In Part 2 of Recruiting Generations we focused on Generation Y or the so called Millenials. What is so special about them is that they are optimistic, individual and educated. In Part 3 we will try to give more information about their successors – Generation Z (also called the Zers). The first children that represent this generation are born in 1996 and is still arguable when does this generation end. However the most people agree over the year 2014.

The birth of Generation Z

Major events like financial crisis and terrorists attacks have left their marks on people born after 1996. Maybe the biggest difference between them and the Millennials is that the Zers are less optimistic about the future compared to their ancestors. The insecurity that they feel is caused by the lack of financial and political stability. Despite that an interesting tendency is observed. Less students than ever work during the summer holiday. Probably a possible explanation to this phenomen is the fact that their parents (Generation X and Y) earn more money compared to previous generations.

Be Social (not only with social media)

Furthermore employers should pay attention to the fact that salary alone is not motivation for Generation Z. It is much more important for them to have a job that makes the world a better place. They like to engage in social activities such as helping solve environmental problems, fighting world hunger, animal rescue and so on (just think of outstanding personalities of this generation like Greta Thunberg). It is of great importance to know that the culture and goals of an organisation make big difference when Generation Z representatives are looking for a job. They will undoubtedly prefer less paid job in a socially aware company rather than a better paid workplace with no social awareness.

Regarding technology Generation Z is the first generation ever that has no memories of a world without internet and social media. Fast access to any kind of information and communication via internet are taken for granted, they are not a luxury for the Zers. More than 70% of children who happen to be a part of this generation have smartphones and computers. That is why they spend the better part of their everyday life in social media, texting peers and following celebrities. Main characteristic of this young people is their tolerance towards difference. This means that they are open-minded and able to work and live along with everyone regardless of their sex, origin or religious beliefs. Prejudice is not common among the Zers mainly because internet communication enables them to meet people from all over the world.

How they use technologies

Representatives of Generation Z are believed to be great entrepreneurs. This belief is based mostly on their high education which makes them complex workers. A great deal of their skills is acquired thanks to the technologies they use since they were toddlers. Old school education is not something they can rely on. For example they do not seem to like teachers who just present them information which is easily accessible on the web.

Good knowledge of technologies and understanding of how they work can really help the Zers run their own business one day in terms of advertising and presentation of a product to the right audience. Their job is not just to work. Employers should make workplaces that make sense and provide excitement, satisfaction and visible results. As an employees the Zers have a lot of requirements, so companies should live up to their expectations if they want to win them. Things like social engagement, open-mindedness and tolerance are of great importance for Generation Z. And finally one thing which this generation is really good at – multitasking. You can really rely on its representatives when it comes to doing several things at once.

In the first part of recruiting generations, we have dealt more with the good old generation X. The generation was born between 1965 and 1980. They represented the majority of the working population for several years. Their motto is “working to survive”, true to this guideline, their careers and a balanced work-life are very important to them. Since they have experienced some catastrophes like those in Chernobyl and also rising unemployment, they are striving for security and prosperity. In addition, this generation is very educated, internally aligned and very purposeful. The most important challenge for them is the arrangement of professional and private life.

Advantage of generation X is that they have already gained a lot of experience and still have a few years in the professional world. For employers is it important to communicate with them openly and honestly, as well as to speak with authentic job adverts and social media pages.

In the second part of recruiting generation, we will go closer to the generation Y. The follower of the generation X do not make much effort in general. Things look different in the generation Y. The babies which born between 1980 and 1996 (baby boomers) have for some time presented the recruiters with challenges. The Millennials are very optimistic, individual, educated and have grown with the technology. They are always up-to-date, so they are also often called “digital natives”. For them it is normal to be always and constantly accessible. Therefore they do not draw a line between work and private life.

What makes Generation Y tick?

With the entry of the Millennials (also shortened to Gen Y) into the professional world, they brought about four major trends. These have decisively changed the working world and the recruiting process. Previously, the company was still very grateful and therefore very loyal to the opportunity to work on this. It was normal to be active for many years even a whole working life for only one company. Loyalty does not play a major role any more and many different employers are the order of the day. The follower of generation Y is not longer working to survive. They are looking for a higher sense in their work. If work does not make sense for them, they are also not motivated. In addition, they are always happy to continue their education and thus education is becoming an increasingly important factor – this has to be considered in particular when targeting the las cohorts t of this generation via graduate recruitment approaches. The Millennials are very flexible in every terms, they also demand flexibility from companies.

