8 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO RECRUIT THE NEXT GENERATION OF FIRST RESPONDERS

The quest to recruit new talent as first responders is never-ending. These days, those new officers are coming from Generation Z, the group of people born between 1996 and 2010.

To attract Gen Z talent to a police, fire or EMS department in a very competitive labor market, recruiters must effectively reach these prospects on their own turf, and woo them with benefits and working conditions that matter to them. Here are some solid ideas for making that happen.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS KEY

Forget “Help Wanted” ads in newspapers: To reach prospective Gen Z recruits, you need to reach them online via the social media sites they use most.

According to the recruiting firm Manatal, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter are the top four social sites favored by Gen Z. So be sure to open departmental accounts on all of these sites and post job openings there – after running your content past your own Gen Z’ers to ensure that your message is right.

TEXTING BUILDS TRUST

Forget the phone and email: Texting messages to Gen Z prospects is a low-key, trust-building way to communicate with them. To cite a study by the business messaging solutions company LivePerson.com, “Gen Z and Millennials communicate with others more digitally than in person (65%). This percentage is even higher in English-speaking countries, with the US (73.7%) and UK (74.4%) relying more heavily on digital channels for communication.”

That’s not all: “When asked if they could only keep either the phone app or messaging/SMS app on their smartphone, a majority of respondents (69.4%) would choose the messaging app,” said LivePerson.com. This percentage is also higher for those in the US (73.4%) and UK (73%).

OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS, AND RECRUITMENT BONUSES

Gen Zs are under a lot of financial pressure due to rising education and living expenses. Ease their pain – while pointing them to first responder careers – by offering them scholarships in first responder fields of study to cover part of their tuition, and grants to help with their living costs once in school.

As they approach graduation, attract Gen Zs to your department by offering recruitment bonuses. Once hired, direct them to professional discounts and other benefits aimed at first responders, to keep them financially engaged during their careers.

To read more tips on recruiting the next generation of first responders, visit [link to article on TheFireStore, OfficerStore and TheEMSStore sites.]

WORK/LIFE BALANCE IS NO JOKE

Maybe it is because they watched their Generation X parents work 80-hour weeks at the cost of their home lives and marriages, but whatever the case, Gen Zs want jobs that provide existing, rewarding work while on the clock, and enough time and freedom to enjoy their personal lives when off it. They don’t want to live to work. They want to work to live.

Keeping Gen Z happy means offering them flexible working hours, the right to have a say in management, and a mentally healthy environment that doesn’t stress them out. Yet “Gen Zs are naturally competitive and thrive in spaces that allow healthy rivalry,” said Indeed.com. This means that they want opportunities to advance their careers (with the active support of senior staff), along with good benefits, access to continuing education.

HAVE CUTTING-EDGE TECH ON THE JOB

Gen Zs want work places with modern, up-to-date technology, because they grew up with smartphones and the internet. This means offering them cutting-edge tech on the job, such as thermal imaging technology that can detect victims and suspects inside buildings using their heat signatures, and wireless broadband applications that connect CAD functions to officers’ smartphones. (Some departments are even adopting electric patrol cars.)

CREATE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Gen Zers have derided the practice of nepotism in Hollywood – favoritism shown on the basis of family relationships – but a survey by the recruiting platform Applied found while 75% said nepotism is “unfair,” they would still use it to advance their careers. 68% of respondents already in the workforce have gotten a job or job offer through nepotism.

This does not need be an ethical dilemma for GenZers given the paradox of needing job experience to get their first job experience. Careers in public safety are often family traditions and sometimes the best candidates come from within an agency’s sphere of relationships. The challenge for public safety agencies – or any ethical company seeking to hire Gen Z – is to, “create a level playing field for all candidates and guard against the potential for nepotism to have a bigger bearing on who gets what job than demonstrable skills.”

VOTING WITH THEIR FEET

What happens when Gen Zs don’t get what they want on the job? Answer: They walk to another employer who better meets their needs.

“Research has found that 53% of Gen Z have changed companies in the last two years, suggesting that, amongst other factors, employers are failing to meet the demands of the younger workforce,” said the professional services company FDM.com. Given the ongoing shortage of entry-level labor – a trend that will only worsen as the Boomers retire and Gen X officers move up the ranks – departments who want to keep their Gen Z recruits must get serious about keeping them happy.

OPEN UP JOB REQUIREMENTS

Speaking of a tightening labor market, public safety agencies who are serious about attracting new talent need to open up their job requirements. This means lowering the requirement for years of previous work experience, in addition to reaching out to groups historically underrepresented in public safety agencies. It can also mean accommodating Gen Z’s love of wearing tattoos, while staying within departmental rules, by providing cover-up clothing such as Tatjackets.

“[For] Those starting out in their careers, it can be intimidating when employers require a minimum of three years experience for entry-level roles,” FDM.com said. “Prioritizing experience over skills can lead to employers alienating potential high-quality Gen Z candidates since they cannot ‘tick every box’.”

THE BOTTOM LINE: THINK DIFFERENTLY

Recruiting and retaining Gen Zs is a new and different challenge for public safety agencies. Doing this successfully literally requires these recruiters to “think differently,” adapting their hiring, workplace management and human resources practices to align with Gen Z’s needs – because the reverse is not going to happen.