Gen Zs are going to have an enormous impact on the workplace in many ways that we haven’t seen before – by 2025, 27%* of the workforce in countries will be Gen Z.
That’s why amidst the war for talent & the rise of the great skills gap, the ability to attract the attention of Generation Z is top of the list for every recruiter. But it’s not without its challenges. This generation has a different set of priorities, caring more about flexibility, values and diversity than all generations that came before.
It’s the one-click, all-digital generation growing up in a borderless world. But the majority of companies still struggle to attract and hire Gen Z talent.
Here’s why.
4 reasons you're not attracting Gen Z talent
Your job requirements are unrealistic
While it first may come across that lack of experience is a big disadvantage when it comes to hiring Gen Zs, in fact, research findings by Chad H. Van Iddekinge and SHRM show that previous work experience might not be such a good indicator of how well employees perform in a new organization at all (the correlation between work experience and future job performance is 0.16.)
Gen Zs have little to no job experience. Currently, the oldest Generation Z employees are 26 years old, meaning while some may have 5-7 years of work experience, not all of them will.
In fact, 34% of Generation Z perceives not having adequate professional connections or past experience, as indicated by a study conducted by Kronos Inc, as the biggest barrier to workplace success.
If you post a job opening that requires Gen Zs to have:
- Previous work experience at a corporate
- Minimum 3 years of experience
- Industry affinity
- Lived a year abroad
- Obtained a master’s degree
- Had a voluntary job or a year abroad
Ask yourself the following question – how realistic do you think it is that you’ll actually find someone who qualifies for all these aspects?
Your hiring process is disengaging and lengthy
If you’re looking for ways to compete in today’s market, respect the time of candidates. If you want to attract Gen Zers, your hiring process must be quick and easy.
They expect things to be quick and easy, so they often turn down opportunities that require too much effort or take too long — even if those jobs pay well or offer benefits like vacation time or health insurance. Gen Z requires that communication is conducted in a concise manner. This means no lengthy emails (TLDR), no more PowerPoint presentations and certainly no lengthy application procedures.
17% of Gen Z job seekers expect an offer less than a week after the first interview. Cut down on time-to-hire and provide frequent updates throughout the hiring process. With Gen Z, the rules are changing and you have to accept that if you want to build a workforce of the future.
You fail to understand Gen Z's demand for DE&I
Gen Z candidates not only look at what you are trying to achieve as a company, they will also look at how you do so. The vision/mission is the what, the company’s policies, processes, and culture are the how. And DE&I is a crucial part of the how, as this determines the team composition.
Stock images and empty mission statements won’t cut it for Gen Z. In fact, 83% of Gen Z individuals state an employer’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is significant when choosing where to work. On top of that, 75% of people in Gen Z said they’d even reconsider applying at a company if they weren’t satisfied with their diversity and inclusion efforts.
That’s not all – according to McKinsey, Gen Zers have a greater interest in human rights, race and ethnicity issues, LGBTQ+ equality, and feminism than any of the generations before.
The conclusion? Gen Zs want to work in an environment that not only emphasizes diversity & inclusion but also walks the talk when it comes to ensuring it. If you cannot live up to this – forget about Gen Zs becoming a part of your workforce.
P.S. Gen Z candidates are seeking companies that align with their values, and they’re 204% more likely to engage with that employer when candidates perceive the hiring process as fair.
Your assessment is outdated
As companies rush to get their hiring processes up to speed with this new generation of workers, they’re often stuck in the past. Especially, when it comes to assessment methods.
“We are using the MBTI test & abstract reasoning tests for decades already and that works really well for us.”
The way majority of companies hire is still based on legacy methods, and the last thing you’d want to be perceived as is “legacy”. These methods may have been effective in the past, but they’re not going to cut it when it comes to appealing to Gen Z employees. Or providing valuable & reliable insights into future job performance. And that’s exactly the problem.
These are old-school assessment methods that don’t reflect the reality of today’s and future workforce.
Here’s why:
- They are stressful. Traditional tests cause stress and anxiety, which disadvantages minority groups and stimulates dropout.
- Socially desirable & self-report bias. In a personality, questionnaire candidates can easily pick the most desirable answers. Also, human beings aren’t capable of accurately evaluating themselves.
- Trainable. Practising common cognitive tests (figure series, pattern recognition, etc.) wrongfully improves the results.
- Boring format. Have you ever heard a candidate saying they enjoyed completing a Figure Series test or a Big Five personality questionnaire and found it enjoyable? Well, I certainly have not.
How to become an employer of choice for Generation Z
Want to become an employer of choice then your focus should be placed on creating a hiring process that is fresh, innovative, speedy and reliable.
For example, by using game-based assessments – a revolutionary approach to revealing true potential, and resolving the flaws of traditional assessments.
No more mismatches, no more waste of time and resources. Smart for your company, fair and cool for your candidates.
That’s Equalture.
