When recruiting top talent, different generations require different tactics. For the youngest generation of workers, Generation Z, you’ll need to be strategic and digital first.
By utilizing digital platforms and crafting a social media recruitment strategy, you’ll give your company the competitive edge it needs to attract this generation’s top talent.
This article breaks down what you need to know about Gen Z plus social media recruiting tools (and tips) for attracting high-quality candidates.
Let’s get started.
According to the Pew Research Center, Generation Z is individuals born between 1997 and 2012. Currently, Gen Z is driving the “Great Reshuffle” as they quit jobs in favor of ones with a better work-life balance.
To effectively recruit Gen Z, here are five key things you need to know:
Gen Z grew up with the internet, smartphones, and other digital tools and apps. In fact, over half of Gen Z (54%) spends at least four hours browsing social networks daily!
This makes having a strong presence on social media along with a strategy to target Gen Z on the platforms they use (e.g., TikTok) a top priority.
Just like previous generations, Gen Z also uses a variety of slang words: Here are a few examples:
Gen Z slang is widely used on social media platforms. When a brand uses Gen Z slang authentically, and in the right context, it shows the company is constantly evolving and staying on top of trends, which resonates with this generation.
Promoting an inclusive employer brand on social media is key to attracting Gen Z. Here’s why: 83% of Gen Z job seekers regard the brand’s dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as critical when choosing an employer.
75% of Gen Z workers value workplace flexibility (e.g., work from home or hybrid). In fact, for Gen Z, flexibility (work-from-home or hybrid work policies) is seen as an obligatory employee benefit.
Gen Z is motivated by employers who invest in their growth. They appreciate personalized training, coaching, and mentorship opportunities. 40% are willing to take a salary cut for a chance to grow professionally in their job role.
The following social media platforms are excellent for attracting (and engaging) potential Gen Z candidates.
While Gen Z makes up only 10% of LinkedIn’s audience, the platform is still a powerful tool for building a strong employer brand to attract top-quality candidates.
To catch Gen Z’s attention, regularly post new jobs with relevant hashtags (e.g., #hiring, #jobopening, #graduatejob, etc.).
For Morgan Taylor, co-founder of Jolly SEO, the best hashtags for recruiters to use are #OpenToWork and #Hiring. He explained, “I often use LinkedIn’s search bar to find candidates with the #opentowork hashtag. As for my LinkedIn profile, I apply the #Hiring badge to demonstrate I’m in the active recruitment phase.”
Source: Morgan Taylor
Roman Zrazhevskiy, founder and CEO of MIRA Safety, also emphasizes the importance of adding an “Apply With LinkedIn” integration toggle to your website’s job postings.
“The ‘Apply With LinkedIn’ button incredibly simplifies the LinkedIn hiring process. It’s a great time-saving feature that lets Gen Z job applicants pre-fill the form with their LinkedIn profile information,” said Zrazhevskiy.
Source: MIRA Safety
31% of Instagram users are between ages 18 to 24, making it an ideal platform for recruiting Gen Z. When creating content to attract Gen Z, be sure to use:
In this example, Let’s Movin uses all of these tactics for its hiring post.
Source: Let’s Movin
TikTok is an effective social media recruitment tool, competing for popularity with LinkedIn in recruiting top talent. In fact, four in 10 (41%) Gen Z TikTok users chose a career based on TikTok advice, while 15% landed a job that they found on the platform.
When using TikTok for hiring:
Tom Golubovich, Head of Marketing & Media Relations at Ninja Transfers, also suggests giving sneak peeks into the company’s workplace.
“Behind-the-scenes of your work environment or glimpses of your product creation contribute to genuineness and openness, much cherished by Gen Z. That is why we have launched the Ninja Print House series, which shows the workplace insides and showcases the days in the life of our workers,” said Golubovich.
For example, below is a behind-the-scenes video of a DTF machine operator’s daily routine at Ninja Transfers.
Source: Ninja Transfers
In addition to LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, consider also using platforms that aren’t typically saturated with recruiters. These platforms can give your employer brand the opportunity for more visibility and engagement with your target audience.
