How COVID Has Shifted the Importance of Professional Development to Gen Z
For Gen Z college students, the importance of learning and growth doesn’t stop after graduation. In fact, a RippleMatch survey from 2018 found that professional development was the top priority for Gen Z job-seekers at the time. But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge both educational and professional norms, has Gen Z candidates’ focus on professional development during the job search changed?
New RippleMatch data from our What Gen Z Wants report shows that while professional development is still important, it’s one of a number of factors that Gen Z is prioritizing as they look for stability and career growth in the COVID era. More specifically, factors like work-life balance and high compensation have become increasingly important for students today compared to before the pandemic.
Students signing up for RippleMatch still consider professional development an “extremely important” factor in the job search
When students sign up for RippleMatch, they fill out a survey asking them to rate the importance of different factors of a job such as professional development, upward mobility, community, and work-life balance. The ratings are based on a scale from 1-5, with 1 being “Not at all Important” in a job and 5 being “Extremely Important.” Among student cohorts who signed up for RippleMatch before the pandemic as well as during the pandemic, professional development and job stability earned the highest ratings, while company prestige earned the lowest rating.
Most of these job search factors earned higher ratings from students who signed up for RippleMatch during the pandemic compared to those who signed up before. Notably, the rating for work-life balance was the fifth-highest for the cohort that signed up for RippleMatch between March 2019 and March 2020, but it jumped up to the third-highest rating for the cohort that signed up between April 2021 and October 2021.
However, pulse surveys throughout the year found that compensation and work-life balance were the most important factors for Gen Z job seekers
Aside from the surveys that students fill out with their RippleMatch profile, RippleMatch sends a series of pulse surveys throughout the year to see how students are approaching their job search in real time. In Spring 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Fall 2021, we asked students to choose which factors were most important when searching for a full-time role. Prior to the pandemic, professional development was the most selected factor, with work-life balance and compensation and benefits being the least selected factors. However, new data shows that this mindset has shifted over the past two years. Gen Z students during the COVID era have been prioritizing compensation and work-life balance as the most important factors in the job search, and professional development has become the fourth or fifth most selected factor.
It is worth noting that the pulse surveys sent by RippleMatch are anonymous, while the sign-up survey is connected to a student’s RippleMatch profile, which can be viewed by employers. As a result, students may be more likely to rank factors like compensation or work-life balance highly when the survey is anonymous, but they may be more likely to prioritize professional development when setting up their employer-facing profiles. Taking all survey results together, it’s clear that Gen Z cares about not only the immediate benefits of high compensation and work-life balance, but also setting a strong foundation for career growth through professional development programs.
Emphasize professional development for entry-level candidates in your recruitment marketing and onboarding
So how do you attract Gen Z candidates who care about professional development? During the recruitment process, highlight your company’s opportunities for professional development and career growth, especially for interns and entry-level employees. You may even consider making professional development part of your recruitment strategy by offering webinars or virtual events on your industry, the job search process, or other professional skills.
Invest in a robust onboarding program to prepare new employees for their roles, and offer opportunities for ongoing professional development throughout the year. This may include lunch and learn seminars, an education stipend, formal mentorship programs, or ongoing training. Today’s job candidates are eager to learn, so provide programs that enable them to gain new skills and grow their careers.
Want more information on what Gen Z wants at work? Download our full report.
