Within the next few years, there will be 12 million Generation Z-ers entering the German workforce. Not only will they have a massive influence on our work culture, but they will also shape new standards for the upcoming years.
However, are there sufficient reasons why you should consider and care about their demands? Well, although 12 million may seem like quite a lot, it is still not enough. The number of working people in Germany is decreasing. As a matter of fact, the German job market is expected to be lacking 2 to 4.6 million qualified employees until 2025.
In the job market, the emphasis is shifting from the employee to the employer to appear attractive and appealing. Therefore, to stay ahead of the competition and also conquer the challenges presented by these shortages of skills and workers, you need to care about the demands of Gen Z-ers.
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Why you should read this
1.2 Meet Generation Z
2. Hiring the New Generation
2.1 Why HR needs to learn how to sell
2.2 If you fake it you won’t make it
2.3 Is digital recruiting the answer to digital natives?
2.4 How to update your job description
2.5 Why employee referrals are considered one of the most productive recruiting strategies
Conclusion
Checklist
References
Introduction
1.1 Why you should read this
Within the next few years, there will be 12 million Generation Z-ers entering the German workforce. Not only will they have a massive influence on our work culture, but they will also shape new standards for the upcoming years (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 1).
However, are there sufficient reasons why you should consider and care about their demands? Well, although 12 million may seem like quite a lot, it is still not enough. The number of working people in Germany is decreasing. As a matter of fact, the German job market is expected to be lacking 2 to 4,6 million qualified employees until 2025 (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 1).
In the job market, the emphasis is shifting from the employee to the employer to appear attractive and appealing. Therefore, to stay ahead of the competition and also conquer the challenges presented by these shortages of skills and workers, you need to care about the demands of Gen Z-ers.
Before turning to that topic, let us take a closer look at Generation Z.
1.2 Meet Generation Z
Born right after 2000, Gen Z-ers are also known as post-millennials (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 14). The year can slightly differ depending on the source. While millennials were internet pioneers, growing up around technology, Gen Z-ers take it one step further as they have never known life without smartphones or social media. By being connected on such a constant level it has trained them to consume information faster than any other generation (cf. Lanier, 2017, p. 288). You can conclude that they will not face any problems in adapting quickly to any new technology to work more effectively. Around 60% of Gen Z-ers master mobile communication and use social media to their advantage. As the internet provides us with any information at any time, Gen Z-ers naturally do their research online. This illustrates the importance for companies to keep up with the digital paste of the younger generation (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 15, 16). We will elaborate on this point later on.
As stated earlier, the job market will continue to lack qualified employees. One result of this skills shortage is that Generation Z has a much better potential for obtaining a job in their desired field of work than previous generations. This not only reduces the pressures on performance but also allows them the luxury to choose between various job offers. Contrary to Generation Y, which is carefully looking out for risks and chances, Generation Z is more spontaneous and relaxed when it comes to career opportunities. (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 16).
Yet there is a drawback: With currently 325 training professions (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, cited from de.statista.com, 2021) and approximately 20.000 study programs it is difficult to maintain a clear overview. Flooded with opportunities, post-millennials have difficulties with choosing a career path. In times of climate change and movements such as Black Lives Matter, younger generations are looking for meaningful occupations. They want their work to make an impact on society while being rewarded with personal appreciation and permanent feedback (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 18).
Furthermore, Gen Z-ers consider a good work-life balance of very high importance as they attach great value to their health (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 19). One of the key findings in The Deloitte Global 2021 Millennial and Gen-Z Survey is that mental health, particularly in the workplace, is seen as very critical. “About a third of all respondents (millennials 31%, Gen Zs 35%) said they’ve taken time off work due to stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic.” (Deloitte, 2021, p. 3). You as an employer should keep that in mind as younger generations lay great value on your effort to support their mental well-being during stressful times (cf. Deloitte, 2021, p. 14).
2 Hiring the New Generation
2.1 Why HR needs to learn how to sell
Let us take a closer look at the facts. In the 1960s, the birth rate was almost twice as high as in the 2000er. There is a reason that we call them the Baby Boomer-Generation and the job market thanked them for it. However, as the last Baby Boomers will soon be starting their well-deserved retirement, the number of people in work will fall by about 2 million in Germany until 2030. Especially highly qualified specialists will be eagerly solicited by employers. This is known as The War for Talents (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 5).
Traditional forms of recruitment have not proved to be effective anymore as studies show that 26% to 44% of the companies are struggling with a rising number of rejections after applicants confirmed their contract. It makes the point quite clear, that the expectations and values of Gen-Z applicants have changed in comparison to other generations (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 23).
