Dive Brief:

• Female developers — particularly those who are members of Generation Z — emphasize career development and work-life balance when sizing up job offers, according to hiring platform HackerRank. The firm's survey of more than 12,000 female developers in 100 countries found 73% of those under age 21 value professional growth in a job, the highest among all categories measured, while about 62% valued work-life balance.
• The survey also indicated that despite a desire for growth opportunities, Gen Z women are nonetheless showing up prepared to meet employers' demands. More than 50% said they knew Java and Python, two of the top three coding languages companies are looking for in candidates, and 35% of those who didn't know the other, JavaScript, said they planned to learn the language this year.
• Gen Z women in the survey also were twice as likely as their older colleagues to favor working for employers with a well-known brand. At the same time, HackerRank said it noted a declining belief among Gen Z women that Silicon Valley is the future global center of the tech industry. Respondents pointed to other cities, including New York City, Shanghai and Bangalore, India, as potential emerging global tech hubs over the next five years.

Dive Insight:

HackerRank's report focused on Gen Z women in the tech industry, but the survey results mirror those of Gen Z research generally. An InsideOut Development survey examined Gen Z's work expectations and found a significant number have shared characteristics that differ from previous generations, such as a preference for bosses as coaches, an expectation of promotion after one year on the job and salary expectations of $100,000 a year at the peak of their careers.

From this research, it appears employers have a ready and willing segment of workers to train in Gen Z. It shouldn't be surprising that a majority of corporate trainers in one survey said training Gen Z on members' own terms works best and that technology is central to their learning and development. Still, employers must ensure they don't generalize or pigeonhole any worker on the basis of age, race, gender or any other protected status or characteristic; personalization — not stereotypes — should shape learning programs, experts say.

The survey also suggests that organizations that haven't focused on building or promoting a brand might want to rethink that position. While no one generation has a lock on brand loyalty, this generation and its younger cohorts appear to value organizations that deliver strong employee experiences. This may be due, in part, to the impact of technology, particularly the availability of company ratings online; younger applicants in one CareerArc poll were less likely to apply to low-rated employers in their job hunt after reading negative reviews. Employers who focus on building a positive brand and reputation might have a leg up on the competition.