First (day) impressions – how to make sure day one counts for Gen Z

Two things remain irretrievable: Time and a first impression.

– Cynthia Ozick, American novelist

No doubt about it.

But you know what? These things aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, dedicating the time to making a good first impression on new starters will do wonders for your organisation in the long run.

Especially for first-time jobbers.

That’s because research from Owl Labs suggests Gen Z workers are most likely to change jobs in the UK , with 53% switching companies in the past two years. They are burnout (31%), willing to take a pay cut for a four-day workweek (79%), or believe that proximity bias exists in the workplace (53%).

But when there’s such a disconnect between Gen Z’s need for flexibility and their fear of being thought of as ‘shirking from home’, what can you do?

Well, forget the cliches around new starter packs and ‘warm welcomes’. Here’s how to make a first impression that will last much longer than day one.

Making sure day one matches the description

OK, we’re not saying you should throw your new starter into their role immediately. That in itself could be a surefire way to make them run for the hills. Instead, it’s about making sure the job description they signed up for aligns with what’s on the cards for them going forwards.

It just makes sense that if new starters know exactly what they’re in for – and are capable of managing – they’re less likely to feel burned out down the line.

But what if it’s a new role and you don’t know the ins and outs of those day-to-day duties just yet?

No problem. Just be transparent about it.

Being honest from day one is the only way to build trust in the long run. Yeah, authenticity does go a long way for Gen Z – and rightfully so.

The good thing is that job ads don’t have to be chapter and verse to work. So keep it simple to ensure expectations meet reality.

There’s one thing first-time jobbers do expect to see, though. And you can hit the ground running with it from day one.

Every (first) day’s a school day

We’ve talked at length about why training Gen Z is actually an investment in you before. But, essentially, it’s because the majority of Gen Zers that were asked believe learning is the key to a successful career. Add to that the fact that over half (61%) of Gen Zers can see themselves staying loyal to one place of employment for ten years or longer and the ROI of L&D clearly blows the cost of training out of the water.

But why wait to get started?

Learning the ropes can be much more valuable if it goes beyond internal processes and systems. That’s according to the experts, anyway. Gen Z will be more engaged in learning if new skills are directly related to career growth.

Figures when 76% of Gen Z employees connect learning to career progress – more than any other generation. So look beyond what talent needs to know today and start helping them flourish for tomorrow.

And one way you can do that is by putting the power in their hands from the start.

Flexibility and freedom from the first day

Despite the appetite for it, you might not be in a position to offer a four-day week just yet. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t give new starters freedom in how they’d like to fulfil their roles.

Digital legal services company, Amiqus, are doing just that. The company gets its new starters to complete and share a user manual as part of the onboarding process, asking them things like:

• How do you like to work?
• What do you not like?
• How do you like to be contacted?
• What hours do you work?

So what was the result?

With freedom, people are productive, more than in places where they had very set parameters about what they could and couldn’t do.

Contrary to popular belief, though, flexible working isn’t just about where you toil away the hours; it’s having the freedom to choose how you get the job done too.

So provide genuine flexibility from day one and you’ll get plenty in return for many months to come.

But this isn’t the only way you can think ‘outside of the box’ in order to keep Gen Z happy..

Tech can keep new starters engaged

There’s been a lot of talk about how ‘tech-savvy’ Gen Z is over the past few years – for some good reasons too. For example, this is a generation that currently makes up around 60% of users in the metaverse – and that’s before it’s even gone mainstream.

Consequently, this type of insight can lead organisations to gamify the onboarding experience in order to keep new starters engaged. Deloitte did just that by developing a zombie apocalypse game for new hires; one that required them to complete a series of challenges based on basic consulting skills.

And there is evidence to suggest that employees do value a gamified experience on the job. Research from Zippia indicates that:

• 95% of employees prefer a gamified work experience
• Gamification results in a 60% increase in engagement
• It also leads to a 40% increase in skills retention

However, it isn’t necessarily such a black-and-white picture for Gen Z.

In fact, if you’re looking for a more cost-effective way to keep Zoomers hooked from the first day on the job, you might be better off investing in video. It doesn’t have to be something with high production values like Google would cook up, either; For Gen Z, you can afford to be much more guerilla with your approach.

But however you choose to make that vital first impression, just keep it real and be yourself.

That’s what they signed up for.

If you need any help hiring gen-z or even just fancy a search to see what’s out there, head on over to our grad recruitment app and check out today’s burgeoning talent.

P.S. You can read the whole blog post on our website here.