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GEN Zcandidate experienceWhat does the candidate experience look like for today’s entry-level job seekers? From information channels to interview experiences, this is what Generation Z expects and experiences during their job search.

Gen Z candidates are graduating into the best job market in years, reports show. They’re receiving better salaries and more offers, allowing them to be selective about where they apply and where they ultimately work. For employers, this means that creating a standout candidate experience is essential to attracting top Gen Z candidates and establishing a positive brand with this generation in the long-term.

A company’s candidate experience starts as soon as a candidate becomes interested in working for an organization and extends all the way to the final stages of the hiring process. This means that creating a positive candidate experience starts with something as simple as optimizing your careers page and is influenced by the communication with candidates throughout the process.

So how do you ensure you’re creating a Gen Z-friendly candidate experience? We’ve compiled a comprehensive report to help you understand the ins and outs of the Gen Z candidate experience. The findings in this report come from external studies and RippleMatch’s own Candidate Experience Survey. Our Candidate Experience Survey measured the awareness, interest, and experiences of 550+ candidates on our platform as they moved through the hiring processes of our company partners. While we have data on the hiring processes of individual companies, this report looks at the composite data from all candidates who took our survey, covering how candidates research companies, what sparks their interest, and their experiences and expectations for the interview process. Read on to understand the Gen Z candidate experience from start to finish.

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In a job-seekers market, candidate experience matters – especially at the entry-level.

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GEN Z AT GLANCE

Seamless mobile experience and easy-to-use technology. Generation Z is the first digitally-native generation. While Millennials pioneered the first social networks and dominant smartphone apps, Gen Z grew up using mobile technology and sophisticated web apps. Their digital fluency has extended to every area of their lives, from consumer habits to relationships – and now – their job search. Mobile, easy-to-use technology is a must – a recent survey found that 46% of Gen Z’ers applied for a job on a mobile device, while 26% said that lack of tech throughout a hiring process would make them reconsider working with a company completely.

What does Gen Z expect out of their job search? Here are three key expectations this generation has for their candidate experience.

Personalized communication alongside new technologies.Despite the dominance of technology in all aspects of their lives, Gen Z candidates expect a hiring process to include personal touches and face-to-face interactions. According to one study, 51% of Gen Z respondents said they prefer to communicate in-person, compared to 25% who said they prefer to communicate digitally. RippleMatch data also showed that, on average, candidate excitement for a role increased after going through the interview process.

Limited use of social media. According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, 95% of U.S. teens own a smartphone and 75% of teens use apps like Snapchat and Instagram regularly. With this kind of activity, employers might be tempted to use social media as a recruitment tool – except Gen Z candidates are largely keeping social media out of their job search. While 80% of organizations reportedly use social media for recruiting according to one survey, RippleMatch data shows that only 14% of Gen Z candidates look at an organization’s social media while researching that company.

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THE INFORMATION STAGE

Company websites and Glassdoor are top research tools for Gen Z

the resources gen z candidates use to research companies of interest

SOURCES OF CANDIDATE EDUCATION

Good news: you don’t need to replace your careers page with a Snapchat-like app in order to create a better candidate experience for Gen Z. It turns out that a company’s website is still the most commonly-used provider of information for this generation.

According to our data from our Candidate Experience Survey, 83% of respondents report visiting a company’s website after being matched with that

company on RippleMatch. The next most common resource for candidates is Glassdoor, with a little over half of matched candidates turning to Glassdoor for crowdsourced reviews of a company. While 31% of candidates turned to LinkedIn to gather information about a company, the percentage of candidates who turned to other forms of social media was much lower, with only 14% of candidates utilizing social media to research a company.

In our Candidate Experience Survey, we asked candidates, “After matching with this company on RippleMatch, which resources, if any, did you use to research this company?”

