getting married, and are in the first phase of their careers. So they are the ideal candidates for entry-level positions and roles you’re looking to fill out with fresh minds.

What Gen Z wants

Gen Z is thinking job mobility. So, hearing that what you offer comes with job security wouldn’t make them jump in the air. Instead, what you can get them excited about work with is development opportunities where they can hone their transferable skills and a work culture cultivating health, wellness, and technology.

Another characteristic that makes Gen Z different from previous generations is their increased level of social consciousness. Like Millennials, Gen Z only commit to a workplace if their jobs have meaning to them. And it is rooted in strong social sensitivity. They strive to work for a goal that relates to the issues of the world they care about most. 

Why you should hire Gen Z candidates

They aren’t here for the money

The latter considers a solid income crucial, but it’s not their paycheck that drives them. They would likely choose a career opportunity where they would thrive with lower pay over a high-paying role that would make them quiet quit on the first week.

They have an entrepreneurial spirit

While you can come across a ton of negative thoughts on social media in the comment sections about what it is like working with Gen Z, with “they are lazy” leading the way, don’t fall into the trap of generalizing. In fact, this age group can be a gold mine for your business. They are ready to roll up their sleeves and bring their best to the table — as long as they see that your company provides them with everything they need to build on their future.

Independence is their signature

Gen Z is the most independent generation in the workforce. With smartphones at their fingertips throughout their childhood, they’ve grown into creative problem solvers who hate wasting any time. They would rather figure out major challenges on their own than wait for the rest of the team to come back with a solution. 

Although Millennials were born into the age of the Internet and their work styles adapted to technology’s interactive solutions, Gen Z is even more tech-savvy. Thus, they can adjust to new environments and changes more rapidly.

Effective strategies to attract the next generation of talent

Gen Z employees are transforming applicant behavior and employee demand towards employers. If you want to make sure that Gen Z talent finds your roles compelling and stays at your company long-term, you’ll need to keep up with the latest recruiting strategies. 

Include salary ranges in your job ads

Gen Z job seekers regard pay transparency as essential to trust your employer brand. The reason isn’t that they’re income-focused. It’s about trust. Due to their skepticism and strong applicant confidence, they will click away from a job posting without a salary range. Make sure you add numbers to your job descriptions.

Showcase that you treat people fairly

The foundation of a strong employer brand today is respecting employees as professionals and as individuals. Gen Z candidates are particularly concerned about whether they and their peers will be appreciated as they are after joining an organization.

Use a hands-on strategy for demonstrating a people-first attitude. Choose brand ambassadors from your team and feature employee success stories and team-building events everywhere you can from your website to social media feeds. Gen Z will check you out before applying for your open positions. Convince them by reflecting that your employees love working at your company with a friendly and approachable image.

⁠Leverage employee referral programs

Recruiting Gen Z candidates could be easier through word-of-mouth referrals than with previous generations. 43% of Gen Z are more likely to apply for a position when they hear good things about the employer from people they trust.

You can generate remarkable results by building compelling referral programs. Encourage your employees to share your open positions with their network and refer up their friends if they think they are the right fits. Be creative and experiment with strategies, such as small bonuses over shorter periods of time for referrals.

Social media advertising

Social media is home for Gen Z so you can capture their attention better with job ads that have the same visual experience as the posts they save and share from their favorite accounts.

Gen Z job seekers hang out scrolling through their feeds and engaging with their friends on Facebook and Instagram for 3 hours per day. That’s why you can get in front of them with hyper-targeted social media ads and generate actual conversions, even if they are not registered on job boards like Indeed.

Use text message recruiting for low-pressure conversations

This age group prefers SMS over calls and email because they feel this is the most convenient way of communicating with strangers:

• Only 13% of candidates answer an incoming call from an unknown number.
• 20% of them open emails from people they don’t know.

However, 90% open text messages.

There are multiple emotional reasons behind calls and email performing so low. For example, most candidates feel interrupted when they get a call. Many of them simply don’t want to waste their precious time. Or, it may not be the right time to take a call.

But when it’s a text, they can respond without disturbing anyone and have the option to think about their response.⁠ Leverage text message recruiting and make sure your applicants feel comfortable throughout the entire recruitment process, so you can improve your applicant-to-interview ratio. 

Looking to hire Gen Z candidates? Capture them with Boostpoint®’s quick apply experience, connect with them instantly, and keep track of where they are in the hiring journey. Book a demo now!