To know that wage value is not the main reason anymore to decide for a job is a key understanding. Instead, young people focus on workplace culture, work environment, and more versatile activities, especially when the salary is below average. Therefore, you have to think like a salesperson and advertise those soft factors if you want to master the War for Talents (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 6).
Start by asking yourself two questions:
1. What are the benefits that Generation Z is looking for in their employer?
2. And what are the benefits that you as an employer can offer them?
The better the match, the higher the job motivation and satisfaction will be. However, do not make the mistake of judging their requirements by your standards. Every generation has its perception and what seems irrelevant to you might be a must-have for Generation Z (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 6 f.).
The study “Generation compass 2020” evaluates those benefits and their importance to Gen Z-ers. Accordingly, the top three must-haves are overtime compensation, flexible working hours, and company pension. What is remarkable is that no less than 43 percent of the survey participants see open internet use as a key benefit but rarely any employer communicates this explicitly, purely because they think it is obvious. Be smart and make use of this opportunity (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 7 f.).
2.2 If you fake it you won’t make it
Glamorous advertisements and big promises might have impressed previous generations. However, Generation Z will see through them. Due to their extensive experience with internet use, digital natives developed routines to recognize credible advertisements instantly (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 8). They are looking for targeted presentations transporting concise, pithy messages and creating authentic images (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 23).
As we are flooded with information nowadays, messages are most effective when being image-based. Colour and pictures replace words and phrases in a global world with communication across language barriers. Many people of the younger generation prefer to watch a video summarising an issue over reading an article about it (cf. McCrindle & Fell, 2019, p. 12).
In conclusion, it might be a good idea to implement a short video on your website which shows a typical working day as well as your company’s workspace. People want to know where they will be working and with whom. Authentic photos are also suitable for an appealing approach. Make sure to picture your employees and personalize the image. Refrain from using stock photos. (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 9).
As today’s youth are widely connected and shaped by their peers, they will attach importance to other people’s reviews about the organisation. Therefore, be sure to publish testimonials on your website with your Gen Z colleagues describing what they love most about their job. Add their photo, their names, and their age with the result of an authentic and believable approach (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 9).
2.3 Is digital recruiting the answer to digital natives?
It is clear by now that Gen Z is digital among any other generation. This could cause us to presume that recruiting must focus on innovative approaches such as digital personnel marketing methods in social media rather than traditional forms of addressing applicants. However, a representative study of the German working population from 2021 investigated that “well-known and established online and offline personnel marketing methods showed high user rates and were the most popular, whereas addressing applicants via social media was comparatively less preferred by applicants.” (Thielsch, Erdal, & Merhof, 2021).
Nonetheless, digital methods could gain importance in the future as they hold potential. If you take a look at online methods like job advertisements on a company’s website and compare them with the situation 20 years ago, you will see they were not that established at all. Therefore, it is fairly likely that novel digital personnel marketing methods experience a similar upswing within the next few years (cf. Thielsch, Erdal, & Merhof., 2021).
But for now, there is no advantage in solely approaching Gen Z via social media. Face-to-face contact is still very important to them as they value personal exchange with your company’s employees. Accordingly, it is advisable to continually rely on traditional forms of recruiting such as participating in vocational fairs, internships, and collaborations with universities or schools to gain a rising number of eligible applications (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 25).
In addition to that, parents are an important influence on their children when it comes to making a career choice. Relevant studies such as “McDonald’s Deutschland 2017” show that 86% of the pupils sought exchange with their parents before coming to a decision. This implies that print media and local newspapers are still of importance (cf. Kring & Hurrelmann, 2019, p. 25 f.).
2.4 How to update your job description
According to the primary effect, your first impression will stick for a long time. Hence, your company’s perceived attractiveness depends on the appearance of your job description. There should be more to it than just providing information. It is at least equally important to have an appealing approach to leave potential applicants with a positive first impression (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 11).
Make sure to directly approach your candidate. Lay your focus on what you are offering rather than what you require. Do not end with describing fields of activities; give an idea of how those activities contribute to your organisation’s success. Additionally, write your job description as specific as possible. Use concrete examples, numbers, and testimonials to describe what is offered and what is required. (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 11 f.).
As Gen Z is attracted by visual elements, add photos of your team to your job description. Keep in mind that younger people are shaped by their peer group, hence it is much more attractive to picture younger colleagues. Authentic images are vital here. (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 12 f.).
Lastly, incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to enable easy discoverability when it comes to your job titles. Avoid extravagant expressions, as they will show up further below in your search results. Instead, use three-dimensional titles containing the type of job, division, and location (cf. Schlotter & Hubert, 2020, p. 14).
[...]
- Quote paper
- Annabelle Zerna (Author), 2021, Reaching Generation Z. Hiring Future Talent, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1288619
-
-
-
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X.