A Guide to Recruiting Gen Z

If you’ve been thinking about how to adjust your talent strategy for Gen Z, you’re not alone. One of the most pressing concerns for talent leaders everywhere is how to attract and retain Gen Z.

Gen Z has unique characteristics, challenges, and opportunities that set it apart from previous generations. It’s crucial that talent acquisition teams understand and adapt to those distinctions as this young generation continues to enter the workforce.

What is Gen Z?

Gen Z, also known as Generation Z and Zoomers, is the generation born between 1997 and 2012.

Cat Ward shares, “Theirs is a generation molded by transformative forces, including a global pandemic, a racial reckoning, political gridlock, climate crisis, and the rise of artificial intelligence.” Gen Z is also the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age.

These unique factors have influenced common Gen Z character traits that may come through in their attitudes, behaviors, and expectations.

For example, Gen Z is:

• Tech-savvy. Gen Z are digital natives who grew up with the internet, smartphones, and social media. They’re typically tech-savvy and highly connected.
• Risk-averse. Many Gen Z workers were children at the height of the Great Recession and getting started in the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. These periods of major economic turmoil may have affected them or their families, leading them to be more risk-averse.
• Independent. The internet has provided Gen Zers with access to thousands of years of collective knowledge, making them more accustomed to searching the internet for answers rather than asking for advice. 
• Competitive. Growing up in a recession and seeing their parents struggle made Gen Z more competitive when it comes to achieving their career goals. They’re willing to work hard to realize career growth, but they want to be recognized and feel valued for that hard work.
• Open-minded. Significant political and cultural milestones have shaped Gen Z, including gay marriage legalization in dozens of countries and the Black Lives Matter movement. Growing up in a diverse and interconnected global society has helped shape Gen Z as a very open-minded group.

Best practices for recruiting Gen Z talent

Gen Z will make up 27% of the workforce in OECD countries by 2025, increasing further as they continue to reach working age and Boomers continue to retire. It’s important to understand the recruiting strategies that will encourage them to actively seek and accept opportunities at your organization.

As LinkedIn senior recruiter Madison Vitug wrote of her generation: “We are unwilling to compromise our career vision to fit into a work model that doesn’t work for us.”

1. Offer career-growth opportunities

Career growth trumps compensation for many Gen Z workers, setting them apart from older generations. A LinkedIn survey found that 40% of Gen Z candidates would be willing to switch jobs and take a 2% to 5% pay cut for a stronger chance to grow in the role. And Gen Z is 47% more likely than Gen X to prioritize opportunities to advance within the company and 45% more likely to prioritize opportunities to develop new skills.

Investing in employee career growth can help you attract Gen Z workers — and retain them. Learn about your Gen Z employees’ career goals, map them to career paths and development opportunities, provide mentorship, and offer career progression when it’s due. These practices can help you build an employer brand that Gen Z job seekers flock to.

2. Provide work flexibility

Gen Z is the most likely to leave — or consider leaving — a company that doesn’t offer a flexible work policy (72% of Gen Z said this compared to 69% of Millennials, 53% of Gen X, and 59% of Boomers). What’s more, 32% of Gen Z workers would be willing to take a 2% to 5% pay cut for a hybrid work schedule and 38% would take a pay cut for better work-life balance.

You can both attract and retain Gen Z talent by offering flexible work options like remote work, a four-day workweek, and flex hours. Enabling your team members to choose when and where they work can encourage better work-life balance, as well as greater productivity and creativity.

3. Offer competitive compensation and benefits

Compensation isn’t always the most important consideration when evaluating job opportunities, but it does matter. Gen Z workers are the most likely to feel underpaid: Over half (57%) think they earn less than they deserve.

Competitive compensation can help you attract the youngest generation of workers — so long as their other needs are met. When asked which benefits they would most like their employers to focus on, 44% of employees rank retirement benefits and 39% rank flexible work arrangements as top priorities. These findings were consistent across all generations, though Gen Z employees ranked managing emotional health among their top three concerns. 

A comprehensive, competitive compensation package will appeal to the most job seekers and help you engage Gen Z talent.

4. Focus on skills-based hiring

Gen Z doesn’t have as much work experience as older generations, but they make up for it with a strong desire to learn new skills. More than three-quarters (76%) of Gen Z employees believe learning is the key to a successful career and they spend 12% more time on LinkedIn Learning building hard skills compared with the average learner. 

Evaluating candidates on their skills, rather than past work experience or education, opens the door for more Gen Z workers. In fact, skills-based hiring increases candidate pools for Gen Z workers by more than 10x. And don’t worry about trading quality for quantity: Employers who find talent using skills are 60% more likely to make a successful hire than those who don’t rely on skills as part of their recruiting process. 

5. Prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion

Employers who champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will not only attract Gen Z talent, they’ll cultivate a work environment that helps retain them. Three-quarters of Gen Z workers (74%) say it’s important for them to work at a company that prioritizes DEI. This extends beyond the typical emphasis on gender and race/ethnicity to also include gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age, religion, and military status.

Emphasize your commitment to DEI in the workplace, within your employer branding materials, and throughout your hiring process so employees and candidates understand your expectations, initiatives, and progress. There’s one caveat: Be authentic. It probably won’t take more than a quick internet search for candidates to uncover the truth about the state of DEI at your organization.

6. Highlight your company culture and values

Gen Z wants more than a job; they want to find opportunities that support their goals and passions. For example, 80% of Gen Zers would leave their roles to seek better alignment with their values. And 74% say it’s important for them to work at a company whose policies and practices align with their personal beliefs.  

Help candidates understand your company values and the things that make your culture unique. For example, does your company pride itself for having a culture of feedback and recognition? Is your company a leader in sustainability? Does your team work to further a social cause or provide a public benefit? Showcasing any of these commitments can be a compelling way to attract Gen Z candidates — but only if they’re an accurate reflection of your company.

Final thoughts: Deliver on your promises to retain Gen Z talent

Hiring Gen Z talent is only half the equation. Doing your part to improve retention is crucial to your success — and that means being forthcoming with candidates about what it’s like to work at your organization. You must deliver on promises made during the hiring process, from career growth and Total Rewards to DEI and social responsibility commitments. Top talent will always be difficult to come by and it’s in your best interest to hold on to the people you’ve worked so hard to recruit.