Gen Z Doesn’t Want to Work? Think Again.

Rich (00:00):
If you’re trying to be out there to get more hires, if you’re not in TikTok, you are absolutely wrong. Never seen numbers like this from young people. Right now we have over 1,200 young Gen Zers signing up to become registered apprentices every single week just from TikTok. 

Haley (00:17):
Wow. 

Adam (00:17):
What? If you are one of these small business owners that is constantly bemoaning how it’s so hard to find good people these days and nobody wants to work anymore and I just can’t find good help and this is too hard and blah, blah, blah, then today’s episode is for you because I felt that way. Our guests have felt that way too. And we’re going to help you change your perspective on the next generation Gen Z because it’s a great generation. There’s a lot of good guys in there and a lot of good girls in there, and we’re going to help you develop them, hire them, train them, and let them just thrive in your organization. My guests today, Jacob Palmer, Rich Camacho, Haley Rogers, thanks for being here. 

(01:00)
You guys have all heard that, right? Oh, there’s just no good help. I can’t do it right. Where do you think that comes from? What’s been your experience with that, Haley? 

Haley (01:08):
Yeah, I think that is a misconception definitely as a business owner, thinking that the younger demographic doesn’t want to work, they’re lazy. What I actually think is that they just want systems in place and they just want to go into work, do everything that they’re told to do, and they just want it simple. 

Adam (01:25):
Yeah. They want a predictable day, so to speak. 

Haley (01:27):
Yeah. 

Rich (01:28):
I just want to say thank you to Jobber for actually having this topic because two years ago when our data started to show that, holy smokes, Gen Zers are going to the trades at numbers we’ve never seen before. And I love the fact that we actually have Gen Z in here. That’s right. Yeah. Because too often when we talk about this, we’re talking about Gen Z and not with Gen Z. This guy right here is the absolute evidence that the trades are the future and that Gen Z are not just the future of the trades, they are now the trades. And if your company is not using social media the way that yours is doing it, Haley, and you’re not grabbing incredible talent like this guy right here, then you’re not going to exist five years from now. 

Jacob (02:11):
I have never tried to hire anybody. But I can say I can speak from my perspective that I think that a lot of Gen Z got kind of demoralized over the last several years, especially with the COVID pandemic in 2020, and then the cascading effects that that’s had over the past several years. I feel like a lot of young people lost faith in the system. Speaking for myself, over the past several years, I’ve learned that adults don’t know what they’re doing either. We’re all learning. So I don’t think it’s the case that Gen Z doesn’t want to work. We do. Speaking in the electrical realm, I get feedback a lot from young apprentices who say, Oh, I got on the job, but they’re not teaching me anything. They’re making me push around the broom and collect the wire strippings and be a gopher. I think the feedback that I get a lot is that they don’t get the opportunity to learn in these low level positions. I think that is where a lot of that comes from. 

Adam (03:11):
So developing the younger generation is super key. 

Haley (03:13):
They also want to feel like they’re growing with you and they’re not just working for you. 

Adam (03:18):
How do you do that? 

Haley (03:18):
I think just keeping them in the loop with the whole business, how we’re doing as a business, making them feel like they’re a part of that growth. 

Adam (03:28):
Sometimes I’m with prize. I do our weekly meeting and I usually go through our metrics, but there’s a point where I just didn’t for a little while. And the guys were like, Adam, how are we doing? And I was like, Oh, let me get my numbers. I can tell you. Do you care? Yes, we care. But Haley, you’re exactly right. They do care. They want to be part of a bigger story than just themselves. I think they do feel disenfranchised from 2020. They were burned by that. Everybody was burned. They were burned the worst. 

Rich (03:59):
I love that you brought up 2020 because I think in many ways that changed the fundamental structure of the education system. And when you look at the data now, primarily from the United States, the percentages every single year since 2020 of young folks deciding to go either to a trade school, a community college, or a registered apprenticeship program has nearly doubled every single year. Right now, 42% of Gen Zers are either actively employed in the trades, like my man here, or they’re in some kind of a training program. Over 60% have now decided, Hey, you know what? I think I better go check out the trades. Because as we see the bringing on of AI, AI is not going to take your job. It’s not going to take your job. It’s going to take my job. It’s incredible. And we’re seeing it across every single demographic of the Gen Z. Gen Z women, over 30% are now saying, Hey, you know what? The trades is probably a really good place for me. 39% of new hires right now are females. So the stigmas of what sex you are, you don’t want to work, all that’s being broken down because people are realizing, Hey, you know what? Traditional four-years path might not be for me. I’m not against college. We still need that. We need the engineers to design the building that you’re going to wire. However, I love the fact that we now have options and young people understand that they have options in their career paths because one pathway is not an option. That’s just how you’re going to go in life. 

