By 2025, 30% of the workforce is expected to be Gen Z. This has employers thinking about how they can attract these individuals to their organizations. If you are trying to find ways to attract new, fresh talent to your business, there are a number of things you can do. From partnering with a professional staffing agency to reconsidering your company culture, and everything in between, you can find the candidate you are looking for. Here are some tips from a professional staffing agency in Minnesota to help you attract Gen Z talent for your company.
Getting to Know Gen Z Talent
Before diving into how to attract Gen Z talent, you should get to know the demographic in the workplace. This generation of workers is looking for different things from their employers. More importantly, they value different things than previous generations of employees. To be able to effectively engage with them, you’ll want to take note of their preferences.
Gen Z talent is looking for flexibility in their jobs. Around 75% of Gen Z workers say that hybrid or remote work is what they prefer. When you look at full-time Gen Z workers in the workplace right now, 66% would like their position to be more flexible. Some of the major deciding factors for Gen Z applicants when choosing an employer include:
- Good work-life balance
- Opportunities to learn or continue education
- Salary and benefits
- Positive company culture
- Advancement opportunities within the company
- Meaning in their day-to-day work
- More flexibility
It should also be noted that diversity and inclusion in the workplace are also important to Gen Z talent. In fact, it is the most diverse generation of employees to have ever entered the workforce. As a result, Gen Z talent wants to see that same diversity reflected in leadership and throughout the organization. Now that you know what they are looking for, how do you attract these candidates?
- How Can Employers Attract Gen Z in Minnesota? | Any employer hoping to attract Gen Z talent will need to take the factors above into consideration. Gen Z candidates are looking for transparency from their employers. They want to work for a company with a strong work culture and authentic message. Below are a few ways you can attract Gen Z talent in your area.
- Offer Work-Life Balance and Flexibility | Work-life balance and flexibility are two of the most important things for Gen Z candidates. They are looking for employers who are offering hybrid work models, paid time off, and place an emphasis on mental health. Take a moment to consider what you can offer incoming candidates in terms of flexibility on the job. If you can’t offer remote work, can you provide flex scheduling? What about mental health days or additional PTO? These are all selling points for Gen Z talent.
- Showcase Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives | Showcasing your diversity and inclusion initiatives can help you attract talent from Gen Z. As stated above, the Gen Z workforce is the most diverse generation of workers the United States has ever seen. Generally speaking, they are looking for companies that place importance on diversity and inclusion. Look for ways to showcase diversity and inclusion on your company website. You should also include information about your DEI efforts in your job descriptions and information about your organization. Most importantly, make sure the leadership within your company reflects how diverse you say you are.
- Outline Professional Development Opportunities | Be sure to outline any development or advancement opportunities on your company website’s career page. Gen Z talent is interested in pursuing training opportunities that will help them advance within their career. They also value mentorship programs and having the opportunity to learn from others on the job. Gen Z has been the least likely generation to drop out of high school and was more likely than any generation before them to go to college. At the same time, they did not have the work experience as a teen and young adult that other generations did. So, education and furthering their career are important to this group of workers.
- Provide Competitive Salaries | The Great Resignation showed many employers that they needed to improve their salaries and benefits to attract and retain new talent. Make sure you are offering at least what other companies in the industry are providing. Once those basic salary and benefits expectations are met, consider how you can stand out using some of the points above.
Communication Tips for Recruiting Gen Z in Minnesota
Another key factor in recruiting Gen Z talent is communication. This generation of candidates is tech-savvy so it is important to have a digital recruitment and communication strategy in place. If maintaining communication with you is difficult, you are less likely to receive Gen Z candidates. It also increases the risk of a younger candidate ghosting you during the hiring process.
One thing you can do to improve how Gen Z applicants view your company is to optimize your career site. Making the page sharing information about job openings easy to navigate will help them see you are not only tech-savvy but organized. Improving your career page will also make it easier for potential applicants to find you through Google, which will help increase the number of applications you are receiving.
You should also make sure that your application process is mobile-friendly. Most of the time, Gen Z applicants will be applying from their phones or tablet. It is also a good idea to enable text communication after they have completed an application. This helps you stay in touch throughout the recruiting and hiring process, which brings us to the next point.
Gen Z job seekers also value responsiveness. You should act quickly once receiving their hiring materials. If you are interested in continuing the conversation, let them know as soon as possible. Leverage social media to communicate with them. Create meaningful and compelling content to share. This will help draw their attention. Then you can hold face-to-face meetings to continue the conversation. Gen Z applicants prefer to meet in person or through video call.
Attract Gen Z Talent in Minnesota with a Professional Staffing Agency
While there is plenty you can do to attract Gen Z talent to your company, it is easier with the help of a staffing company in Minnesota. When it comes to recruiting Gen Z talent, professional staffing agencies will have more experience in understanding what the generation of workers is searching for in an employer. What’s better is that the agency is already in contact with possible Gen Z candidates.
After getting to know your company and its goals, the recruiter will help find talent that meets your needs. We can also help you meet your diversity and inclusion goals by sending you candidates within your specified demographics. Not to mention, Gen Z’s #1 job source is referrals. Many of them are working with staffing agencies like Dahl Consulting to pursue their careers.
DAHL is a professional staffing company in Minnesota that developed a program dedicated to finding youthful talent – DAHL Grads. This program is designed to recruit job seekers right out of college and place them in entry-level opportunities to kickstart their professional careers. We have the expertise necessary to attract the Gen Z candidates you are looking for. Contact us today learn more about our professional recruiting services in Minnesota.