AN ARTICLE FEATURING THE COMPANY

GLASSDOOR

COMPANY WEBSITE

SPOKE WITH A RECRUITER OR OTHER EMPLOYEE AT THE COMPANY

OTHER COMPANY SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

% OF CANDIDATES

83%

55%

RIPPLEMATCH CONTENT OR COMPANY PAGE

25% 75%50% 100%

COMPANY LINKEDIN PAGE

49%

31%

26%

20%

69%14%

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THE INFORMATION STAGE

The data collected through our Candidate Experience Survey aligns with external data collected on candidates. According to a study by the Talent Board, a nonprofit organization that produces the annual Candidate Experience Awards, a company’s careers page was the most visited by candidates conducting research on a company. The least utilized resource, according to their survey, were social media pages – only 15% of surveyed candidates used Facebook to search for jobs and only 4% utilized Twitter.

While candidates frequent company-owned content, crowdsourced online reviews also play a prevalent role in the research process. Our data shows that over half of candidates surveyed use Glassdoor to research and form opinions about a company, making it the second most-commonly used research tool for candidates. While online reviews can be a great way for candidates to find out “authentic” information about a company, negative reviews can sour the candidate experience early on. One survey published by Randstad US and Future Workplace found that while 66% of managers don’t think negative online reviews impact recruitment, 57% of surveyed employees said they won’t even apply to a company with negative reviews.

To create a positive experience for Gen Z candidates from the very beginning, it’s essential to invest in a robust careers page and take stock of your company’s presence on any public profiles. Be sure your careers page is easy-to-navigate and displays your most important value propositions, while your public profiles should have some stellar public reviews. By optimizing a candidate’s experience before they even enter the funnel, you’ll spend less time convincing them of your company’s value later on.

Gen Z and the importance of crowdsourced reviewsGen Z grew up in the information age, which means they grew up as conscious consumers who do their research before making a purchasing decision. One study found that two-thirds of Gen Z consumers read at least three product reviews before making a first-time purchase. So why would they approach their job search any differently?

55% of candidates

USED GLASSDOOR TO RESEARCH AN EMPLOYER

TO-DOWith so many candidates accessing online reviews, cleaning up your Glassdoor profile is a must.

FLESH OUT YOUR PROFILEAdd pictures, verify benefits, and have an up-to-date company description.

ASK EMPLOYEES FOR REVIEWSYour employees may not think to leave a review, but engaged employees surely will if you ask.

RESPOND TO NEGATIVE REVIEWSNegative reviews happen – but you can show viewers that you’re committed to improving.

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SPARKING CANDIDATE INTEREST

A company’s mission & values have the biggest impact on candidate interest

the factors that most heavily influence candidate interest in a company

For most candidates, the time spent researching a company shapes their interest in moving forward with an interview. In addition to measuring which resources candidates used the most when researching companies, we also asked candidates what motivated them to interview for a specific

position based on the research they did.

According to the data collected through our Candidate Experience Survey, it’s rare for a candidate to apply for a job from the job description alone. Only 7% of candidates surveyed said that the position alone sparked their interest in interviewing with a company, while 56% reported that a company’s mission and values was one of the factors that interested them in interviewing.

56% of candidates SELECTED A

COMPANY’S ‘MISSION AND VALUES’

7% of candidates

What sparked your interest in interviewing for this position?

That means that when it comes to successfully connecting with candidates, the information stage is essential. Creating a standout candidate experience means providing as much information as possible prior to the interview through publicly accessible channels.

To create a positive candidate experience for Gen Z specifically, be sure to provide information on the elements of the workplace they care about most. While your careers page likely includes your mission and values, take it a step further. Company culture and professional development, for example, are two known priorities for Gen Z employees and accessible information on those two things can spark candidate interest in a company.

MOST INFLUENTIAL

SELECTED ‘NOTHING BESIDES THE POSITION’

LEASTINFLUENTIAL

The most and least common reasons candidates applied for jobs, according to our survey.

CANDIDATE MOTIVATIONS

We asked candidates: “Aside from your interest in this specific position, which of the following, if any, interested you in interviewing with this company?”

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SPARKING CANDIDATE INTEREST

As seen in the above graphic, available information on professional development opportunities, company culture, location of the role, salary, and even social impact initiatives can all influence a candidate’s interest in a company.

