Making the Most of Gen Z: How to Harness the Strengths of College Summer Hires

College students are on summer break, which means two things: One, they don’t have as heavy a class load as they do during the year, and two, they’re looking for jobs to earn and save money that will help them stay afloat once they get back into school. Most college students are Gen Z, which you might not have worked with before.

People in Generation Z are great assets to your team because they hold skills that you might be lacking. They have specific strengths that you need to use to your own advantage. So, how exactly can you harness the strengths of your college summer hires? We’ve got your back.

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Be Open to Change

First things first, you need to be open for communication and feedback with all of your summer hires, but Gen Z is always going to be honest about the work and the environment. If something needs to be changed in any step of your process, they are going to let you know and you need to be open to it. Gen Z loves and expects change to make things simpler for everyone involved. Due to the times they’ve grown up in with rapidly changing technology, it can be almost frustrating to be stuck in “the old days”, or a work environment that hasn’t adjusted to the modern age. Use this desire for change to your advantage and update any old processes stuck in the past.

Leadership Programs

Setting up leadership programs in your workplace is great for all newcomers to your team, but Gen Z really thrives when they have someone to look up to. Not only does a mentor give them someone they can come to and ask questions when unsure and in need of guidance, but it also can provide them with specific training to hone and strengthen desired skills, showing care to career development, and it’s a good chance to show that you listen and pay attention to them.

Everyone wants to make a good impression and be noticed in the workplace; Gen Z is no different! When you set up a leadership program to keep an eye on your Gen Z employees, their changes and hard work will be more noticeable. Celebrating their achievements and providing feedback will make them more eager to work harder and contribute more to your team.

Internal Project Boards to Match Skillsets

One of the best ways that you can harness the specific strengths of your college summer hires is to set up an internal project board where all of your workers can peruse open positions or projects that specifically match teams with the skillsets needed. Maybe some of your Gen Z college summer hires are more creative, whereas others are more analytical.

Use questionnaires or ask them to describe themselves to find out which projects would be the best fit for them. The internal board can also allow your hires to look at upcoming projects and decide for themselves where they would like to be placed or what projects they think they will be best suited for based on their skills. They likely know their own strengths and weaknesses and what projects they’ll be best equipped for before you find out, so self-placements are great for this.

Technology-Based Positions

To truly harness the strengths of your Gen Z summer hires, it would be great to put them in technology-based positions such as data entry, IT support, or as a receptionist. Gen Z really knows their way around technology, and they work great in these roles. Something that may be a slight hurdle for you and older members on your team that you can’t quite get the hang of will be a piece of cake for your Gen Z workers, as they’ve grown up around this technology! It’s basically second nature for Gen Z at this point in their lives. They might even be able to show you some handy tips and tricks that you weren’t aware of!

Value Collaboration and Teamwork

One of Gen Z’s biggest strengths is collaborating with others and working in a team. Think about it, they’re able to talk to others and bounce ideas off of each other at any point in the day for any reason, whether it be homework or social media. They know that their friends and coworkers have great ideas and that by communicating with each other, they can all come up with something extraordinary. To really harness this great strength of collaboration, you should allow your Gen Z hires to work together! Don’t leave them in a cubicle to work alone, as they really shine when they can come together.

When hiring Gen Z college summer hires, don’t be scared! They’re hard workers, just like you, only from a younger generation with slightly different strengths. To utilize those strengths, provide them with guided leadership, technology roles, and a great team to collaborate with.