Gen Z candidates are screening job opportunities based on the employees who work there, reveals a national survey of 2,000 working adults*.
The data shows that Gen Zs value the profile of their would-be colleagues as much as they do the company itself, with 71% admitting to “stalking” potential colleagues on LinkedIn before accepting a role – compared to 72% for the employers’ social accounts.
This phenomenon extends beyond just Gen Z, with nearly half of Millennials (48%) and a third of Gen X (33%) also admitting factoring their teammates’ social media profiles into their decision.
However, Gen Z are the first generation to consider their future colleagues’ socials to be as important as the employer’s – with the gap between those who reviewed social pages for employers versus colleagues widening with every generation after.
Kristen Buckheit, Managing Director EMEA at Resource Solutions, said: “It’s no surprise that digital-native generations are using social media in their job hunting – but our data reveals that this extends beyond a quick sweep of the corporate Instagram page. Candidates are also researching their would-be co-workers on social media, before agreeing to join the ranks – a tell-tail sign that although vacancies are down on last year, the job market continues to be candidate-led and company culture is an important factor for this set of job seekers.”
In addition to assessing the professional and educational credentials of their future co-workers, 63% of millennials and 73% of Gen Zs say they are considering the average age of a workforce before making a decision. By contrast, a fifth (20%) of Boomers say that they pay no attention to how old their potential colleagues are when joining a new company.
The research also highlighted that over a third (35%) of Gen Zs are socialising with their colleagues at least once a week – compared to only 8% and 6% of Gen X and Boomers – making the need for Gen Zs to find an after-work crew that they are compatible with more essential to their workplace happiness than for other age demographics. In fact, a third of Gen Zs said they would consider returning to a previous workplace if they have friends who work there.
Buckheit adds, “The takeaway is that recruitment strategies must extend beyond putting your best foot forward on corporate accounts. Instead, business leaders and HR teams should encourage everyone to showcase their individual employee experience on their own personal LinkedIn and other social channels – be it capturing behind-the-scenes at a work event or highlighting personal career wins and learnings. This works best if employees are using their own words, beyond merely repeating official corporate messaging. The more personality that shines through the better and the higher chances of attracting bright young talent.”
*Research by Resource Solutions
