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With every new generation of students comes a distinct set of interests, priorities and challenges.
As a Career Advisor, surely you’ve felt it was necessary to understand your students’ motives better in order to effectively appeal to them. If this is a challenge you’ve faced before, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will take you through several ways in which to engage Gen Z students in an effort to appeal to this upcoming wave of talents (and do it right too!).
As the world of employment evolves, so do the prospect and ambition of university goers. New career opportunities are emerging onto the digital world and chances are Gen Z will aim to pursue a career that will speak to its values and main goals. In today’s day and age, aligning with Gen Z’s aspirations implies embracing modern technologies. By adopting and using them to your advantage, you’ll notice the importance of data sharing and social networking when it comes to a job search.
So, if you’re ready to read more about the topic, let’s dive into it!
Here are a few tips you could use to engage Gen Z students and truly make a difference:
If there’s a thing or two we can learn from Gen Z’s active use of social media platforms, it is to never underestimate their scope and influence. Making this your go-to strategy will allow you to play on the same field and fully be in tune with your students.
Using social media platforms to your advantage by creating engaging and informative content related to career advice, job opportunities, resume tips, and interview techniques in addition to visually appealing graphics, videos, and interactive polls would allow you to gain more visibility and boost users’ engagement.
So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, you’ll benefit from offering high-quality and creative content to which Gen Z students can relate to.
As far as social media platforms are concerned, interactivity and consistency are key!
Appealing to a generation of students who have grown familiar with online classes (due to the previous pandemic) means that their behavioral habits have shifted from traditional learning methods. Not only has learning become mostly virtual, but it has also evolved into more interactive and accessible resources.
An effective way to align with these new tendencies would be by offering virtual workshops and webinars hosted by interesting and experienced profiles on topics relevant to career development, such as networking (read about networking here), personal branding, and job search strategies.
With AI getting every day more efficient, it is becoming an invaluable tool for students seeking job opportunities. Start planning workshops to teach your students how to use AI and thank us later…
And how can it be useful exactly?
Well, AI platforms can streamline the job search process, and provide tailored recommendations based on individual skills, interests, and preferences.
You’ll find AI-powered job search platforms are very popular amongst Gen Z students (LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, to name the biggest ones out there) for a reason.
What these platforms do is basically centralize job postings, resumes, and candidate profiles, helping students discover relevant job opportunities that match their qualifications and career goals. They also offer personalized recommendations, suggesting jobs that align with students' skills, education, and experience.
So, in case your students haven't been using it just yet, consider this tip a green light to get them to start!
In addition, make sure to create a space for students to ask questions and interact with guest speakers who are industry professionals or alumni, as this will be more than beneficial to their career search.
In the scope of Career Counseling, tailoring your guidance and support to meet the unique needs, interests, and goals of each student is crucial.
Hosting one-on-one counseling sessions and providing active listening, customized career plans, addressing students' specific needs while offering insights and advice will be greatly valued.
Sending your students personalized messaging and newsletters would play a major role in getting them to reach out and feel involved in the process.
The number one tool your job-seeking-students will benefit from those sessions is the confidence and motivation empowering them to make informed decisions and achieve their career goals.
Establishing online communities or forums, like LinkedIn or Slack, would be a great opportunity for Gen Z students to connect with peers, alumni, and industry professionals. By encouraging them to share insights, experiences, and job opportunities onto a dedicated platform, networking and collaboration would be easier than ever.
As the saying goes ‘Unity is strength’ (and career opportunities!) so let this be your student’s mantra throughout their job search.
In most cases, students aren’t the most experienced from a professional standpoint – we all have to start somewhere, don’t we? - which is precisely the reason why they’ll need some solid Career Counseling.
As a first break into a working environment, showcasing internship opportunities, co-op programs as well as volunteer work would participate in enhancing experiential learning. Seeing what options are available to them and guiding them through the applying process will be the very first step to a promising start.
Additional tip: we’d advise sharing success stories from students who have gained valuable skills and experiences through these opportunities and emphasizing the importance of building a diverse portfolio.
If you’re trying to catch GenZ’s conscious eye, there are certain values you’ll have to act according to.
First, ensure that your career advising services are inclusive and accessible to students from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups.
Then, another helpful and perceptive lead would be to offer resources and support for navigating challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Following this tip will contribute to set yourself apart and actively lean into Gen Z’s objectives.
Keeping up with the latest trends and developments in various industries is a no-brainer when it comes to providing relevant and up-to-date career advice.
With new career opportunities rising alongside the optimization of AI, keeping track and following new industry trends is becoming more challenging.
Now more than ever, as trends are moving at an unprecedented pace, offering insights into these emerging fields, technologies, and job roles seems like the obvious choice to engage Gen Z students.
We’ve already mentioned Online Communities as a means to initiate bonding between peers, alumni and to facilitate networking. While the Internet is a practical way of connecting, sharing interests, information and advice with others, there’s only so much the virtual can achieve.
Another way to ensure this ‘support system’ would be to develop mentoring programs, for older students or alumni to mentor younger peers and offer guidance on career-related matters. This could be done by organizing networking events and encouraging them to join student organizations.
By enabling your students to discuss the realities of the labor market with some reliable sources of information and to take part in career-oriented events, you’ll empower and inspire them the find the right job opportunities.
Now that you’ve read about what technology can do for you and your students, all that's left for you to do is to get a top-notch one to make your job easier. With our app CareerOS, you’ll be able to provide your students with a list of benefits such as modern Job Boards, a Personalized Career Guidance, Job Matching technology, Resume Optimization, Skill Development (we provide students with an access to online courses, workshops, and training materials to help them develop new skills and enhance their potential), Networking Opportunities, insights into the Job market, Application Tracking, Community Support and so much more…
Don’t forget that with technology, a little app goes a long way, so offer your students the latest one to make their job search easier.
By following these tips, you’ll get to successfully connect with Gen Z students as their go-to career advisor! We've got their backs no matter their goals or interests.
Let us know which one of those was more effective to engage your students throughout their job search, we would be thrilled to read all about it!
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