Adam (05:31):
Right. Do you guys think that the perception has changed? The perception of going into trades, being a plumber, being a tree person, working on a lawn care company, doing gutters for me, power washing. But for decades, we were told, oh, those jobs aren’t good, or whatever the parents were telling us. 

Jacob (05:49):
Yeah. If you don’t go to college, you’ll end up being a plumber. 

Adam (05:52):
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. 

Rich (05:54):
Oh no, you make $250,000 a year. The parents, the coaches, the teachers, they’re realizing, I’m a millennial. We went through horrendous. I graduated college in 2008. Good luck trying to get a job. Good luck trying to get a mortgage. Your generation has seen that in their older siblings, their younger parents, and they’ve realized, and my generation said, Hey, you know what? That is actually a really good career path. And it’s why we’re seeing 35 to 45-year-olds going to trade schools and community colleges right now in record numbers because they’re realizing I better change careers really, really quick to try and catch up to this guy. 

Adam (06:29):
Yeah. In the beginning, you mentioned wanting to feel like they’re a part of something bigger. And I think that’s so much about the blue collar trades is you’re fixing something, you’re building something, you’re actually doing something that you can see, hey, I paved that road. That’s cool. Do you agree with that? 

Haley (06:48):
Yeah, I think that’s huge in this industry is we feel like we’re a part of the community and we’re helping people. And I don’t know, it’s just like a feel good job, any trade. It’s like helping other people. 

Adam (07:02):
A lot of Gen Z are looking at computers and technology and AI, and they view it as. I certainly feel this way sometimes. Is any of it real? Is any of it really tangible? A lot of it’s important, but what is it really? And there’s a disconnect. And so when you go wire someone’s house, it’s very satisfying. 

Jacob (07:24):
Absolutely. It’s a real tangible thing I did. And I think that you’re absolutely right that in a world that’s dominated by the digital realm and grow more and more so every year, the value of a real human touch on something is only going to go up. 

Adam (07:43):
So then how do we hire these people? Where are they? Where are they hanging out? And how do we reach them? How do we get to them? 

Jacob (07:49):
They seem to be watching a lot of TikTok. 

Adam (07:51):
Good point. Social media. You are sole entrepreneur, and so you don’t have direct experience of hiring people, but you know where you are. So where are you, Jacob? 

Jacob (08:02):
I mean, speaking for myself, I watch a lot of YouTube. I think it’s important to show not just the immediate thing, but show what their career can look like in five years. Five years from now, if you start down this path, what’s it look like? In a lot of the trades in five years that you’re making a good income. Your property ownership is on the table. It puts you so much closer to what people’s goals are. 

Rich (08:29):
What we always recommend to customers is if you want to go out there and try to bring in more customers, you better be on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re trying to be out there to get more hires, if you’re not on TikTok, you are absolutely wrong. And this is coming from a guy who I had a company policy two years ago where we banned TikTok.That was our company policy. We were not going to use that. We didn’t know where that data was going. A year ago when all that was more safeguarded, we completely switched over. Never seen numbers like this from young people. Right now we have over 1200 young Gen Zers signing up to become registered apprentices every single week just from TikTok. 

Adam (09:10):
What? 

Rich (09:11):
It’s absolutely insane. 

Haley (09:13):
Yeah. Social media presence, you never know how far it goes. 

Adam (09:17):
I’ll be darn. Okay. So tell us, what are you doing online to make these. What are you doing? 

Haley (09:24):
It’s a mix of things. It’s like how-to videos, tips and tricks, mainly showing just our work environment. And I don’t know, it’s like inspiration that people see. One of our employees came from an Indeed ad, but she has referred five people now to work for us at this point. Wow. So I think word of mouth is big too on hiring the younger generation. 

Adam (09:52):
You do residential cleaning, right? 

Haley (09:54):
Yeah.  

