Gen Z Job Candidates Have Different Expectations – How Staffing Agencies Can Flex

Gen Z Job Candidates Have Different Expectations – How Staffing Agencies Can Flex

Author: Paige.Fiore

GenZ black young man sitting, smiling and holding cell phone in front of computer screens

Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is shaping the modern workforce with a focus on work-life balance and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Known for their tech-savviness, Gen Z job candidates expect employers to both align with their values and integrate technology seamlessly into work processes.

In response, staffing agencies are adjusting their strategies. A smooth, efficient hiring experience using digital tools, and emphasizing company culture and values that resonate with Gen Z, is key to attracting qualified job candidates.

Skills-based hiring is gaining traction, allowing employers to focus on practical abilities rather than traditional qualifications or college degrees, which great Gen Z candidates may not have. Upskilling and reskilling programs help attract and retain top talent from this generation. By aligning with these trends, staffing firms can help clients build a solid, future-ready workforce

 What are the best ways to attract great Gen Z job candidates?

When it comes to finding Gen Z job candidates, using technology that both functions and is engaging is vital. GenZers are digital – they’ve never known a world without internet or social media. MySpace reached a million monthly active users by 2004, when the oldest Gen Zs were in first grade, and in 2018 platforms from Facebook to WhatsApp to YouTube had more than a billion “monthly active users” each.

Staffing agencies should use technology that works (don’t make Gen Z print out a form and fill it in by hand) but is also personal. Remember, digital first impressions count. Agencies need to have websites that are not just up to date and functional, but work on mobile devices and have the personal touch Gen Z expects.

Job opportunities should be posted across multiple platforms, including on social media, with an eye toward which platforms are used most frequently by the Gen Z audience. (Hint: it’s not Facebook, but Instagram is an option according to a report by Emarketer.)

Also, Gen Z is very video-focused, but less on television or even standard streaming services, according to an article by Screen Media, than on free content found on YouTube and TikTok. Agencies need to flex to this reality and use video to catch the attention of Gen Z candidates on agency websites and their own social media pages – whether it’s by discussing particular fields that are hiring, introducing the recruiters, or highlighting clients that will appeal to Gen Z job candidates.

Emphasize both the client’s, and the staffing agency’s, company culture and values

Gen Z is known to be the job-hopping generation. It is, in fact, how Gen Z sees themselves. According to a 2023 survey by ResumeLab, 83% of Gen Z workers consider themselves job hoppers.

What does this mean for staffing agencies? This generation of job candidates may be the most “repeat customer” group in today’s workforce. Building a good relationship with Gen Z job candidates by demonstrating that your agency embraces their ideals, such as scheduling interviews at times that may be unusual, but align with their schedule, can bring a candidate back when they decide it’s time for their next “hop.” As long as the client wasn’t left high and dry there’s no reason not to be the go-to recruiter for the Gen Z candidate, who now has more experience.

For clients looking to hire and retain Gen Zs, two things are key. First, show from the first contact where the company’s mission and values align with the job candidate. If the candidate values diversity, a woman-owned business could be a great match. But, as recruiters know, transparency is also mandatory. So if a candidate needs a flexible work schedule to manage their life, a strict nine-to-five work day being discussed in the first interview won’t fly, and it will erode some of the trust good recruiters build with job candidates.

The second key to both attracting and retaining a Gen Z workforce is skills-based hiring, and upskilling and re-skilling programs offered by the client. Gen Z has gone through a lot of transition, and their resumes show it. From a global pandemic interrupting their education, to the rise of AI and a world of rapidly changing technologies, there will be noticeable differences in the Gen Z job candidate’s career path. Instead of rejecting a candidate who spent two years working in a pub in England, see it as a person who has people skills (something managers often cite as a lack in Gen Z) and an expanded world view. Putting that candidate in a role with management potential, despite the lack of a four-year degree, and offering them a path to a business degree could be the best decision a client makes this year.