A little over 40% of surveyed candidates cited advertised professional development opportunities and advertised company culture as a motivating

ADVERTISED SALARY

ADVERTISED COMPANY CULTURE

MISSION AND VALUES

ADVERTISED SOCIAL IMPACT INITIATIVES

RECOGNIZABLE NAME

% OF CANDIDATES

56%

43%

41%

40%

14%

IDEAL LOCATION

NOTHING BESIDES THE SPECIFIC POSITION

38%

16%

20% 50%40% 60%

ADVERTISED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

7%

their interest in a company. Notably, salary and social impact initiatives had nearly the same amount of influence on a candidate’s interest – unsurprising given this generation’s socially-conscious nature.

With all of these factors having the potential to impact a candidate’s interest in a role, you should treat the availability of information as an essential part of the Gen Z candidate experience.

10% 30%

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SPARKING CANDIDATE INTEREST

In addition to finding out why candidates are motivated to interview for a role, data from our Candidate Experience Survey uncovered a high-impact action companies can take to increase candidate interest.

Data shows that a candidate’s interest level in a company nearly triples when a candidate receives a match** from that company on our platform. When surveyed later on in the hiring process about their interest toward a company before and after receiving a match, the share of candidates expressing some or significant interest in a company rises 2.8x, with 91% of candidates expressing significant interest in a company after receiving a match, compared to 46% before.

Part of this increase in interest is due to an increase in familiarity. Before being matched with a company on RippleMatch, 75% of candidates were either not at all familiar or slightly familiar with a company. With direct outreach, you’re not only empowering candidates to apply for your role, but also marketing your company to candidates who may have little familiarity with what you do. This makes sourcing candidates a no-brainer – it improves candidate experience by showing your interest upfront, and it also serves as a way to increase a candidate’s interest in your company.

**A match occurs when a qualified candidate is identified, provided with more information about the role and the company, and then asked to apply for a position.

CANDIDATE INTEREST LEVELS, BEFORE AND AFTER OUTREACH

50%

100%

46%

91%

% of respondents

before being matched with a company on ripplematchafter being matched with a company on ripplematch

Proactive outreach nearly triples a candidate’s interest in a role

We asked candidates to rate their interest levels in a company before and after receiving a match** with the company on RippleMatch.

the share of candidates with some or significant interest in a company before receiving a match

46%the share of candidates with some or significant interest in a company after receiving a match.

91%

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BEST PRACTICES

Optimizing candidate experience in the discover stage

SHARPEN UP YOUR CAREERS PAGEData from RippleMatch and external studies show the power a company’s website has to educate candidates on everything an organization has to offer. Be sure your careers page is easy to find when a candidate visits your website and that the page offers information on your mission & values, company culture, opportunities for career growth, and even your philanthropic efforts. Incorporate images and videos alongside text to provide candidates with a robust pictures of life at your company.

Recruitment Marketing Checklist

CLEAN UP YOUR ONLINE PROFILESGen Z grew up in the era of online reviews – you can bet that mindset has transferred from purchasing consumer products to their first job. This means that employers should manage platforms with online employment reviews, focusing especially on Glassdoor. Include a detailed company description and encourage current, engaged employees to leave honest reviews about company life.

CRAFT A STRATEGY FOR PROACTIVE OUTREACHThe best candidates may not even know your company is hiring – but there’s a good chance your outreach can result in a positive response. Sourcing talent allows best-fit candidates to learn more about an opportunity and establishes a human connection early on. This is especially useful if your company isn’t well-known to candidates just starting their careers. Not only will candidates appreciate the demonstrated interest, but they may discover a career path they never thought was possible.

