Recruiting Gen Z candidates – need to know
Are you looking for Gen Z candidates? That is, someone born between mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s. They’re also known as ‘Zoomers’ and ‘digital natives’.
Let’s temporarily put aside the fact that you can’t recruit based on age because that’s ageist and against the law (Equality Act 2010). And let’s, just for this post, ignore the fact that everyone is an individual and you can’t generalise, no matter how old or young they are.
Adobe did a ‘future workforce’ study to explore how Gen Zers feel about the job search and application process.
They collaborated with Advanis to collect 1028 responses from US post-secondary students and those who graduated in 2021 or 2022 or are planning to graduate in 2022-2024.
Their findings might be similar over here in the UK, and therefore could influence the way you write your ads.
Here are some of the headline results
- 85% of upcoming and recent grads say they’re less likely to apply for a job if the company does not disclose the salary range in the job posting
So, to get more applicants, include the salary in your ad. Some US states have pay transparency laws, and there’s talk of introducing them over here (to aid ED&I). - 92% will explore the reputation of the brand
- 89% will look at employee reviews and industry awards
- 55% will check out a company’s financial outlook
That means you need to assure readers about the employer, whether that’s by sharing data or stories or quotes (not by making empty claims such as ‘market leader’ or ‘fast growing’).
If your ad appears on the careers page of the company website, you don’t need to do that in the ad because it should be covered in the ‘about’ section of the site. - 52% say they’re more likely to pursue a career with an established company because of increased job security, less affected by the economy and better opportunities for growth
- – Only 16% said they would pursue a role with a startup or a small-sized company
So, if you’re recruiting for a large company, spell out the benefits. And if you’re recruiting for a small one or startup, it’s even more important to explain why a grad should want to work there. - Top reasons for turning down a job offer: not offering competitive pay, not providing a good work-life balance or healthy work environment and not offering inclusive benefits and perks
Almost 40% are interested in a hybrid work model
If the job you’re advertising has any of those benefits, then tell readers in the ad. They’re major selling points.
If you’d taken one of our recruitment copywriting courses, you would already know this.
