Swiping Right: How to Attract Gen-Z to Your Workforce

Filling positions used to be a lot more simple. You would put an ad in the paper, schedule an interview, and maybe even hire someone by the end of the week. Then came the internet, bringing together people from across the world and turning the hiring process on its head. It’s no wonder companies are struggling to keep up in the ever-changing landscape of online recruiting. Fresh talent is even more difficult to find and retain when you don’t know how to engage members of this generation, but here are some pointers to help your company stay on the cutting edge. 

The importance of narrowing down your target.

The job searching process is no longer as centralized as it once was. There’s LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and too many others to name. Is it better to try to hit every website you can? Probably not. Most of them will get picked up by searching Google anyway. 

Focus on the big ones – mostly LinkedIn and your own website – and then take a look at where job searchers are actively looking. Are they on industry-centric websites like Built In for those in tech or ROSTR for music industry professionals? Do they use Facebook groups or Discord groups? Check in with your newest recruits and get the inside scoop. 

The biggest red flags for job-seekers are usually found in the job postings themselves. Whether it’s 6 years of experience required for an entry level position or not including a salary range in states where it’s required, the initial job posting is important to get right. Gen-Z consider themselves to be experts in the do’s and don’ts of job descriptions. If you wouldn’t take the job, chances are the candidates looking at the position won’t either. 

Celebrate what you’re doing right.

It’s important to be vocal about big steps that your company is taking. Whether it’s business-centered like new acquisitions or culture-oriented like announcing that you’ve given out a record number of bonuses this year. This is why companies like Dropout are making waves in the saturated market of streaming services. In 2023, the company announced that they took a portion of their profits and shared it among anyone who had earned even a dollar working for them. While this move was not highly publicized, anyone who heard about it was likely shocked because their company would never do such a thing. 

Does this mean that your company has to do the same? Absolutely not. But employees and their happiness at your company can make or break your reputation. Many members of Gen Z will reach out to current employees to get the inside scoop on if the company is as wonderful as they claim and those employees don’t have anything to lose by being honest. How you treat those you’ve hired is just as important as how you treat the candidates you’re looking to hire. 

Asking engaging questions.

Chances are that you aren’t the first company these candidates have interviewed with that month, week, or even day. While some aspects of the interview are standard by now – what’s your relevant background, why do you want to work for this company, etc. – it’s important to also step out of the box.

Take the candidate through a possible scenario they might encounter and ask how they’d handle it. Let them show you the knowledge they have. They might bring in a fresh perspective that could change the way the team runs. By asking engaging questions, you’ll be significantly more memorable to the interviewees instead of them having to refresh themselves on what position they applied to when a second-round interview comes along. 

Keep it short and sweet.

Now that you’ve found your talent, here’s how to make Gen Z eager to join your team. The first step is to cut the recruitment process down. All of these candidates have experienced positions where they go through four or five rounds of interviews, maybe even doing a spec project or two, only to be turned town – or worse, ghosted. Keeping the interviewing process concise will reinforce that you care about your employees’ time. 

In summary, candidates want to know that you’re as invested in the process as them. If you want fresh talent to feel excited about the potential of working with your company, instead of being seen as merely another job they’ve applied to, make sure that you do your part to let them know this position is also important to you. These candidates are used to job postings that lead nowhere and formulaic rejection emails hitting their inbox every day. In order to attract top tier talent, the best advice that I can give you is to make the process worth their time. Show them that you’re invested in them and their potential instead of being another Google result that they scroll past.