What Recruitment Channels Are the Best for Gen Z?

Gen Z. The iGeneration. Post-Millennials. Homelanders. Re Gens.

No matter how you label this young cohort of talent flooding into our workforce, one thing is certain: Recruiting this new generation will also take a new generation of recruiting tactics. Here are just a few reasons why:

  • Generation Z’s priorities are different from their predecessors. Born in the mid-90s to the early 2000s, this generation tends to be more socially aware, fiscally conservative and environmentally responsible. They’re also interested in working for employers or causes they’re passionate about.
  • They’re true digital natives. Having grown up with technology, social media, and the internet, Gen Z is comfortable with, dependent upon, and even addicted to technology.
  • They’re temperamentally unique. Painting with broad strokes, Homelanders are characterized as independent, stubborn, pragmatic, and always in a rush.

As you can see, this generation is vastly different from their workplace predecessors. And with many bypassing the traditional four-year college education and entering the workforce earlier, your staffing firm has access to this talent pool a lot sooner than we expected.

The Best Channels for Recruiting Generation Z

With Baby Boomers retiring en masse amid a protracted period of extremely low unemployment, competition for top Gen Z workers is heating up. So move over, Facebook! If your staffing firm wants to help clients manage growth, find specialized talent, and stay ahead of their workforce needs, consider these channels for engaging and recruiting the newest working-age talent:

YouTube

Did I sense a few eyebrows raising? Consider this: People now watch a billion hours of YouTube per day. And according to the latest study by Pew Research, a whopping 85% of US teens say they use YouTube.

Video dominates Gen Z’s social feeds and gets their attention, so use this form of content to your advantage:

  • Polls and quizzes. Engage viewers and get valuable job-seeker input.
  • Employer branding. Pull back the curtain a bit and show what it’s really like to work through a staffing agency.
  • Hot jobs. Go beyond dull copy and bring a job to life for potential candidates.

Snapchat

Savvy staffing and recruiting firms are using Snapchat to get their organization’s message and culture in front of young talent. And with good reason: The Pew Research study mentioned above shows that nearly seven in 10 (69%) teens use Snapchat, and more than one-third (35%) say it’s their most-used online platform.

You can use Snapchat stories to:

  • Show potential applicants what it’s like to work at a client organization.
  • Raise awareness. Showcase your firm’s hiring events or hot jobs.
  • Overlay visuals with links to your agency’s online application process or job board.
  • Brand-build. Create custom-branded filters applicants can use when they come in to apply.

Snapchat is all about visual storytelling, so content must be fun, compelling, and interesting. To be an effective recruiting tool, stories must grab attention, give users a reason to want to learn more, and be updated frequently (content disappears on Snapchat after 24 hours).

PREMIUM CONTENT: Staffing Trends 2019

Instagram

Instagram is another incredibly popular Gen Z social media platform that allows your company to share images and short videos. Depending on your goals, there are several ways you could consider using Instagram as a channel to attract young talent:

  • Get found. Add relevant hashtags on posts to increase the likelihood they’ll be found by the types of individuals you need to recruit.
  • Build your brand. Create posts to recognize candidates who are hired directly, or to celebrate associates on assignment who are performing well. You can also highlight your staffing firm’s culture by sharing photos or videos from company events, or of your team participating in community and volunteer activities.
  • Showcase top candidates. Highlight your best applicants either on your page or your story. While this isn’t a recruiting tactic per se, it shows potential candidates how hard you work to market them.
  • Replicate what you do on Snapchat. Use Instagram’s story feature the same way you use Snapchat (see ideas above).

Using Instagram simply to share photos isn’t likely to drive high application volume. You can increase your ROI, however, if you advertise on this platform by targeting ad recipients through location, specific hashtags, and followers.

Final Thoughts

As workforce demographics continue to evolve, so must your recruitment efforts. Make a commitment now to begin testing the effectiveness of modern methods that leverage technology and reach younger generations where they spend their time online.

 

Tammi Heaton

Tammi Heaton
Tammi Heaton is COO of PrideStaff. She can be reached at theaton (at) pridestaff (dot) com.

Tammi Heaton

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