Kaustov Kashyap
(pragatigroup08@gmail.com)
While money and salary continue to play an important role in attracting graduates and junior talent, the class of today is looking for a lot more than just financial gain. Generation Z are those born between 1995 and 2010. The first generation of entirely digital natives, they are also considered to be the most diverse generation in history, and this is reflected in their priorities when choosing an employer. If they are not yet in the workforce, they soon will be, and they are already making an impact on campus recruitment strategies.
Unlike the Millennials, who were sometimes called “Generation Me”, Gen-Z is in a constant search for opportunities to create a positive impact in their work and in a way that goes beyond self-fulfillment. They form opinions of a company based on its financial performance or product or service quality, but they also look at the company’s ethics and practices, both in the workplace and in society. They are looking to evaluate just how socially responsible an employer is, and when Zoomers choose their graduate job, it’s the employers that prioritize diversity that are most attractive.
What does diversity mean to Gen-Z?
To Gen Z, diversity isn’t simply a nice thing to have; it’s a strongly held belief. Their definition of diversity isn’t isolated to race, age, or gender, but also spans across many dimensions, including identity, orientation, belief, and so on.
Companies must therefore demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion, not simply by photographing a gender balanced team or a disabled employee doing their job, but by upholding diversity throughout the whole employee cycle, from recruitment marketing, onboarding, training and development, and employee engagement. A different mindset is required for companies to attract and retain the best of this generation.
Hire for the mindset and develop the skills.
Gone is the day when a graduate employer looked for an accounting graduate to fill a graduate accountant position and a marketing graduate for a graduate marketing program. Students and recent graduates are becoming more versatile in their skillset. They want to develop a variety of skills throughout their career rather than commit to a single career path. Even before they started their careers, many of them might have self-learnt coding when they were completing a business degree or started their e-commerce side hustle as a self-employed entrepreneur. Being digital natives means that many of their skill sets are not limited to the formal qualifications they acquire at university, but the life experience and exposure they create for themselves.
Companies need to fundamentally change how they develop their selection criteria or job descriptions for their graduate programs, or else they risk missing out on recruiting a young workforce that holds a diverse skill set.
Be accessible in all forms.
Given how today’s generation has superior technology skills, some employers have assumed that all they need to engage students and graduates is through virtual means—having a mobile-responsive website, integrating the Easy Apply function with their applicant tracking systems (ATS), or hosting a series of virtual careers and networking sessions are simply the basics. The evolution should not stop there.
Although virtual interactions are well-received by students and recent graduates, employers should not underestimate the need to maintain some level of face-to-face engagement with candidates. Gen-Z values physical connections just as much as other generations do, even though they can be easily available online. Independence and flexibility are what this generation values, not physical isolation. Therefore, 1:1 coffee chats and in-person resume drop-in sessions continue to attract interest from students on campuses. After all, it’s about creating different touch points, both online and virtually, to engage students throughout the academic year and maintain a strong employer brand.
Especially bearing in mind that this is the generation that never leaves home without their phones, recruiters should aim to be responsive and personable at every level of communication.
Go beyond the usual recruitment channels.
Many companies that have been using the same job board for the past 5 years might have received hundreds or thousands of applications every season. However, many are still failing to attract the diverse pool of candidates they need to meet their customers’ demands and foster longer-term business growth.
Relying on the same channels year after year may save companies a lot of money and time, but to recruit for diversity, employers must consider channels outside of the norm. While more graduate employers have already moved away from advertising on job boards to channels like LinkedIn, far fewer make use of other social platforms, which can lead them to a more diverse candidate base. Have they considered Instagram? What about TikTok, YouTube, or micro-influencers? It’s time to start rethinking their traditional recruitment channels to reach a more diverse workforce.
Demonstrate diversity in all candidate interactions.
Graduate employers need to do more than talk about their commitment to diversity, this should be evidenced throughout the talent attraction journey. Gather members of the organization who can bring to life what diversity means to them and to you as a company. They can tell their stories on social media or through their employee profile video, sharing their career path so far and perhaps how they have overcome any obstacles along the way. Basically, never miss an opportunity to show how important diversity is to you and your people. Candidates do a lot of research before applying, so it is critical that you use every potential touch point as a chance to reinforce your diversity messages.
Transform the recruitment process by making sure not just the hiring manager or HR team is speaking to candidates. Why not form a hiring committee for the graduate and internship programs? You can invite employees from often-overlooked or underrepresented groups to take part in the interview and selection process, including employees with different gender identities, seniority, age, language, and job function, just to name a few. These different voices will ensure the company is moving one step closer to the workforce composition they want to create for the future.