Recruiting Gen Z: Digital natives, but still professionals
The trend of recruiting candidates via TikTok is driven less by Gen Z preferences and more by employers eager to find talent, says Tallo's Casey Welch.
The current labor market is experiencing a period of what can only be described as unprecedented upheaval, with established professionals rethinking their careers and futures as a result of the pandemic (and their employers’ response). Young professionals and recent college grads are also entering a world where career opportunities aren’t limited by geographic constraints and the entire hiring process can be done virtually.
Bottom line: Employers have to get much more serious and creative in their recruiting strategies if they want to be on candidates’ radars. And for many, attracting the newest generation of professionals means ditching the online job listings and taking a proactive approach to get on THEIR radar. Social media sites like TikTok are seeing an uptick in recruiting and career development opportunities.
Related: TikTok and other social media channels: A recruiting avenue worth exploring?
But, as Casey Welch, CEO at Tallo, explains, it isn’t Gen Zers who are driving the trend. As digital natives, Gen Zers understand the importance of creating a professional online persona, and employers and recruiters are simply looking to meet potential candidates where they’re already spending time. Welch recently shared that and other insights with BenefitsPRO.
Why are social media giants like TikTok assisting in their audience’s career development?
This is a good time for teens and Gen Zers to be finding work — a record number of positions are open and it’s a job seeker’s market. With younger talent being in such high demand, social media giants like TikTok are creating new services to connect recruiters with their large pool of Gen Zers.
What are the benefits you see from recruiting via social media platforms from both an employer and employee standpoint?
The main benefit for employers in recruiting through social media platforms is that they’re more likely to connect with an audience of younger talent who may not be on traditional recruitment platforms yet. Many online networking platforms require candidates to emphasize their past work experience, higher education degrees, and existing professional network, which the majority of Gen Z job seekers have not yet developed. The recruitment transition for some employers to personal social media channels that cater towards this younger talent audience is an attempt to find them where they’re already spending a significant amount of time.
Are these new job recruiting channels something Gen Z wants? Why or why not?
To put it bluntly, members of Generation Z are not looking for professional recruitment to occur on their personal social media channels. In a recent Tallo survey of more than 1,200 Gen Zers, only 5% of respondents indicated they turn to social media to find information about a potential employer. Sources like a job search website or the company’s website ranked significantly higher.
Additionally, personal social media accounts ranked dead last on a list of channels Gen Z wants a potential employer to contact them about an employment opportunity. After traditional contact methods such as phone and email, professional networking sites like LinkedIn or Tallo were much more favorable. While students and young employees may be flocking to social media sites like TikTok in droves, that doesn’t mean they want to blend both their personal and professional lives on one platform. The message we’re getting from younger talent is loud and clear: Gen Zers go to different social media platforms for certain purposes, and crossing those lines can feel like an invasion.
Are resumes/applications through social media platforms less credible than their traditional counterparts?
The debate should be less about the credibility of resumes or applications hosted on social media platforms, and more over their efficacy and ethical implications. An applicant isn’t going to be any more or less likely to lie on a video resume through a social media platform — especially Gen Z digital natives, who are acutely aware of how easy it is to verify or discredit information through a quick web search. They may, however, worsen the issue of unconscious bias and discrimination in hiring. A video resume, like the new tool TikTok has rolled out, will undoubtedly favor young and charismatic individuals with the very specific skill of video content creation. While these may be attractive qualities for a candidate to hold, they don’t necessarily indicate their ability to excel in the position they’re interviewing for.
These videos may also lead recruiters to unconsciously be drawn to candidates who exhibit levels of “sameness” with them — the tools that many companies and HR departments have deployed in recent years to remove personally identifiable traits from resumes will be much more difficult to use on video resumes, if it’s even possible at all.
How do you feel resumes and resume building will evolve in the future? Is there a gap in the market for helping Gen Z individuals build resumes?
The gap that we’re seeing is less about giving Gen Zers the tools to build resumes, and more about closing the skills gap to help young talent understand how to connect with relevant jobs they will find meaningful. Gen Zers are digital natives — they understand how to create an online profile and create virtual connections for themselves as well as older generations knew how to use a Rolodex. The challenge comes with educating them about potential career opportunities they may not know exist, and connecting them to the path they’ll need to take to get there.
Employers are currently seeing a “mass resignation” as employees realize they no longer find their job fulfilling and are looking for a change. Building video resumes isn’t going to prevent a similar problem for the next generation, but connecting them to opportunities that align with their sense of purpose and meaning will.
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