Adam (09:54):
So for this girl to even recommend to one of her friends, it better be good. 

Haley (09:58):
Yeah. 

Adam (09:58):
She must be happy 

Haley (09:59):
Yeah. 

Adam (10:00):
You’re not going to recommend someone you don’t like. 

Haley (10:01):
Yeah, very true. All of them say, I love the flexible hours. I love that you guys are on TikTok. They just feel like they’re a part of that. 

Rich (10:08):
The number one most desired trade by new hires is flexible schedule. The number one by Gen Zers is to know that there is ability for promotion, and not necessarily in title, but just in intrinsic promotion, salary, and being on social media. Yeah, you can write up a super fancy job post. Oh, we do this, this, this. Yeah, cool. You showing every single day, this is actually what we do at our company. And just that raw, unscripted those YouTube videos, that gives Gen Zers the true perspective as to how that company is. They can figure out if they fit into that culture. 

Adam (10:44):
Okay. I feel like I’m late to the party here. Everybody here is killing on TikTok videos and getting all these 1,200 things. So Rich, you’re not a big fan of job descriptions.

Rich (10:53):
That’s right. I’m not a fan. 

Adam (10:55):
Okay. So then what’s all doing? Are you hiring all these people through. Is everyone just hiring on TikTok now on Instagram? 

Rich (11:01):
99.1% of job seekers into BlueRecruit come from mobile. 

Adam (11:06):
What? 

Rich (11:07):
Yes. Every single generation in our country now prefers text messaging over every other form of communication. It’s not only mobile friendly, it’s mobile first now. And that’s simply where it’s going to be in order to find. 

Jacob (11:19):
Yeah, don’t send your Gen Z prospects an email because they’re not going to see it. 

Rich (11:26):
I walked into our local bakery last week and there was a little placard up saying that they were hiring and it had a website to go to, to download a PDF application, and then you can bring it in and drop it off. I live in a small town. I was like, Scott, come here. What in the is this? I was like, Dude, no one in the world. 

Adam (11:49):
No one. 

Rich (11:51):
Is going to do this. I just sat down with him like, Here’s a QR code. You can do it all with a real quickies. He’s like, Oh, okay. But doesn’t it show that they care? No, that does not show that they care. 

Adam (12:01):
Oh, this is such a great point. So for decades, the angle on hiring was make it so hard and make it so tiered that only the very best will push through and climb the ladder all the way to the interview. And then you’re only interviewing the very, very best people. The world has changed. 

Rich (12:21):
It’s complete baloney. There’s a plumber out in Minnesota and phenomenal content. He’s a YouTuber. And he said that he has never once put out a hiring ad because he gets so many people just direct messaging, Hey, we’d love to come in and work for you, because he’s established that respect, that trust, that camaraderie through social. And if you do need to hire, you have a massive audience. You just go on and be like, Hey, by the way, we’re hiring right now. So send us a DM. Bam. 

Jacob (12:51):
At least once a week, I will get a young guy similar to me who will call me asking if I’m hiring or if he can work under me or do whatever. 

Adam (13:00):
So if you ever decide to scale, you’ll be able to. 

Jacob (13:02):
I feel confident about that. 

Adam (13:03):
That’s pretty sweet. Okay. All right. You guys are blowing my mind about Gen Z stuff right now, especially the whole social media thing. But let’s take a pause for a second. Talk about Jobber. Haley, why do you like Jobber so much? 

Haley (13:14):
Jobber is just an all-in-one app, especially their mobile app has everything for clocking in and out, checklists, taking photos, job descriptions. It’s pretty much just a one-stop shop for everything you need to get a job done. 

Rich (13:27):
One of the reasons I love being a Jobber partner is that Jobber, just like you can do everything on the app, on the go, BlueRecruit’s built exactly the same way. Mobile first, trying to reach out to Gen Zers where they’re at on their phones, communicating with them, video interviewing with them, all from a mobile device. It just really speeds things up. 

Jacob (13:46):
I would have to say that one of my favorite things is kind of a detail, and it’s the tap to pay on iPhone built into the invoicing. Having it all built into the same app there, it makes me look really slick in front of my customers. 

Adam (14:00):
Yeah, very professional. And you get paid ASAP. 

Jacob (14:03):
Yes. 

