Recruitment Tactics to Attract and Retain Generation Z 

by in Graduate, Recruitment Marketing, Talent Attraction

Gen Z or Generation Z is the next generation after Millennials to join the workforce. With the age range being between 7 to 20 years old, this generation is still very young. However, within a decade they will make up 1 in 5 workers so they hold a great deal of power and significance to the future of the workforce.

Attracting Gen Z

Gen Z’s are the first generation to only know life with mobile and internet technology, so they are extremely tech-savvy and impatient if the technology they are viewing is not up to scratch. Therefore, even if your website has a good brand message but doesn’t look up to date – then it’s old. They will not use a website that doesn’t have an exciting, attractive design or an easy user journey. Even if your company has been around for 15 years, if your website doesn’t engage them immediately, chances are they will probably not use it. Keep this in mind if you want them to apply for a job via your website.

With the amount of time spent viewing and engaging with video and social media, it would be disadvantageous not to include these in your attraction strategy. This generation has an attention span of about 8 seconds, so if you don’t have them engaged with your advert within that time, you don’t have them. They tend to not sit through full-length advert videos or read heavily sponsored content. What grabs their attention is adverts with value. They will pay attention to targeted adverts. This is because you can focus on their interests, skills and other things that they value.

They will not use a website that doesn’t have an exciting, attractive design or an easy user journey.

Listing benefits are also important. In any job advert that you want to attract this generation, make sure that you include the perks of the job. This generation is more interested in their progression and what benefits they will receive, so having this in a job advert will help them decide whether that job will be appealing to them.

Retaining Gen Z

While the majority of today’s learners are not yet employed, it’s important to know what will make them stay in your company.
Support, training and progression are something Gen Z will really look for in a company when they join. Training to progress into higher job roles will be pleasing to them, but they will want the feedback and support that goes with that. Make sure this is available to them and the process to get them on that path is straightforward.
Gen Z workers value honesty, so face-to-face interaction and guidance will really help them value the company and you as an employer. They like to know what to improve on and they like appraisals to keep them motivated.

Gen Z embraces tech wholeheartedly and tends to be highly creative. They want to have an input from Day 1. They are innovative, so allow them to tackle challenging problems and have a say in ideas which will give them a sense of purpose.

Whether you have some Generation Z employees already or you are thinking about recruiting some in the future, these tactics to attract and retain will hopefully help you think about what you need to include in your recruitment plans.