How to recruit and retain Gen Z talent 

Gen Z candidates are up-to-date, driven and smart, but they have a different outlook on the workplace than previous generations. Elisabetta Bayliss, MD of Hays Talent UK&I helps you build a strategy to attract this new generation of talent.

Generation Z Recruitment: Key Insights

HR professionals believe Gen Z will disrupt the workplace more than Gen X or Millennials ever did. The challenge is to find effective ways to accommodate and retain this emerging talent pool. This article contains some key tips to help structure your hiring and management strategies.

• Gen Z candidates are up-to-date, driven and smart, but they have a different outlook on the workplace than previous generations. Our What Workers Want 2022 Report reveals different priorities, values and decreasing long term loyalty.
• Authenticity is key – in both communication and values. Employers need to embed an authentic sense of what the company ‘stands for’ and what the role involves at every stage of recruitment. Younger employees can be a better advert for your company than older workers.
• Gen Z have been termed the “impatient generation”. Over 75% of Gen Z candidates confirm that they would be likely to abandon an application if it took longer than 15 minutes. Organisations need to show a willingness to streamline the application process, and build this faster-pace into career progression too.
• As digital natives, Gen Z are fully aware of the speed of change and the need to be up-to-date. Offering skills development as a core part of the role is an important way to grab applicants’ attention.
• Gen Z applicants have an expectation that applications (and work in general) will recognise individuality. Though it takes more time and effort to personalise the experience, employers should be aware that this is key to retaining candidate interest. Also, you should follow up regularly throughout the application to minimise candidate drop-off.

Read on for a more detailed explanation of how to maximise your hiring and retention success with Gen Z professionals. Or, to discuss your employment needs in this field, please contact your local consultant.

Attracting Gen Z Talent: Background

A brand-new crop of talent is shaking up the modern workplace – the digitally native Generation Z. Tech-savvy and hyperconnected, they are attuned to shifts in the zeitgeist and have never known a world without technology. After witnessing their parents and older siblings struggle during the economic downturn, this new generation of professionals has found a different attitude to work and a new source of motivation. Gen Z are realistic and goal-orientated innovators, who want to understand ‘why’ a company does what it does. 

Consequently, long-term loyalty is hard won. Our Hays What Workers Want 2022 Report reveals that almost half (44%) of Gen Z candidates left at least one job in the first year of employment, because it didn’t match the expectations set out during the recruitment process.

A successful strategy for attracting and engaging these graduates and apprentices will be key for employers in the next few years. For some organisations it will require a complete overhaul of their current approach. 

Innovation, communication and personalisation are the keys to Gen Z recruitment

Advertise your values… and make them authentic

Generation Z seeks connectivity with brands they buy, wear and work for. We frequently hear how important it is to be genuine and authentic in your communications and your values. This is only growing more crucial when it comes to recruiting Gen Z talent. Our What Workers Want research shows that three quarters of Gen Z professionals will only consider applying to organisations with defined brand values. Keeping those values consistent across all brand touchpoints will be vital if you are to keep candidates interested.

Authenticity is key and younger peers may be better equipped to attract Gen Z applicants. Sue Warman, Senior Director, HR for business intelligence and analytics firm SAS, points out that “you cannot fake youth as an HR person.” SAS is making a big push to get younger workers to recruit for them through university contacts and social media. Sue points to innovation as a key tactic: “I have seen how companies are using virtual reality and gaming at events,” she says. “You have to speak their language and not be too corporate.”

Speed up the pace of applications… and careers.

Our research shows that 76% of Gen Z candidates would consider abandoning an online application if it took longer than 15 minutes. A seamless application experience is vital. You should ensure that yours are fully optimised for mobile devices. If possible, allow candidates to apply through LinkedIn or similar platforms, with a one-click submission.

Jenny Tomkins, HR Operations Director for Costain, calls Gen Z the “impatient generation”. She says that the immediacy these younger workers demand in their wider lives also applies to the workplace.

As a result, Costain has introduced a shorter version of its graduate schemes. The three-year route still exists for those who require technical knowledge, but the shorter path is designed for management graduates. “We want to be able to accelerate people’s careers if they are ambitious, whilst still ensuring they earn their stripes,” says Tomkins. “You also have to spot a young person’s strengths and potential early. We had one graduate who was going down the technical engineering route but was not doing too well. we moved him into a sales role and now he is flying.”

Offer more than a job… offer opportunity

As fully-fledged digital natives, Gen Z have borne witness to a staggering amount of technological change. A chief concern of Gen Z professionals – perhaps even more than salary or benefits – is being current in a rapidly evolving world. Therefore, it’s hugely important to emphasise the professional development on offer within an advertised role.

Consider how you can manage Gen Z candidate expectations of progression once in a role. Offering development, either through promotion or a change of department, will pay dividends when it comes to retaining staff.

Also, remember that not all workplace development is focused on technical skills. Our society currently has five generations in the workplace at once, and the differing approach, standards and expectations of each can be a barrier. Gen Z will need support to understand workplace etiquette and the values held by older colleagues. Ensure you provide training beyond their job skills to get the best from them and minimise the tension between generations of workers. Often the best intergenerational relationships are forged through mentoring. This doesn’t necessarily mean one generation teaching the youngest, either. Often, the reverse is as important. After all, as the old saying goes: ‘you’re never too old to learn something new’.

Personalise the experience … and follow up.

A tailored recruitment approach is now the rule rather than the exception. Gen Z candidates want a customised application experience that recognises their individuality and makes them feel valued by potential employers. Sending a one-size-fits all email response simply will not cut it, and although personalisation takes extra time, it’s the cost of securing the best candidates.

Clear, regular communication throughout the application helps prevent candidate drop-off. Our What Workers Want reports finds that 64% of Gen Z candidates expect confirmation of moving to the interview stage within one week of applying. We know that maintaining engagement throughout the application journey can be challenging for employers, particularly those with resource constraints. However, checking in with candidates regularly could be the difference between keeping a winning applicant interested or losing them altogether.

Recruiting and retaining Gen Z: Next Steps

To take your candidate experience to the next level with Hays. Complete the Candidate Journey Diagnostic to receive a personalised report and use our assessment tool to benchmark your current candidate experience against best practice. This covers everything from how you attract the best candidates to retaining your top talent.

For more information or to discuss your employment needs in this field, please contact your local consultant.