What Does Gen Z Look for in Companies?

What Does Gen Z Look for in Companies?

Written by Yoo Hyeon Park

A marketing student at the University of Florida, Yoo Hyeon interns at The Selling Factory, enjoys interacting with consumers and finding solutions for potential needs of the consumers.

Photo by Uriel Mont from Pexels

A new population, Gen Z, comprises 32% of the global population and is now entering the workforce. This generation is quite unique. This generation understands its impact on the larger society and advocates for others’ rights other than just their own. LGBTQ, sustainability, plant-based diet, diversity, and inclusion issues matter more to this generation than the previous generations. As Gen Z is seeking career opportunities, it looks for companies that align with their values. What does this mean for companies? If companies want to hire top talent, they must know how to recruit Gen Z and the factors that attract this group, from which they can select ideal candidates.

What Shapes Gen Z’s Worldview

Before diving deeper into Generation Z recruitment, companies must first understand what shaped Gen Z’s worldview. What influenced Gen Z to have such a worldview? 

Here are key life occurrences that influenced Gen Z according to Deloitte’s survey: 

  • The Great Recession in 2008 resulting their parents and siblings to lose jobs and move back home.

  • Rising expenses of necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and transportation.

  • Increase in the number of people with higher education, followed by increased student debt

  • The widened wealth gap between high and low-income groups 

What Is Important for Recruiters to Know about Gen Z?

As companies strive towards meeting customers’ needs, the job recruiters should also value proposition their companies to recruit Gen Z who will drive the company’s future. Here are the 3 most important Gen Z recruiting trends. 

  1. Salary and Benefits. Having to grow up throughout the Great Recession, Gen Z seeks a stable environment as the individuals in this group witnessed their relatives losing jobs. While salary provides the most financial security, other factors such as perks, benefits, work-life balance, and flexible hours yield stability for this generation. Small to medium companies may not afford to offer higher salaries for young professionals but they surely can utilize perks and benefits to attract applicants. These companies can host a monthly celebration to recognize the employee’s hard work and give gift cards as presents, creating a fun work environment. Before moving the office to the virtual environment, some companies allowed employees to work from home one day out of the week. Recently, Facebook granted employees to work from home even after employees can safely return to the workplace. Both large and small businesses can creatively modify the work environment that appeals to Gen Z.   

  2. Opportunity for Career Development. Gen Z is now more educated than ever and believes in the important value of college education. Their desire to grow doesn’t stop after college. They seek companies that teach more skills relevant to the industry. Also, they want to grow from taking responsibility for tasks that they can learn from. While Gen Z does work well in teams, it also has an entrepreneurial mindset to take ownership of the work. Gen Z will stay more loyal to companies that allow this freedom, especially with security salary and benefits.

  3. Good global citizenship. “Global citizenship” is an emerging term; it means that one sees the connection between herself and the world. Thus, one believes that his or her actions impact the world and therefore, he or she carries out actions that positively impact the world. While Gen Z highly rates salary and benefits in company preferences, this group also values working to bettering the larger society. Thus, companies should aim to maintain ethics and drive positive societal change. For instance, many fashion retailers planned their dedication to the fair treatment of workers in the supply chain, creating a safe work environment, and abolishing child labor. Nike has a program that promotes girls and boys to participate in sports and build character through sports. Mondelez International, the Oreo company, reduced its CO2 emission by 20% in the past two years.

Another important topic for Gen Z is diversity. With the recent interaction between the police and black civilians, Gen Z is now more sensitive towards equality for all people. Diversity matters to this generation and companies should also demonstrate diversity and inclusion in their culture. In recruiting events, companies should market what they are doing in order to provide a safe, judge-free zone for minorities, LGBTQ, and disabilities’ communities. These efforts will help to diversify their talent acquisition. Societal changes such as human rights, community involvement, and sustainability are all issues that Gen Z values in addition to the companies’ products and services. 

While Gen Z focuses heavily on salaries and benefits when choosing companies, the individuals of this group also consider other values when looking for companies to interview. Soon, Gen Z will make up a large percentage of the workforce, and companies should understand the Gen Z recruiting trends in order to recruit Gen Z and manage Gen Z in the workplace. As much as job recruiters are screening top candidates, the applicants are sorting through companies that provide professional growth and a sense of working for a higher purpose. 