Other social media platforms most used by ages 18–24:
Jesse Galanis, Content Manager at Tech Lockdown, recommends Reddit as a versatile tool for social recruiting and attracting Gen Z.
As Galanis explains, “On Reddit, you can interact with potential Gen Z candidates in many ways. One: participate in discussions via relevant subreddits, such as r/careeradvice, r/jobs, or r/careerchange. Two: host AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions. Three: create your brand’s subreddit, a niche community, to gather like-minded people around common interests.”
For example, the Tech Lockdown team has a subreddit dedicated to content filtering.
Source: Tech Lockdown
Now let’s take a look at some strategies for effective social recruiting.
Here are five effective social recruiting strategies. Feel free to use one or all of these methods.
Consistent content that features the things that Gen Z values will score you major points. These social posts can be employee appreciation, awards and industry recognition, company culture, case studies, etc.
In this example, SmartBug Media shares some exciting company news that reinforces not only why it’s a great place to work but also a great company to work with.
Source: SmartBug Media
Do you communicate with Gen Z job seekers on social media? If you aren't, now is the time to start. Communicating is not only sharing interactive content pieces (GIFs, video clips, or memes) but also actively participating in discussions.
According to Brooke Webber, Head of Marketing at Ninja Patches, the comments section under your social media posts is one of the go-to places for Gen Z candidate engagement. As she explains, “Younger audiences gladly communicate with potential employers on social media. So, whenever you notice a Gen Z-er commenting or asking a question, never miss a chance to respond. Let alone when it’s a direct question about your job offer.”
For example, see how quickly the Paws Of Pride team replies on X to a Gen Z-er inquiring about the job’s age restriction. Typically try to respond within 24 hours depending on the urgency of the post.
Source: RealPawsOfPride
To broaden your brand’s reach, consider leveraging relevant influencers and brand ambassadors.
According to Thomas Medlin, Co-founder at JumpMD, “The influencer, the brand ambassador, and the employee advocate are three of the most powerful titans of peer influence and social persuasion that can prove your employer brand worth to Generation Z.”
Here, Samsung partners with Sudo, a Gen Z software engineer and micro-influencer, extending its brand reach by tapping into Sudo’s Gen Z audience.
Source: zero2sudo
As Medlin previously mentioned, supercharge your recruitment on social media by turning your employees into brand advocates.
In this example, one of Viva’s employees takes her audience on a 10-day “Why I love my workplace” journey, tagging the company and shouting out to colleagues. It’s an excellent example of strong employee advocacy on LinkedIn.
Source: Michelle Paredes
For Gen Z, simply posting a generic job opening isn’t going to cut it. 27% of Gen Z users prefer social media ads as photo carousels, and 40% want them in the form of short videos or reels.
But, creating engaging content is just the first step. To ensure your content reaches your target audience, you need to also implement targeted advertising.
Social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn offer ad targeting options driven by demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, etc.). Moreover, LinkedIn’s Job Ads can help you target Gen Z talent based on their skills.
Source: LinkedIn
However, Volodymyr Shchegel, VP of Engineering at MacKeeper, warns employers and recruiters about possible roadblocks in targeting Gen Z with social media ads if they use iOS or MacOS devices:
“Targeted job ads may be a tricky business when reaching Gen Z on iOS or MacOS because they get automatically opted out of tracking by the ATT privacy framework. This sets considerable limits on targeted advertising for this user cohort,” cautions Shchegel.
To ensure that your social recruiting strategy is effective, it’s important to track what’s working and what isn’t so you can make modifications as needed.
Tips for measuring your success:
An employee advocacy platform like GaggleAMP is a great tool to track your recruiting efforts and engagement. Your activity report can show clicks, shares, replies, likes, and more within a particular time frame.
Gen Z values transparency, honesty, and behind-the-scenes content. This is all achievable with social media, just be sure to stay authentic and speak directly to them. Many are more than happy to speak about brands they love, so make sure their employer is a brand that they can be proud of.
Book a demo of GaggleAMP today and let your team members help you by advocating your employer brand and putting it in the sunniest spotlight.