Born between 1994 and 2010, Generation Z are soon to be the new batch of talented employees recruiters will want to snap up, but how do they expect to do that? After all the world has changed considerably since the Gen Y age and we’ve already seen the rapid development of social recruiting and IOT in recruitment. Recruiters will need fresh methods if they want to engage Generation Z. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of how we think Gen Z will influence recruitment.

Less Emphasis on Education

As education, particularly university, becomes less standardised recruiters and hiring managers should place less emphasis on a degree and focus on transferrable skills. Gen Z is likely to be the most qualified of generations graduate but with a mix of qualifications, some of which may be more untraditional that others. As more and more non-traditional avenues to employment open up recruiters will be unable to focus on one path such as a degree.

Large firms such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Jaguar Land Rover, and the biggest graduate employer Ernst & Young have already started de-emphasising education. Maybe recruiters and hiring managers should too.

Changing Communications

We’ve already seen communication develop advances but for Generation Z these new methods of communication will be at the forefront of recruitment. Quick consumption of content (see Snapchat and emojis) is something we’re likely to see more of. Recruiters must adapt to this change, removing long and complex content for quicker communication. Community interaction is more important that advertising so we’re unsure recruiters using apps that facilitate these interactions.

Being ‘on’ 24/7

Recruiters should be active in the places Gen Z are, but they must not be too intrusive as it will turn Gen Z off quickly. That being said Generation Z are likely to be ‘always on’ so contacting them at beyond working hours will become normal. Furthermore, the ‘always on’ attitude will mean remote work will be of more important to Gen Z.

One slightly dystopic but feasible concept we can see is job suggestions based on what you’re watching on Netflix. Hear us out; if Gen Z is watching NCIS then a job suggestion could appear in criminology information about that industry.

Changing Working Environments

As mentioned above, the ‘always on’ ethos will mean more remote working, but it also means the work environment will need to be more comfortable to counteract their constant work. Generation Z wants a strong company culture and a casual work environment with perks. The casual work environment will likely mean the death to the 9-5 (although you could argue that has already happened).

Our speculations are just that; speculations. Tech advances and the changing diversity of the workplace means creating solid suggestions for Generation Z is impossible. That being said we can already start to see patterns for the new generation and how they will affect recruitment. Whatever the future holds we’re sure recruitment will have to change to keep up.

WHAT IS TALENT BRANDING?

Branding is a critical process in any business. It not only allows you to differentiate yourselves amongst your competition and gives you a competitive advantage, but it promotes a direct response from your customers; a vital aspect in growing the business and propelling it towards success.

While we often speak about employer branding and how to improve your employer brand in order to ensure that you are attracting the highest quality candidates, little is said about your talent brand which is, in fact, equally as important when looking to recruit new employees.

So what is your talent brand and why is creating a talent brand strategy so important?

Your talent brand is essentially the way in which your brand is perceived by current, former and potential employees alike.

At the beginning of 2015, there were 2.078 billion active social media accounts; a massive 29 per cent of the overall population. Based on current trends, it is expected that mobile will help push internet penetration reach beyond 50 per cent of the world’s population by the end of 2016.

With the use of social networks ever increasing, your talent brand is a vital factor in carrying your business forward; with websites like Glassdoor and Indeed allowing for both positive and negative company reviews to spread like wildfire!

Naturally, improving your employer brand plays a huge part in improving your talent brand as this will affect the way your employees feel about working for your company. It’s important to create an enviable company culture and work environment which promotes employee happiness and engagement, for instance.

Additionally, a faultless recruitment process will encourage top talent as this ultimately reflects upon your business.

By creating a strong employer brand with your current employees at the forefront of your strategy, this will in turn encourage them to portray your brand positively outside of work. A strong talent brand strategy will not only enable you to reduce your costs, but will increase staff retention as potential employees will already have a realistic perception of the brand from your current employees.

A talent brand strategy will enable you to stay ahead of your competition by attracting the highest calibre of quality candidates from the ever-shrinking talent pool, as well as creating a more efficient and successful hiring process.