References

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Victoria Zamitalo

Campaign Manager

Victoria received a BA in History and Economics from the University of Florida in May 2023. She is a driven sales professional with over 5 years combined experience in customer service, consumer relations and outbound sales, and is deeply passionate about fostering close relationships between consumers and sellers. She aims to train the next generation of sales professionals in not only the tricks of the trade, but also interpersonal skills that make sales the exciting and ever-changing industry that it is.

victoria@thesellingfactory.com

Mia Semel

Campaign Manager

Before graduating with a B.A. in Sustainability Studies, Mia took on multiple roles while interning at The Selling Factory, including sales development, recruiting, and leading campaigns. She is an active listener and effective communicator, specializing in fostering genuine connections and finding common ground among differing perspectives. She aims to find practical, creative solutions regarding sustainable development, biodiversity and the climate crisis.

mia.semel@thesellingfactory.com

Kira Grieve

Senior Campaign Manager

Kira graduated from the University of Florida and received her Master of Science in Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about helping businesses grow and connecting with new people. Some of her hobbies include traveling and hiking. She hopes to visit all of the National Parks one day!

kira@thesellingfactory.com

Jared Glosser

Vice President

After graduating from UF in 2014 with a B.A. in history, Jared started his professional career Fundraising for a non-partisan political lobby in South Florida. In 2016, Jared moved back to Gainesville to work for a non-profit, recruit students for international travel opportunities, and pursue his MBA at UF. Jared has been with The Selling Factory since 2019 focusing on operations, client onboarding, and client success.

jared@thesellingfactory.com

Ian Massenburg

Chief Operating Officer

A graduate of University of Florida (B.A. 2001), Ian Massenburg brings over 18 years of sales executive and sales management experience to The Selling Factory. Before coming on-board, Ian worked alongside Brad at Infinite Energy, and then spent his next 3 years as VP of Partnerships selling SaaS products B2B. Ian brings his vast knowledge and experience to the team and to our partner companies served.

ian@thesellingfactory.com

Damien Paulk

Campaign Manager

Damien is a University of Florida graduate that recently joined the team full time after working as a Sales Development Intern for one year. As a Campaign Manager, Damien looks forward to contributing to the growth and success of The Selling Factory. When Damien is not at work he enjoys exploring Gainesville with his girlfriend and dog or watching the Gators dominate college football.

damien@thesellingfactory.com

Brendan Viehman

Campaign Manager

Brendan graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Project Management. For the past 5 years, he has enjoyed working with blockchain technology and cryptocurrency development. In his free time, he surfs and makes personal finance videos for his YouTube channel.

brendan@thesellingfactory.com

Savannah Howard

Campaign Manager

A graduate from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, Savannah obtained her Bachelor of Science in public relations with a concentration in French. After almost two years as a sales development intern for The Selling Factory, she joined the leadership team in 2021 taking on the role of Campaign Manager. In her free time, Savannah enjoys going to concerts and festivals and cooking for her friends and family.

savannah@thesellingfactory.com

Zack Kampf

Campaign Manager

Zack is a creative technologist with experience in advertising, event planning, and game design. He started as an SDR in 2018 and has been with TSF ever since. Upon graduating UF in 2019 he became a campaign manager and is currently seeking a master's degree from NYU. In his spare time, you can find him at the intersection of Art & Technology!

zack@thesellingfactory.com

Josiah Blakemore

Growth Manager

Josiah has over 10 years of sales experience, worked with Brad and Ian at Infinite Energy, and also spent time selling SaaS as Director of Partnerships at SharpSpring. He’s always been very competitive and has a love for sports and games. He enjoys solving problems and coaching team members to do the same!

josiah@thesellingfactory.com

Sue-Ming Frauenhofer

Marketing Manager

Sue-Ming received both her B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Management from The University of Florida. As a student, she took on multiple roles while interning at The Selling Factory, including sales development, marketing, and recruiting, eventually leading to her current role as Marketing Manager. She enjoys refining her taste in music and visual art, engaging in mindfulness and meditative practices, and frolicking outside with her sidekick pup.

sueming@thesellingfactory.com

Adam Grossman

Chief Development Officer

Adam is an ordained rabbi, who has founded multiple ventures focused on workforce development. Hired as CEO by a failing non-profit, in over 5 years, his ingenuity saved the organization, which led Slingshotfund.org to recognize it as one of North America’s most innovative Jewish non-profits. His expertise to identify, cultivate, and on-board talent ensures our student teams meet our partners’ needs.

adam@thesellingfactory.com

Brad Gamble

Chief Executive Officer

After graduating from UF in 1999 with a B.S.B.A, Brad Gamble has dedicated himself to sales management, branding, coaching, and building companies. He served as the VP of Sales & Marketing for Infinite Energy until 2014, when he founded The Selling Factory. He has dedicated himself to teaching critical skills to tomorrow’s leaders, and helping companies achieve sales success and revenue growth.

brad@thesellingfactory.com