Articles

Gen-Z career choices: what organisations need to know

17th May 2024 

Gen-Zs seem to be getting a bit of bad press - this snow-flake generation, with their work-shy attitude and their entitled expectations. But is this true? Is it fair? Are they actually as difficult as we imagine? And should we be adapting ourselves or trying to impress on them a better, perhaps more traditional approach to work?

The literature on generations is complicated and in truth much of it is overstated (Rudolph et al., 2019). But Gen-Zs (born between around 1995 – 2012) have grown up in a brave new world, dominated by technology, a VUCA workplace and house prices beyond their reach, and this environment has inevitably shaped them. As employers we really need to understand the psychology of how our applicants have got to where they are, and how they have made the decision to apply to our organisation. Only then can we ensure that the interview process is fit for purpose and will give us the results we need.

With this in mind, then, here are four things organisations should know about the career and job choices of Gen-Zs.

1. Gen-Zs generally have had much less exposure to the workplace as teenagers than previous generations. Since the start of the 21st century, young people have been spending less and less time in the workplace (Resolution Foundation, 2020). Schools now are less likely to arrange work experience, young people are less likely to have Saturday jobs and organisations are less inclined to take under-18s as volunteers. Even gap years before university have become less common. The upshot is that young people making their career choices really don’t know very much about the workplace, making it much harder for them to make thoughtful, rational choices about this world they have not experienced.

2. Gen-Zs apply and then decide. The traditional approach to career choice is to do a bit of thinking, make a decision about which career path to pursue and then apply for a suitable job. But increasingly, young people are more likely to be doing this backwards: they apply, then do a bit of thinking and only then do they make a decision (Yates, 2022). This is a big change from previous generations and it’s useful for employers to understand that even at a job interview, a candidate might well be quite unsure of whether they actually want to work for that organisation or even in that industry. Gen-Zs use the application process to work out whether they might want to work there. In truth, that isn’t such a bad approach - you probably learn more about the real organisation from actually being there and talking to future colleagues than you would from trawling through a highly-curated website. But it does mean that the interview itself is absolutely a two-way selection: they are judging you just as much as you are judging them.

3. Gen-Zs respond very favourably to some positive encouragement. Their limited exposure to the workplace, and the resulting lack of real insight into what they really want and what they would be good at, means that they are often easily swayed by a bit of positive feedback. A professional telling them they would be great in a particular job, some warm words at the end of some work experience or even some specific feedback at the end of a job interview could be very persuasive.

4. Gen-Zs’ work values are no different from anyone else’s. A lot has been made of Gen-Zs having their own particular set of work attitudes and values, but in fact, what they want from work is nothing unusual. They want to be able to make a difference, to collaborate with like-minded team players, to grow and develop, to be treated like an individual, to be reasonably rewarded for their work, and to have a bit of flexibility about how and where they work (Mahmoud et al., 2022). As it stands, that doesn’t seem like a controversial or novel wish list – which of us wouldn’t want those qualities in a job? But where we do see a generational difference is in what Gen-Zs are prepared to tolerate. Whilst employees have always wanted to be treated well, Gen-Zs expect this, demand this, and won’t put up with anything less. And that’s social media: TikTok empowers young people to feel entitled to and equipped to demand this kind of positive treatment, giving them a blueprint showing them how to do it and cheerleading them through the whole process.

You can see then that there are some clear differences – the younger generation have carved out their own approach to career decisions and in some ways are very much doing their own thing. But what does this mean for organisations looking to recruit the brightest and best? How can we capitalise on these insights to make sure that our interview processes meet the needs of both the organisation and the candidates?

A key thing is to remember that even by the time they come for an interview, your young applicants haven’t necessarily decided that they want to work for you, or even that they want a job in this field. The application process feeds into their decision. And you can help them make a good choice by giving them an authentic insight into the organisation, their future colleagues and the work culture. Make the interview in person, if you can, and if it’s possible, bring them in for a whole day and let them have a tour around the building, introducing them to the team, perhaps even getting them to do a bit of shadowing – let them observe a client call, or sit in on a team meeting. This should all be separate from the actual selection process to make it as authentic as possible, and will give them something real to help them decide whether this might be a good fit.

Offering some feedback at the end of the interview process is always good practice, and some authentic, positive, personalised words might make all the difference to an undecided Gen-Z. If you let them know what you liked about them, and highlight some of the reasons for the job offer, you are definitely increasing your chances of getting them to come and work with you.

Recruitment is a tough game – getting the right people for the organisation is so important and mistakes can be costly, and we know that even the best job interview only gets it right about 50% of the time. Anything you can do to improve your chances of making the right choices will reap rewards. And a good understanding of where are candidates are coming from and how they are making their choices, can definitely put you ahead of the game.