This Is How and Where to Hire Generation Z

The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) recently surveyed over 16,000 Generation Z high school and college students to find out how and where they will search for a job.

For a generation that has never been offline, you might be surprised by how traditional and non-digital some of their approaches are for searching for a job.

How Generation Z Finds an Employer

1. Indeed (28 percent)
2. LinkedIn (13 percent)
3. Google (12 percent)
4. Snagajob (11 percent)
5. Monster (7 percent)
6. Company Websites (5 percent)
7. Glassdoor (5 percent)
8. Zip Recruiter (3 percent)
9. USAJobs (3 percent)
10. Facebook (3 percent)

Having a strong and active employer brand presence on these platforms is a must moving forward. Seventy percent of candidates look to [company] reviews before they make career decisions and 69 percent are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand (e.g., responds to reviews, updates their profile, shares updates on the culture and work environment). (Read this to learn how SAP is using Glassdoor to attract Generation Z.)

How Generation Z Finds a Job

1. View websites of companies I am interested in for open positions (76 percent)
2. Ask my friends and relatives about available position they are aware of (61 percent)
3. Speak to my school counseling or career services office (53 percent)
4. Attend a job fair (53 percent)
5. Use a local / region job website (43 percent)
6. Use a national job website (35 percent)
7. Work with a recruiter (25 percent)
8. Use mobile apps (23 percent)
9. Search for jobs using print materials (12 percent)
10. Other (2 percent)

*Percentages may add up to over 100 percent as respondents could select multiple options.

Having access to the world's information in the palm of their hand or constantly within shouting distance of an Amazon Echo has fundamentally rewired how Generation Z learns, communicates, and buys. How they search and apply for jobs will continue to evolve as more and more technology disrupts the prevailing model of recruiting. (Read this for eight innovative Generation Z recruiting tools.)

How Generation Z Prefers Employers to Share Info About Job Opportunities

1. Email (85 percent)
2. In writing (mail, publications, etc.) (54 percent)
3. Personal contacts / connections (53 percent)
4. Career fairs / networking events (48 percent)
5. Text messaging (39 percent)
6. Telephone (38 percent)
7. LinkedIn (20 percent)
8. Instagram (20 percent)
9. Facebook (19 percent)
10. Snapchat (12 percent)
11. Twitter (11 percent)
12. Other (1 percent)

*Percentages may add up to over 100 percent as respondents could select multiple options.

Seventy-two percent of Generation Z say face-to-face is their preferred method of communication at work. Generation Z will continue to dip in and out of the five social channels they use every day, but they will also welcome the chance to connect via more traditional channels.  

However, you choose to connect with Generation Z, make sure it's an effortless experience. Generation Z (and Millennials) are much less likely to do business with a company where they have had a poor experience as a job applicant than previous generations.