英语学习：你们准备好聘用95、00后了吗？

友谊的真诚

亲爱的安妮：我在一家中型消费品公司上班，我的团队准备在秋天到大学去，见见可能来上班的实习生和新员工，他们将在明年1月或者春季毕业。我的一位同事说，我们最好坚持过去几年的做法，也就是把重点放在80、90后关心的东西上，比如有机会学习新技能，可以在家上班，以及公司通过积极发起志愿者活动给了人们回馈社区的机会。这位同事认为95、00后跟80、90后不会有多大区别，但情况确实如此吗？我可不想错过任何可能让我们更吸引这帮孩子的东西。你怎么看呢？——密歇根州的马蒂。


Dear Annie: My team at a mid-sized consumer-goods company is getting ready to start visiting college campuses in the fall, meeting potential interns and new hires who will graduate either in January or next spring. One of my colleagues says that we’d do fine sticking to our approach for the past few years, which has emphasized the things Millennials care about, like the chance to learn new skills, the option to telecommute, and an active company-sponsored volunteer program that provides a chance to give back to the community. My coworker says Gen Z can’t be much different from Gen Y, but is that necessarily true? I don’t want to overlook anything that could give us an edge with this new batch of kids. What do you think? — Marty in Michigan

友谊的真诚

亲爱的马蒂：你问的真是时候。1995年出生的，或者说95、00后里面最大的成员今年将年满21岁，这就意味着其中一些人已经是2016年的应届生。95、00后的人数远少于80、90后，所以丹·布莱克认为“对他们的争夺会很激烈”。他说你和你的同事都是对的。“从某些角度而言，80、90后和95、00后非常像，但也有一些有趣的差别。”


Dear M.M.: You’ve certainly picked the right moment to ask. Born in 1995, the oldest members of Gen Z are turning 21 this year, which means that some already graduated in the Class of 2016. Gen Z is a much smaller demographic cohort than Gen Y, so “the competition for them is going to be intense,” notes Dan Black. He says that you and your coworker are both right. “In some ways, Millennials and Gen Z are very similar — but there are a few interesting differences, too.”

友谊的真诚

作为大型审计咨询机构安永的美国招聘主管，布莱克仔细考察过95、00后对他们第一份工作的期望。比如说，今年夏天安永的实习生几乎有4000人，他和其中许多人都见过面而且交流过；安永最近在全球范围内调查了3200名95、00后，问题是他们觉得在什么样的公司上班最放心。布莱克还在大学里主持了一系列非正式“员工大会”，邀请大学生和当地高中生来谈一谈他们如何看待自己的未来。他说：“这些人一点儿也不拘束。和相同年龄段的80、90后相比，95、00后对自己的目标要有信心的多，也坚决的多，而且对用人单位的了解程度也远远超过前者。”


As head of recruiting for the Americas at audit-and-consulting powerhouse EY (formerly Ernst & Young), Black has taken a close look at what Millennials’ younger brothers and sisters are hoping to find in their first jobs. For one thing, he’s met and chatted with many of the almost 4,000 interns working at EY this summer; and the firm recently surveyed 3,200 Gen Zers worldwide about what kind of company they’d feel most comfortable working for. Black also hosted a series of informal “town hall” gatherings on college campuses, inviting college students and local high school kids to talk about how they see their futures. “This is not a shy bunch,” he says. “They’re much more confident and assertive about their goals, and a lot more knowledgeable about employers, than Millennials were at the same age.”

友谊的真诚

和80、90后一样，许多95、00后都说他们想做“能带来改变”的工作，并对世界产生积极影响。但他们比80、90后更担心就业是否有保障。布莱克指出：“金融危机时他们正处于非常容易受影响的年龄。在这场20世纪20年代以来最严重的经济滑坡中，许多95、00后目睹了父母在工作上的遭遇，这确实对他们造成了影响。”受此影响，布莱克发现95、00后比80、90后更倾向于在一家公司培养技能和塑造自己的职业生涯，而不是在各个公司之间跳来跳去。


Like their older brothers and sisters, many Gen Zers say they want to do work that “makes a difference” and has a positive impact on the world. But they’re also more concerned about job security than the generation just before them. “They were at a very impressionable age during the financial crisis,” notes Black. “Watching what happened to many of their moms’ and dads’ careers during the worst economic downturn since the 1920s really left a mark on them.” Partly as a result, Black has noticed that Gen Zers are a bit more inclined than Gen Y to favor the idea of developing skills and building career in one place, rather than hopping around from one employer to another.

