Lattes, Avocado-Toast and TikTok: Recruiting for Different Generations

Lattes, Avocado-Toast and TikTok: Recruiting for Different Generations

Apologies for the lazy stereotypes about younger people in the title.

That being said, it's definitely worth acknowledging that the way younger generations consume information and interact, has changed DRAMATICALLY and varies across age demographics.

No alt text provided for this image
Different marketing channels require different approaches

Attention spans are shrinking, so have recruitment processes and advertising done enough to keep up?

If I believe a lot of what I read about how different generations behave, engagement strategies for social media and other forms of media will need to vary significantly to be effective.

Let's start with some definitions.

  • Gen Z: born between 1997-2012 (currently aged 11-26)
  • Millennials: born between 1981-1996 (currently aged 27-42)
  • Gen X: born between 1965-1980 (currently aged 43-58)
  • Baby Boomers: born between 1955-1964 (59-68)

Why is this important when looking at recruitment processes and advertising?


As attention spans shrink, recruitment advertising has even less time to engage and be impactful. ?For example, the average attention span of a Gen Z-er is about 8 seconds. For Gen X, it's about 12 seconds.

Further to this, different generations use different social media platforms and engage with them differently. Gen Z use 2 - 3 platforms daily, including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Gen X are using 5 - 6 platforms weekly, across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter and Baby Boomers dominate Facebook.

All generations prefer photo/video over written content - it must be that line about a picture saying a thousand words.

75% of Gen Z job searchers have discarded a job application...they felt took too long.

?75% of Gen Z job searchers have discarded a job application as they felt it took too long - this raises a valid question: do we really need lengthy job application forms anymore - personally, I'm not sure we do.


It's certainly made me think. If I'm after a Senior Estimator, I'm a lot more likely to find them on Facebook or LinkedIn than I am on TikTok.

If I want to engage people under 35, my communication is going to need to be a lot snappier.

As millennials and Gen Z's start to dominate the workforce, this will only become more important.

?What do people think? -Is too much being made of this - has technology really changed behaviours across generations? Do generations really need to be communicated with differently? As always feel free to like/share/comment.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Kofi Pemberton的更多文章

  • I, Recruiter

    I, Recruiter

    What's going to be the impact of AI for job-seekers, hiring companies and recruiters? Newsflash: I could be out of a…

  • How Do You Solve a Problem Like Recruitment?

    How Do You Solve a Problem Like Recruitment?

    The employment market in civils and construction is changing and will continue to do so. Hiring is tougher than ever.

    6 条评论
  • Laing O'Rourke: The Gamechanger

    Laing O'Rourke: The Gamechanger

    This week we're going to do something a little different. We're going to pay tribute to a key industry figure.

    1 条评论
  • Love the Ones You're with

    Love the Ones You're with

    This probably seems a bit counterintuitive from a Recruiter, but in my view the best hiring strategies start with…

  • Is Your Recruitment Process Failing You?

    Is Your Recruitment Process Failing You?

    Lots of businesses are struggling to recruit the right people at the moment. Recently, I've done a lot of vacancy…

  • Perception Vs. Reality: The Ultimate Recruitment Glossary

    Perception Vs. Reality: The Ultimate Recruitment Glossary

    Recruitment and hiring can be confusing. In a bid to help job-seekers and hiring managers alike, I've put together a…

  • You're Fired

    You're Fired

    Should you keep that serial underperformer? I'm not here to point the mucky end of the stick at anybody and I need to…

    2 条评论
  • Big Problems in Waterworld

    Big Problems in Waterworld

    Thames Water's issues appear to have reached a nadir. The privatised water company model seems to be in tatters.

  • Aging Like a Fine Wine

    Aging Like a Fine Wine

    This week I'm doing a special request. Someone asked me to write about this topic as it's one that's impacted them…

    2 条评论
  • It's not me, it's probably you

    It's not me, it's probably you

    This week, I, like many others, watched in a semi-state of shock as Jadon Sancho - once of the Manchester parish now…

    2 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了