With Gen Z joining the ranks, there are now four generations of talent in the workforce, and it's safe to say that they all have varying preferences when it comes to their job search. A well-thought-out omnichannel strategy needs to consider which messages resonate most strongly with each audience and, more importantly, where they want to see them.

What’s top of mind for many organizations (or at least it should be) is recruiting early talent, made up primarily of Gen Z. Early talent is defined as those with less than three years of work experience, who tend to fill general or technical entry-level roles.

But how does recruiting these digital natives differ from the other three generations swimming alongside them in the talent pool?

Get to Know Early Talent Needs With IBM

They’re the “always-on” generation. Early talent professionals are digital natives who connect and interact with screens ten or more hours a day. This means they use media, particularly social media, differently. It’s integral to how they network, make connections and get information (especially about prospective employers). 

This tech-savvy generation is far more likely to interact with a strong employer brand via YouTube, Instagram or Twitter vs. career websites or job postings. But as Elle Davison, Global Campus Attraction & EVP Development Lead at IBM, said in our recent webinar, it's also essential to know where they don’t want to communicate and where boundaries lie.

Gen Z has been easing its way into the workforce for the past three years. Between 2018 and early 2020, they searched for their first jobs during one of the lowest unemployment rates in recent years. 

It was a job-seekers' market, but all that changed drastically when the pandemic hit. At its peak, unemployment hit over 14%. Although it’s currently sitting around 5%, the competition is fiercer with a larger, more experienced pool of talent.

Recruiting the Future of Work

While many attributes are similar across the generations, there are some important differences that need to be addressed in your recruitment marketing campaigns depending on the persona you are targeting. 

(To download these recruitment marketing tips, along with more from IBM, check out the recording here.)

Recruitment Marketing Technology To Recruit Early Career Talent 

Hiring Gen Z will require a well-planned and comprehensive recruitment marketing strategy that puts them front and center. CRM tools and programmatic media should be used to create a highly personalized and branded candidate experience, drive conversations and deepen relationships. And because online shopping technologies have always been a part of their lives, Gen Z expects the apply and onboarding processes to be quick, seamless and simple.

Our recommendation? Create specific programs for recruiting early career talent. With the right technology, you can easily focus your recruitment marketing efforts to target this specific segment and meet them where they're at with the right messaging.

A Final Thought from IBM on Early Talent

“I definitely think it's about being more strategic with where you are and where you are messaging to them. It's also the way you speak to them, the sell is slightly different,” said IBM's Elle Davison in our recent webinar. “Before we’ve been like ‘here’s a job, do you want it? This is what the job is.’ Instead we’re now selling the ‘why us’ for that role. So, why be a developer at IBM, not just come and work at IBM. It's more about trying to make us different in the market.”

Want to learn more about attracting, hiring, and engaging early career talent? Check out these additional resources.