Recruiting Millennials and Gen Z

Be sure to seek out objective evidence on this topic -- you may be part of Generation Z, but that doesn't mean that your subjective experience can represent an entire generation! For instance, scan this ebook for a recent summary of what's known about Gen Z.

And, as with many hot topics, it can be easy to get caught up in the momentum and just repeat the same truisms. Pause... and try to ask some critical questions about advice that you see repeated everywhere. For example:

• Are Millennial and Generation Z employees really that different when it comes to their workplace needs and preferences?
• Are "Millennial" and "Gen Z" just new terms for "young people"? Are people in those generations fundamentally different in a way that will last as they age?
• Are there differences between Generation Y and Generation Z that directly relate to your case topic?
• Are Millennials and Post-Millennials uniform in nature across all countries?

Important: The resources and search strategies below are...

(a) in no particular order -- you'll want to try all of them!; and

(b) only intended as a starting point for your research -- be sure to explore broadly to find useful resources that will inform your audience.

Industry associations and magazines

This topic is on the minds of people in a wide range of industries. On a quick look, I found reports from industries as varied as... Hotels, Government, Construction, Office Supplies, Postsecondary Education, Technology, Cybersecurity, Tourism, and Intelligence

Try searching for relevant industry associations (via Google) or for industry magazines (via Factiva, Nexis Uni, and Business Source Complete) to see if they've addressed this topic... but remember to think broadly about what might count as relevant. Perhaps information from another industry will apply to your target industry?

For example:

• American Public Power Association: Generation Selfie

• Electricity Human Resources Canada

• Generation Impact: Future Workforce Perspectives
• Powering Up the Future: 2008 Labour Market Information Study
• Workforce in Motion study
• and other sector research
• The organization above is one among many "sector councils" set up to study and support labour needs in specific industries and trades. Some of their research is restricted to their members, but even fee-based reports might give you some clues. For instance, this "Renewing Futures" report is unavailable to us, but there are many potentially relevant Resources listed at the end of the page describing it. Check them out!

• Many Skills, One Vision: Energy and Utilities Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy: 2020

Research & consulting firms

This is the sort of topic that lots of organizations are looking for help on, so there are many consultants and think tanks that are gathering information and willing to share it. I've listed a few examples below. Be sure to check these organizations' sites for additional reports and articles.

• PwC: Engaging and Empowering Millennials
• Deloitte: Global Millennial Survey & Generation Z enters the workforce
• Millennial Mindset - UK-based site aimed at helping "businesses bridge the gap between their current ways of working and the needs of a Modern Workforce"
• Accenture: Gen Z Rising
• The Center for Generational Kinetics: The State of Gen Z
• Mercer: Enabling Generation Z & New Rules for Attracting and Retaining Talent in a Multigenerational Workplace
• The Pew Research Center (US) has conducted many studies on Millennials and Generation Z. For example, Millennials aren’t job-hopping any faster than Generation X did and "Early Benchmarks Show ‘Post-Millennials’ on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet"
• Aon (HR consulting firm) often conducts and/or discusses studies on Millennials/Gen Z and employee engagement/recruitment trends.

• For instance, check out this recent report: The Evolution of Early Careers (Part 1: Five Essentials for Hiring the Next Generation of Talent). (Note that you may need to register (free) to view that report, and that you should download the PDF for the full version.)
• Check their Human Capital Insights section for additional studies. Think broadly about what might be applicable to your case!

Articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers

• PsycInfo, our main psychology article database, includes many articles from HR and organizational behaviour publications.

• Try this rough exploratory search.

• Business Source Complete -- Sample search

• Canadian Newsstream covers most major Canadian newspapers, as well as many smaller-city papers: (sample search).

• Factiva for news articles from around the world, including articles from many business publications such as the Wall Street Journal

Remember to look for any mentions of specific organizations, experts, or studies in such news articles, then follow those clues to original (and usually more comprehensive) sources.

For example, this recent Globe & Mail article led me to a study that might help us understand the difference between Gen Y and their younger Gen Z siblings: Employers, prepare to meet Gen Z. I then used Google to search for the study, and I came across other potentially useful information along the way.

Miscellaneous... but still worth reading!

A. The Globe & Mail produces an annual report on the Top Employers for Young People, complete with details on what features of each organization made them particularly appealing to younger workers.

• There are a few utilities on the list, but be sure to check out the policies and practices of other types of firms as well in case they are doing something that could also work for BC Hydro.
• And the site includes a link to reports from previous years. Don't ignore older information that might still be applicable!

B. Don't forget to check out the Careers info at the BC Hydro site.

C. I mentioned an ebook at the top of the page. Click here for additional books/ebooks on this topic. Remember that a good book can be a huge timesaver as such sources collect information from multiple sources and often go to greater depth than brief webpages and articles.

<No further suggestions yet - but keep checking. Also, don't forget that this is your wiki: you are welcome to add any tips here whenever you'd like. --- MB>