Even with the thriving job market, sensible Gen Z’ers aren’t procrastinating when it comes to their job search. In our recent survey of over 1,100 graduates* from the class of 2019, 51% of our Class of 2019 respondents began their job search in or prior to October 2018, with the bulk of respondents selecting “August 2018” as the start of their job search. There’s a small spike of candidates that begin their search in January, and overall, 20% of Gen Z’ers began their search between January 2019 and March 2019. 20% of respondents waited until April, May or June to begin their job search.
In addition to asking job seekers when they started their search, we asked how they felt about the timing of their job search. Would these students have preferred to start their job search sooner, or do they feel there’s too much pressure to start searching for opportunities as soon as they return to school?
It turns out that 82% of survey respondents were comfortable with the timeline of their job search or would have preferred to start their search sooner. Only 18% of candidates would have preferred to start their job search later, but said that companies of interest had already begun recruiting.
As we identified in our report, Understanding the Gen Z Candidate Experience the Gen Z job search begins even before the first application is submitted. Growing up in the age of the internet, members of Gen Z are masters in online research, whether that applies to their purchasing decisions are where to start their careers. In our prior report, we found that a company’s career page and Glassdoor profile are dominant sources of information for Gen Z job seekers, making the availability of engaging information an essential part of reaching the right candidates.
Given Gen Z’s eagerness to begin their job search, companies should be proactive when it comes to educating candidates about their opportunities. Primary channels for Gen Z research (careers pages and Glassdoor profiles) should be up-to-date by mid-summer and include information about early career opportunities. Companies can also consider hosting office visits or networking events during the summer or early on in the school year to engage interested candidates prior to accepting applications.
With more than 50% of our survey respondents admitting they accept the first job offer they receive, employers who embrace Gen Z’s proactive approach to the job search may enjoy an advantage when trying to stand out among Gen Z job seekers. While strong recruitment marketing and innovative sourcing methods are essential to securing the right candidates, understanding when Gen Z candidates begin to look for positions can help you engage with candidates at the ideal time in their job search.
*The group of respondents surveyed for “The State of the Gen Z Job Search” were all verified RippleMatch users and hailed from a diverse group of universities, ranging from Ivy Leagues to large public universities to small private institutions. Respondents had varying academic backgrounds and are now employed in a wide range of roles and industries, from technology to healthcare. Download the full report here.
