How Organizations Can Appeal to the Modern Candidate

We all know times have changed, and in a few short years, we’ve seen an overhaul of the modern workplace—and a shift of what the modern candidate wants in an employer.  If employers don’t keep up and embrace the change now, they may find themselves behind the eight ball later.

“The future of work is being defined right now. Inaction will lead to organizations being left behind,” our Co-CEO Tariq Meyers explained in an Ask Me Anything session hosted by Voray. “It's really important to know that the decisions we make today—to provide folks with an academy experience to do some of the best work of their lives—will have a real impact on the future of work tomorrow.”

During the “Empowering the Most Diverse Generation in America in the Workplace” event, which was moderated by Zach Chodor, Voray’s Senior Partnership Manager, Tariq went on to discuss ways to empower early career talent and successfully create an attractive workplace for Gen Z candidates. Here are some of the ideas he shared. 

How Organizations Can Appeal to the Modern Candidate

1. Reimagining Culture

One of the major changes that has occurred among how early talent views the workplace is related to what makes a company culture. Workers have re-evaluated what qualities are important to them and what they need from their workplace, so some of the things that were considered an important part of culture a few years ago just don’t cut it anymore. 

“It's no longer about the swag bags. It's no longer about those onboarding kits. It's no longer about the free lunch. It's no longer about the nap pods,” Tariq said. “But instead, it's about can we create an environment where we have flexible work schedules, where we have flexible geographic locations that folks can tap into, where we focus on output instead of seeing which employees are burning the midnight candle in their respective locations? Can we think about offering different benefits for candidates, whether it's mental health benefits, financial wellness benefits—things that matter now more than maybe cash in a person's pocket?”

2. Providing an Intimate Experience

When asked about what companies can do to develop an employer brand that will attract today’s worker, Tariq explains that it’s all about creating high-value experiences during the recruitment process.

“It seems so obvious, but not everyone does this well. Folks are looking to be treated like a referral. Folks want that white glove treatment. Folks want that insider access,” said Tariq. “So the companies that I've seen at Untapped, who even leveraged our own platform to launch some of their virtual events, have been connecting folks with intimate virtual experiences with the CEO—an hour of an individual's time having a fantastic impact on an employer's brand—or connecting with the VP of engineering, connecting with heads of talent, as an example. It's about meeting communities where they are.”

3. Addressing Leaks in the Pipeline

A hiring initiative is only as effective as the recruiting pipeline. In order for companies to meet their hiring goals, it’s imperative to understand and address leaks in the pipeline.

“The way to get there is, frankly, just understanding where your pipeline is leaking—just like we would do any other pipeline, whether it's a sales pipeline or others,” Tariq said. “I always encourage folks to understand where their inbound applications are coming from and what the demographics of those applicants are. Understand your pass-through rates and your candidate process. Then once you understand where you are, you're able to then create some of those top of funnel goals.”

4. Don’t Forget Other Generations in the Workforce

Although much of the AMA discussion focused on early talent, Tariq pointed out that it’s important to remember that the changes in the workplace these last few years, and how recruiters should respond to them, also impact other generations because we’re all sharing these new experiences together.

“I think what we found with the pandemic is that it not only changed the geographical landscape of how folks find opportunity, but it also leveled the playing field for different generations who are just working in this point in time,” he said. “Whether you have three years of experience, or whether you have 10 years of experience, your relationship with work has fundamentally changed.”

To find out more of Tariq’s insights on how organizations can tackle the future of work head on, listen to “Empowering the Most Diverse Generation in America in the Workplace” here.