友谊的真诚

对于今年秋天在校园里跟年轻的潜在员工说些什么，布莱克有三项建议：
贵公司的工作怎样惠及整个社会。“你们不必假装成发展中国家援助组织，但一定要说明贵公司对公众利益有怎样的贡献。”布莱克还说，所有希望“较少谈及工作内容，更多地说说工作目的”的用人单位几乎都可以这样做。比如说，布莱克以安永的审计和税务部门为例，这份工作“咋一看不会让人觉得兴奋。但如果能很好地完成工作，我们的客户就能在财务方面做出更好的决定，进而获得更多利润。这会创造更多就业机会，从而让整个经济更加强健。”


Black has 3 suggestions for recruiters on what to talk about with young potential hires on campuses this fall:
How your company’s work benefits the larger world.“You don’t have to pretend to be the Peace Corps, but do point out how you contribute to the greater good,” says Black, adding that this is possible for almost any employer who’s willing to “talk less about what you do and more about why.” Take, for instance, EY’s audit and tax practice, which “doesn’t sound thrilling at first,” he says. “But if we do our jobs well, our clients can make better financial decisions and generate more profits. That leads to more job creation, which makes the whole economy stronger.”

友谊的真诚

就当下而言很重要的福利。就算贵公司的退休待遇非常棒，对95、00后来说其吸引力也过于遥远。因此，要更多地谈一谈你们的福利可能对他们，嗯，30岁之前的生活可能有何影响。举例来说，贵公司对带薪亲子假有哪些政策？如果有的话，你们的学生贷款偿还计划是怎么样的？布莱克说：“要记住，95、00后的打算要短的多。他们真的想听听今后几年自己就能用得上的福利。”


Benefits that matter right now. Even if your company has a terrific retirement plan, its appeal is too far off in the future to interest Gen Z, so talk more about how your benefits could affect their lives before they turn, say, 30. For instance, what’s your company policy on paid parental leave? How about your student-loan-repayment program, if you have one? Notes Black, “Keep in mind that Gen Z is thinking much more short-term. They really want to hear about benefits they’ll be able to use in the next few years.”

友谊的真诚

量身定制的职业发展道路。布莱克说：“95、00后习惯于所有东西都是专门定制的，从播放曲目到新闻推送，再到各种各样的产品功能。他们从小到大都有这样的期望。”这一点甚至比80、90后还要突出。“因此，在你们力所能及的范围内，强调贵公司愿意而且能够制定基于他们的特长并能帮助他们发展兴趣的职业发展道路。”


Customized career paths. Noticeably more than even Milliennials, “Gen Z is used to having everything personalized just for them, from playlists to newsfeeds to product features of all kinds. They’ve grown up expecting that,” Black says. “So, to the extent that you honestly can, emphasize that you’re willing and able to develop a career path for them that builds on their particular strengths and helps them develop their interests.”

友谊的真诚

另外，还有一条思路可能对你们有用。设在芝加哥的就业推荐和招聘机构LaSalle Network最近调查了约3000名应届生，而且有了一些意外发现。比如说，和许多80、90后不同，2016年的应届生对在家上班似乎并不关心，只有10%左右的受访者说这会影响他们的就业选择。相反，这些应届生把“发展机遇”作为首要考虑因素。所以，这项调查的建议是，当你们见到他们时，“和他们分享一些内部升迁员工的故事，”，并且描述一下目前你们所招聘职位的潜在发展前景。
祝你好运！


One other thought you might find useful: Chicago-based staffing and recruiting firm LaSalle Network recently polled about 3,000 new college grads and found a few surprises. Unlike many Millennials, for instance, the Class of 2016 doesn’t seem to care much about telecommuting, with only about 10% saying it matters to them in choosing an employer. Instead, new grads rated “opportunity for growth” their Number One priority. So when you meet with them, “share stories about employees who have been promoted internally,” the study suggests, and describe where the job you’re looking to fill right now could lead.
Good luck!