Do you know all there is to know about attracting Millennials? Do you have what it takes to reach and recruit them? Bad news! The era of the Millennials is all but over, there’s a new generation coming of age. So forget what you think you know about attracting the youth market and say hello to Generation Z: your future customers, colleagues and employees.
Gen Zs are roughly categorised as those born between 1996 (The year of Spice Girls’ Wannabe????) and 2007. They are soon to become the fastest growing electoral and consumer group, with the first wave of Centennials due to graduate and join the workforce this year.
So, what do we know about Gen Z so far?
They are more pragmatic:
Gen Zs are more risk averse than their predecessors. This is true on a number of issues from how they spend their money to how they share images on social. They’re a savvy bunch with realistic expectations and a no nonsense approach! Fiona Keane, Recruiting Manager at Airbnb, says, “With this generation, it’s back to integrity, it’s back to honesty, it’s back to transparency. You can’t bullshit Gen Z.”
They are less traditional:
Their determination of gender and sexuality is less definite than their older counterparts. In this way companies need to ensure they’re using gender neutral language and promoting inclusive incentive and benefit schemes.
They are tech trendsetters:
Understanding how they experience and use technology is the only way to develop productive work practices. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that advanced reach on social media will be adequate. Sinead D’Arcy of the Jameson Graduate Programme says to engage Centennials you need to get mobile. “Gen Z have many screens and platforms readily available to them. They are hyperconnected and seamlessly move from device to device. They want information at their fingertips so employers have to think mobile first.”
They are more entrepreneurial:
Like their appetite for the newest technologies, Gen Zs are always looking to evolve and develop to their full potential. They want to upskill, learn more and learn fast. How will you satisfy their need for growth?
They have shorter attention spans:
Gen Zs have an average attention span of 8 seconds so if you don’t have them at hello, you don’t have them. iGeneration will be increasingly more difficult to engage long term. They demand instant gratification and are intolerant of disturbances such as pop ups and loading times.
Feeling suitably ancient and out of touch? Read more about Gen Z.
