Managing the Millennial generation was an adjustment for many employers and now that most companies have a strong handle on getting the most from that generation, a whole new generation is entering the workforce. Born after 1995, Generation Z is similar to Millennials in some respects, but they are not exactly the same. They grew up in a recession, they have lived with technology their whole lives and those influences are showing themselves in their expectations in the workforce.

Here is what you can expect from Gen Z tech employees.

They Are Less Likely to Have College Degrees

Gen Z watched their older counterparts leave college with debt that will cripple their finances for decades. As such, young adults today are much more likely to embrace non-traditional education – especially in tech where trends, skills and needs are always evolving. They are much more likely to have attended boot camps, leveraged online courses, achieved certifications or taught themselves skills than their older counterparts. Employers will need to focus much more on skills and experience than degrees in order to attract and hire the new generation of tech professionals.

They Speak Up Early and Often

Millennials thrive on receiving feedback and they are not afraid to provide their own opinions and feedback – even when unsolicited. Generation Z is very similar in this regard, but they are even more free with their opinions. They grew up with Facebook and are used to sharing their opinions with the world and they will not hesitate to share feelings at work, whether they were asked to provide input or not. This has the potential to cause conflict because Gen Z thinks they are just showing candor, while older managers and peers may view the behavior as insubordination. Be prepared to constructively coach young talent on how to provide their feedback in a professional manner so that their opinions will be heard rather than written off.

They Expect Diversity

The tech sector has been maligned for years due to lack of diversity but despite a lot of lip service, little has changed. Expect Generation Z to demand that change from their employers. Sixty-three percent of Generation Z feels it is important to work on a diverse team and 20 percent think having people of different cultural backgrounds is the most important element to a successful team. Seventy-seven percent of Generation Z says a company’s diversity impacts whether they would want to work there. Companies that are behind the eight ball in terms of building diverse teams will struggle to attract Gen Z talent.

Are You Ready to Hire the Next Generation of IT Talent?

At PEAK Technical Consulting, we have a proven track record of helping employers overcome their biggest IT hiring challenges. If you are ready to attract the next generation of tech talent and you want to improve IT recruiting and hiring overall, we invite you to contact us today.