What Your Company Needs to Know About Gen Z Talent

There are nearly 3,000 Gen Zers currently using Homi to meet alumni and find careers. According to Pew Research Center, these are people born after 1996.

The first batch of Gen Z talent is preparing to graduate college and enter the workforce. Here are 3 things your company needs to know about the most technically adept and forward thinking generation in history.

1. The most impactful moment of their lives was the Great Recession.

One of the most memorable days for Millennials was 9/11. Most Gen Zers were either not born yet or too young to remember the day. Instead, nearly all remember the September of 2008, when the world’s financial markets were thrown into turmoil. Jobs were lost, homes were foreclosed upon, and lives were completely upended in the largest financial downturn since the Great Depression. The Great Recession taught this generation to take care of itself financially, making financial security a primary employment concern.

2. They value the impact of their work.

Whether it be climate change, homelessness, or geopolitical turmoil, it seems as if the world is in a constant state of chaos. The crises, further perpetuated by social media, have created a feeling of “What’s going on with our world?” This new generation of talent values the impact of its work. Gen Zers want to push the needle on something that matters because, “If we don’t do it, who will?”

3. They want authenticity.

Having grown up on social media, Gen Zers are acutely aware of what’s real and what’s fake. They want authentic relationships, which can be built in ways other than going to forced mixers and trading business cards. What young people are really looking for is an environment where they feel welcomed and where they can learn. They want to be treated like people, not another blip on the HR radar.

If you want to lean in and support the next generation of innovators and creators, let’s have a conversation.