Dive Brief:

• Generation Z may defy expectations for digital natives, a new Yello study showed, with more than half of those surveyed preferring face-to-face communication during the recruiting process over digital communication. Unlike millennials, weighing in at only 29%, nearly half of Gen Z candidates said their experience with the recruiter has the biggest impact on their decision to accept a job.
• However, the 2019 Yello Recruiting Study noted that the technology employers do use during the process is under scrutiny by Gen Z. Around 46% of Gen Z applicants applied for a job on mobile, compared to 38% of millennials. Twenty-six percent of Gen Z candidates said that a lack of tech throughout the hiring process would make them reconsider working with the company entirely.
• According to the study, Gen Z is serious about careers and confident that jobs are on the horizon. Two of three business majors expect to have more than one offer; half of computer science majors expect multiple offers. But for students pursuing a degree in communications or other non-STEM fields, 70% are worried about finding work.

Dive Insight:

The newest entrants to the workforce are more different from millennials than some employers may have expected, this study shows. Gen Z are looking for a combination of seamless, tech-enabled processes and warm in-person interaction — something that has some managers worried that Gen Z will be more difficult to manage than older generations. In a survey from APPrise Mobile, 26% of respondents think that communicating with Gen Z will be more difficult, and most of them noted that they had no plans to cater to Gen Z.

That point of view may have to shift. While Gen Zers are confident about their knowledge, many are uncertain about their readiness to join the current workforce — and many also assume that their employers will coach them in what they need to know. In a recent study, Dell Technologies said that employers may need to beef up their soft skills training and internship programs to attract Gen Z applicants.

Gen Zers are well aware of the conditions in the market that make them highly sought-after, and many have high expectations for their first jobs. Three-quarters of respondents to the Dell study also believe they should be promoted after one year in their first position. Particularly for female candidates in the tech field, where diversity is a pressing need and talent is in extremely high demand, growth, development and work-life balance are top priorities.