Talent Communities and Generation Z

One of the topics that has come to the forefront of our industry dialogue and conversation revolves around the emergence of talent communities, and the possibilities they present for employers, brands and job seekers.  But while we’ve discussed how talent communities fit into the future of talent, how will they service – and what will they mean – for the talent of the future?

Let’s think about what talent communities can do for  Generation Z.

There is some skepticism, understandably, when looking beyond the horizon at Generation Z, the majority of whom are still years away from entering the workforce.  After all, we still have to find jobs for displaced baby boomers, fulfillment for Gen X workers and, of course, help Generation Y, those seemingly ubiquitous  (and somewhat infamous) millennials.

While there’s much talk about the historical precedent we’re setting with four generations simultaneously in the workplace, there might well soon be five, given the dearth of jobs or nest eggs for recent retirees whose financial plans fizzled in the wake of the Great Recession.  Not everyone wants to be a store greeter, either – doesn’t the “Greatest Generation” deserve something, well, greater?

So, why focus on Gen Z, most of whom are still in high school and living at home, without the ability to vote, drive a car or even, in most cases, legally hold a job?  What could they possibly have to do with talent communities – at least for another couple of years?

But the thing about building an employer brand – and proactive pipeline – is that there’s no such thing as premature when it comes to planning.

The real issue is workplace brands and employers need to put the pieces of the talent community puzzle in place now if they want to be considered a true employer of choice when it comes to attracting top young talent – be that the millennials of today, or the Generation Z of tomorrow (who, coincidentally, already represent a huge and dedicated piece of the social media engagement picture as technology-centric consumers with real disposable income).

While each successive generation – from the Boomers transitioning from mainframe to desktop to the Gen Xers once lifting the dot-com bubble to socially savvy Gen Yers – has emerged more technologically connected and internet savvy than other chronological cohorts, when it comes to Generation Z, here’s a warning: you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Generation Z, generally defined as those future workers born after 2000, are a whole new tribe.  These ‘digital natives’ were raised on the internet and social media, taking for granted the same tools many of us, particularly in corporate America, are still questioning.  Furthermore, Generation Z resists traditional marketing and are widely immune to the entire concept of “brand, ” beyond the recommendations of their close friends.

The only brand that matters to Generation Z, coming of age in an era where most know the concept of community purely as an online construct, is that of their network of peers who constitute their connections and contacts, and for whom a recommendation, good or bad, influences purchasing decisions or behaviors more effectively than any Super Bowl commercial or catchy jingle ever could.

Generation Z have widely been referred to as curators, editing their collection of possessions (and contacts) – carefully.  They’ve demonstrated that they reject labels, don’t buy in bulk and are distrustful of marketing messages.  That means for companies, getting curated into Gen Z’s consciousness rests almost exclusively on the ability to build credibility.  And to be credible with Generation Z, consumer and employer brands need to change course and look at building a ‘bottom-up’ approach.

That means that companies can’t expect to lure Generation Z to where they are; instead, brands need to organically integrate themselves into the conversation – and the communities – where this generation of talent is already hanging out.

They say “it takes a village to raise a child, ” and when it comes to forming connections, the importance, and influence, of community on future generations holds true online as well as offline.

That means talent communities, done right, can be a magnet for Generation Z, encouraging dialogue and conversation, welcoming comments and engagement, and providing an outlet to react and respond to criticism or cynicism.

Today, we call this approach “building talent communities, ” but for digital natives, these talent communities are simply, well, communities.  Generation Z is looking for engagement, authenticity, and personal relevance, making connections not as a way to replicate or expand an existing network, but to curate one from scratch, the open graph following the entire trajectory of their lives.

Generation Z is already building talent communities – and it’s incumbent on brands to start participating now to be seen as an influencer instead of simply another interloper.  Gen Z views the larger world through the lens of a web browser – and that lens focuses squarely on community interaction rather than traditional online advertising.

For brands, that means, as they used to say, “be there, or be square.”

Just don’t let anyone from Generation Z hear you say that, or they’ll probably keep you out of any community that doesn’t have the word ‘retirement’ in front of it.


Link to original postOriginally published on MonsterThinking

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