Focusing on candidate experience before potential hires even enter your pipeline can give you a competitive edge throughout the entire hiring process. To optimize the early stages of the Gen Z candidate experience specifically, here are three things employers should focus on:

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THE INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE

Face-to-face communication matters to Gen Z – on average, an interview increased a candidate’s interest in a company.

how top companies approach entry-level interviews and what gen z thinks

One might expect a generation of digital natives to prefer that all aspects of their job search take place through a screen. But while this generation might prefer online options for things that are transactional in nature – like online shopping or submitting an application – face-to-face interactions

low excitement high excitement

after the interview

before the interview

3.67

3.73

Please rate your level of excitement toward this company and the position you applied for:

1 5

are an essential part of creating a positive candidate experience.

In our Candidate Experience Survey, we ask candidates to rate their excitement levels toward a company before and after their interview with a company. While the increase or decrease in excitement levels varied across individual companies, on average, candidates became more excited about an opportunity with a company following their interview.

The value that Generation Z candidates place

on personal communication has been noted in external studies as well. A 2019 recruitment survey by talent acquisition software company Yello found that 51% of Gen Z respondents said they prefer to communicate in-person, while only 25% said they prefer to communicate digitally. Gen Z candidates

also view recruiters as ‘trusted advisors,’ according to the Yello survey. 44% of respondents said the recruiter they spoke with had the biggest impact on their decision to accept a job, compared to only 29% of Millennials who said the same.

This preference for ‘real-life communication’ might surprise those who see Gen Z candidates embracing technology in all other aspects of life. But within the scope of the Gen Z candidate experience, in-person interaction represents a more nuanced stage of information-gathering for Gen Z candidates evaluating an opportunity.

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THE INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE

My interviewer was friendly and engaged.

disagree

3.78

I left the interview with additional knowledge of company culture and life.

agree

Following my interview, I could see myself fitting in with this company.

Please rate between 1-5 how strongly you agree with the following statements:

1 5

disagree

3.87

agree

1 5

disagree

3.63

agree

1 5

In addition to asking about candidate excitement levels pre- and post-interview, we also ask candidates to rate their experience with their interviewer, if they left the interview with additional knowledge of company culture and life, and if they could see themselves fitting in at the company. On average, the candidates we surveyed had a positive experience with their interviewer, typically gained additional knowledge of company culture and life, and could see themselves fitting in with the company following their interview.

Notably, the companies that saw the highest increase in excitement among candidates scored high marks for interviewer friendliness, additional knowledge of company culture, and personal fit. One company saw a 13% increase in candidate excitement after their

interview process, receiving an average interviewer friendliness rating of 4.25 out of 5, 4.08 out of 5 for new knowledge about company culture and life, and 4 out of 5 for personal fit. On the flip side, companies that saw a decrease in excitement following an interview typically received negative feedback in one or more areas.

Candidate enthusiasm levels toward a company are clearly impacted by the interview experience itself. When interviewing Gen Z candidates, employers need to be wary that the entry-level candidates they evaluate are also evaluating them. In this candidate-driven market, the difference between a good and a great interview experience can be the difference between and accepted and rejected offer, even at the entry-level.

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THE INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE

Employers beware: Poor communication and impersonal interviewing technology can contribute to a negative candidate experience.

In our Candidate Experience Survey, we give candidates the opportunity to provide written feedback in addition to their survey answers. One piece of recurring anecdotal feedback (see sidebar) we received across companies was an aversion to video interviewing technology, specifically HireVue. Several candidates, all of whom interviewed with different companies, wrote that the technology felt impersonal and inhibited relationship-building, a sentiment that clouded their experience with the company.

Video interviewing technology like HireVue brings several advantages to the hiring process – it can make the screening process more efficient, reduce bias, and allow employers to reach a wider range of candidates. However, entry-level candidates are likely unfamiliar with how this technology fits into the hiring process and might believe an interviewer is sacrificing personal connection for efficiency.

If you’re an employer that uses video interviewing technology or are considering using it, you can avoid creating a negative candidate experience for Generation Z by managing expectations and properly communicating during each stage in the hiring process. Gen Z candidates should understand that technology like HireVue is meant to enhance their experience, and is not a replacement for valuable in-person communication later on in the process.