As one of the top recruiting agencies in Central Pennsylvania, TriStarr specializes in legal staff, accounting, IT, human resources and administrative staffing placements. Our services also include recruiting for administrative, professional and management roles and temporary staffing. Make a talent request on our website or call us at 717-560-2111 for more information

GenZ black young man sitting, smiling and holding cell phone in front of computer screens

Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is shaping the modern workforce with a focus on work-life balance and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Known for their tech-savviness, Gen Z job candidates expect employers to both align with their values and integrate technology seamlessly into work processes.

In response, staffing agencies are adjusting their strategies. A smooth, efficient hiring experience using digital tools, and emphasizing company culture and values that resonate with Gen Z, is key to attracting qualified job candidates.

Skills-based hiring is gaining traction, allowing employers to focus on practical abilities rather than traditional qualifications or college degrees, which great Gen Z candidates may not have. Upskilling and reskilling programs help attract and retain top talent from this generation. By aligning with these trends, staffing firms can help clients build a solid, future-ready workforce

 What are the best ways to attract great Gen Z job candidates?

When it comes to finding Gen Z job candidates, using technology that both functions and is engaging is vital. GenZers are digital – they’ve never known a world without internet or social media. MySpace reached a million monthly active users by 2004, when the oldest Gen Zs were in first grade, and in 2018 platforms from Facebook to WhatsApp to YouTube had more than a billion “monthly active users” each.

Staffing agencies should use technology that works (don’t make Gen Z print out a form and fill it in by hand) but is also personal. Remember, digital first impressions count. Agencies need to have websites that are not just up to date and functional, but work on mobile devices and have the personal touch Gen Z expects.

Job opportunities should be posted across multiple platforms, including on social media, with an eye toward which platforms are used most frequently by the Gen Z audience. (Hint: it’s not Facebook, but Instagram is an option according to a report by Emarketer.)

Also, Gen Z is very video-focused, but less on television or even standard streaming services, according to an article by Screen Media, than on free content found on YouTube and TikTok. Agencies need to flex to this reality and use video to catch the attention of Gen Z candidates on agency websites and their own social media pages – whether it’s by discussing particular fields that are hiring, introducing the recruiters, or highlighting clients that will appeal to Gen Z job candidates.

Emphasize both the client’s, and the staffing agency’s, company culture and values

Gen Z is known to be the job-hopping generation. It is, in fact, how Gen Z sees themselves. According to a 2023 survey by ResumeLab, 83% of Gen Z workers consider themselves job hoppers.

What does this mean for staffing agencies? This generation of job candidates may be the most “repeat customer” group in today’s workforce. Building a good relationship with Gen Z job candidates by demonstrating that your agency embraces their ideals, such as scheduling interviews at times that may be unusual, but align with their schedule, can bring a candidate back when they decide it’s time for their next “hop.” As long as the client wasn’t left high and dry there’s no reason not to be the go-to recruiter for the Gen Z candidate, who now has more experience.

For clients looking to hire and retain Gen Zs, two things are key. First, show from the first contact where the company’s mission and values align with the job candidate. If the candidate values diversity, a woman-owned business could be a great match. But, as recruiters know, transparency is also mandatory. So if a candidate needs a flexible work schedule to manage their life, a strict nine-to-five work day being discussed in the first interview won’t fly, and it will erode some of the trust good recruiters build with job candidates.

The second key to both attracting and retaining a Gen Z workforce is skills-based hiring, and upskilling and re-skilling programs offered by the client. Gen Z has gone through a lot of transition, and their resumes show it. From a global pandemic interrupting their education, to the rise of AI and a world of rapidly changing technologies, there will be noticeable differences in the Gen Z job candidate’s career path. Instead of rejecting a candidate who spent two years working in a pub in England, see it as a person who has people skills (something managers often cite as a lack in Gen Z) and an expanded world view. Putting that candidate in a role with management potential, despite the lack of a four-year degree, and offering them a path to a business degree could be the best decision a client makes this year.

As one of the top recruiting agencies in Central Pennsylvania, TriStarr specializes in legal staff, accounting, IT, human resources and administrative staffing placements. Our services also include recruiting for administrative, professional and management roles and temporary staffing. Make a talent request on our website or call us at 717-560-2111 for more information