It is not enough for them to get a regular salary and the chance of a career to choose a job. Their main requirements are to be able to personally develop, reputation and flexible working hours. The image and the values of the company are now the reasons for the decision-making. They also attach great importance to transparency, trust and regular feedback. If all these factors agree, they are also willing to commit themselves completely to a job.

How to attract Millenials in recruitment?

In summary, the Millennials are a very open, educated and optimistic generation. They attach great importance to their freedom and individuality. If everything matches their expectations, they are ready to commit themselves to their jobs. They do not draw a dividing line between work and private life. In addition, the “digital natives” have grown steadily with the latest technology and are always accessible everywhere. If you want to win a Millennial as a company, you need to place great emphasis on a good corporate image, trust and transparency.

The new year 2016 has already started. In case they have not done so yet, it is time now for companies to think about what to change and how to improve. It is also a good time to think about the integration of „Employer Branding“ into the company’s program. A survey conducted by the digital marketing institute „Marketagent.com“ showed that 29,4% of the interviewed persons think that an attractive homepage of the company has very big influence on their decision to apply. 21,6% have the opinion that the communication of the company’s philosophy plays a big role. However very little firms occupy themselves with the creation of a so-called „Employer Brand“, especially small ones are afraid of doing so. But in particular these smaller companies can profit a lot from such a „brand“. So what actually is this „Employer Branding“ and is it worth it to put some effort and time in it?

Employer Branding: intersection between marketing and HR

Nowadays it became hard to find good qualified employees and it is not enough to just advertise with „a young and dynamic working atmosphere“ any more. The departments of marketing and HR have to work together very closely to design attractive job ads that communicate the company’s culture. In the survey 53,6% of the active job-seekers indicated that the quality of job ads very much influences their opinion about the company. For that reason it is extremely important to be creative and clever in designing them. Talented and attractive employees got very rare and employers really have to fight for them.

More precisely spoken the Employer Branding can be seen as a part of the Inbound Marketing in which the concentration lies on informative and highly qualitative content focused on a company as an employer. Social Media and Blogs have become popular auxiliary tools to deal with. While social media more concentrates on the quantity of people reached, blogs lie the focus on the quality of the content. Both are followed by the advantage that the target group will be formed by itself. Also with both tools it is important that content is published on a regular basis to stay in contact with interested people. Through these online activities some kind of relationship is built between the readers and the company that has to be fostered in the future.

In this „war for talents“ smaller companies often get lost. Competing successfully against big corporations with huge marketing-budgets is not easy, but certainly not impossible! Also smaller companies can be attractive for applicants, the most important thing for them is to be special.

Advice for SMEs – how to do “employer branding”

Here a few tips to be able to compete against the „big players“:

• Communication of the company’s core values to the outside: corporations like Apple, Google or EY surely have the abilities to offer great offices and cars to their employees, but very often this is not what really attracts new employees. In order to be able to keep your workers on the long term as loyal employees, you already have to start with the design of a creative job ad. The promise that is given there has to be kept so that new employees do not get frustrated.
• Identification with the firm’s identity: to be able to set oneself apart from other companies, it is even more important for smaller firms to identify their characteristics and philosophy. In the next step they have to be communicated to the outside. Very often stereotypes like „international environment“, „young, dynamic team“ and „attractive remuneration“ are used to attract new employees -although especially small firms could have the advantage of being able to advertise with nice, informal working atmosphere. Being authentic and knowing what you stand for is more important than you think.
• Closer cooperation between the departments: for the reason that in smaller companies there are not that many employees and the offices are not that big, direct communication and cooperation between the departments is possible. There are less misunderstandings and conflicts. Working in teams and having flat hierarchies are important factors for many people and also have positive effects on the firm’s success. Basically many talented people working for big companies are looking for a new job opportunity which promises less red tape. For the reason that these characteristics cannot be found in big corporations, it can be seen as a big advantage of smaller companies.
• Individual handling of the employees’ desires: the working environment and the requirements of workers change a lot over time. While in the past criteria like a secure workplace with a fixed salary were considered to be very attractive, today things like home-office or performance-related payments count. Being flexible in order to fulfil the workers’ wishes is only possible for smaller companies compared to big corporations, because most of the time big companies have to stick to strict rules and structured processes.

Through the former presented arguments readers shall see that small companies often can advertise with many benefits against big corporations. They just have to recognize them. If they are able to identify their own culture, the „Employer Brand“ will establish itself on its own, while the role of the firm is to communicate it to the outside. Therefore integrating Employer Branding into future programs, in particular if you are a SME, is totally worth it and makes your company fit for the future!