““I hate prerecorded video

interviews. Employers have no way of getting to know

me for who I am.”

““I had to complete a generic

HireVue ‘interview.’ These ‘interviews’ always seem

like a pre-screening, and it always makes the company

look worse to me.”

““HireVue interview makes it difficult to create a human connection with someone

at the company.”

Quotes from our candidate experience survey

BEST PRACTICES

Optimizing candidate experience in the interview stage

INVEST IN FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIONS WITH CANDIDATESDespite their digital savvy nature, top Gen Z candidates are looking to connect with employers outside of their screens. Be sure that your interview process enables this – establish a human connection early on, communicate clearly throughout the process, and bring candidates on site for interviews.

Gen Z Interview Checklist

TREAT THE INTERVIEW LIKE A TWO-WAY STREETWhen structuring your hiring process for Gen Z candidates, be sure you include adequate time for candidates to learn more about the nuances of the role, company culture, and office environment. While your goal is to evaluate candidates efficiently, you want candidates to feel invested in the process and excited about the opportunity before they receive an offer.

WHEN INCORPORATING NEW TECHNOLOGY INTO YOUR HIRING PROCESS, COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH CANDIDATESWhile new technology can help make the hiring process more efficient, it can backfire if candidates perceive the experience to be impersonal and uncaring. Video interviews, for example, can help companies screen candidates more effectively but candidates may perceive this as a replacement for an interview. Be sure to manage candidate expectations to prevent misunderstandings, especially as entry-level candidates are new to the working world and unfamiliar with typical hiring processes.

The interview stage can turn an interested candidate into an excited future employee. Here are three ways to leave a positive impression on Gen Z candidates:

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TAKEAWAYS

Gen Z candidates are interested in working for an organization for a number of reasons besides the role itself. Instead of basing their interest on a job description alone, Gen Z candidates value things like a company’s mission and values, growth opportunities, and company culture. This makes pre-interview research an integral part of the Gen Z candidate experience. From creating an initial outreach plan to optimizing materials Gen Z candidates look at the most, companies should invest time in this stage of the Gen Z candidate experience.

The most important things to understand about the Gen Z candidate experience.

Employers seeking to understand the Gen Z candidate experience should focus on two key discoveries: the prominence of pre-interview research and the importance Gen Z candidates place on positive face-to-face communication.

Data from RippleMatch and external studies show that Gen Z candidates value interactions with recruiters and prefer face-to-face communication in the hiring process over digital communication. On average, candidate interest in a company increases after an interview, especially if they leave the interview with additional knowledge of company culture and life. Conversely, Gen Z candidates might develop a negative view of the hiring process if they believe face-to-face communication has been replaced by detached technology.

The Gen Z candidate experience begins with research and awareness.

Gen Z candidates expect personal communication to be a part of the hiring process.

If you want to optimize your candidate experience for the influx of Gen Z candidates,

improve access to pre-interview information and ensure your hiring process leaves

plenty of time for candidates to interact with recruiters or hiring managers.

About RippleMatchRippleMatch uses artificial intelligence to connect companies to the most promising early career candidates across the country.

Using machine learning across millions of interactions combined with rich employer and candidate profiles, RippleMatch provides early career candidates with an unbeatable candidate experience and ensures companies are getting matched with the best candidates possible. Whether an employer is trying to engage more first generation college students, improve the racial or gender diversity of their team, or make their first technical hire, RippleMatch removes geographic barriers and pinpoints a company’s ideal candidates, connecting early career candidates with amazing job opportunities in the process.

Since launching from a college dorm room, RippleMatch has grown to more than 50,000 active users, raised nearly $5 million in funding, and brought on some of the most exciting companies in the country as customers. Learn more about RippleMatch by visiting our website here.

Report MethodologyThe data in this report was gathered from 550+ responses to a survey administered by RippleMatch over the course of the 2018-2019 hiring season. All survey respondents were matched with a recruiter from one of RippleMatch’s company partners.

WORDS & DESIGN BY KATE BECKMAN, CONTENT MANAGER