Adam (14:03):
If you’re not using Jobber to collect payments right away, to use scheduling, to clock in and out and give your employees their daily schedule and all these different things, then you are just missing out on a whole world that you haven’t even touched yet. So go to jobber.com/podcastdeal, get the exclusive discount and start using and trialing Jobber today. It’ll change your business. It’ll change your life. 

(14:28)
Let’s pump the brakes here a little bit because there’s a lot of people right now listening, shaking their head. I’m never going to do reels. I’m never going to do TikTok. That’s just not me. I don’t want to be a social media junkie. I want to plumb and I want to cut grass. 

Rich (14:43):
Cool. And I would love to use a typewriter. 

Adam (14:45):
I would like to use a typewriter. 

Rich (14:48):
When we started our business, TikTok didn’t even exist. At the end of the day, it’s just like, I’m sorry, you don’t run your business like you did 10 years ago. You don’t hire, you don’t train, you don’t retain like we did 10 years ago. 

Haley (14:59):
It’s honestly a disservice to your company. If you’re not utilizing TikTok, Instagram, it’s all free advertising for your business. So really disservice. 

Adam (15:08):
Gosh, you guys are stepping on a lot of toes right now. 

Haley (15:10):
I know. 

Adam (15:11):
I’m not going to lie, that’s a tough sell. But you’re right. I mean, things change and we have to get on board. Indeed’s not going to last forever. I hope not. Job postings. Craigslist didn’t last. So doesn’t even use anymore. Let’s talk about the content of TikTok, Instagram, all that. I think that will actually help our listeners because I think leave it to imagination. It’s way harder than if you actually give them some ideas. What goes into a good video? What goes into a good reel? 

Haley (15:36):
Honestly, just organic. Just pop your phone up and just be like, Hey guys, I’m hiring. As simple as that. 

Jacob (15:43):
Use your face. 

Haley (15:43):
Message me. 

Jacob (15:44):
Put your face in the video. A lot of people will record with the camera facing this way. And you got to show your face because then you’re not a stranger anymore. 

Rich (15:54):
Our number one video ever was actually right down the street here on the strip, over seven million views. And all I did was the fake Eiffel Tower that’s down there? There was this well that wasn’t connected to anything. And I was like, This ain’t going to collapse? And I just made a dumb face of myself. And it means there’s nothing to that. 
Adam (16:13):
Adam (16:13):
Help me. I’m still trying to figure out what goes into it because if you’re making a video every day, you’re not going to do an Eiffel Tower video every day. So what else? What else goes in a video? I’m learning right now. I’m in free consulting right now. What goes into video that you guys are talking about? Give me some more ideas. 

Jacob (16:29):
I think if your goal is to make these videos to attract recruits, then it’s important to show what a real day-to-day is like. Don’t try to sell it as. This is the easiest job. This is going to be wonderful. It’s going to be great every day. Be candid about what you’re trying because ultimately you’re trying to sell the job to this applicant. You’re trying to get them to want to apply. They’re not going to. If it seems fake and plastic and every day’s a dream, everybody knows that’s not what that. So show what a real day-to-day. Show what a hard day is like. Show what an easy day is like. 

Rich (17:00):
Authentic day-to-day is the key. We’re both from North Carolina. If you don’t show what a North Carolina crawl space is like, then guess what? If you do end up hiring that person and the first time they have to go down there, they’re not going to stay. 

Adam (17:12):
They’re in for a surprise. 

Rich (17:14):
So be authentic and show them what the day-to-day is. 

Jacob (17:18):
Show off your cool equipment too. People like that. 

Haley (17:19):
Yeah. 

Adam (17:21):
Should you choose a video for recruiting or should you show videos for getting leads? I think a lot of our listeners view social media as a way to get leads, get more work. Obviously we’re talking about hiring. Are they the same video? 

Rich (17:34):
Same thing. 

Jacob (17:34):
Yeah, I would say. I mean, my videos are about. Well, my videos aren’t about getting leads, but they’re definitely not about hiring people. And I get a lot of people wanting me to hire them. 

Adam (17:45):
What are they seeing in your videos that makes them want to apply, so to speak? 

Jacob (17:51):
Cool videos. They see that I have achieved independence at 24, and they see that I’ve been able to start a business and be free and be self-directed at a young age, which is, I think, a unique quality of the trades. When you get your certification, you get your license in most states, depends on where you are, you’re then free to go start your own thing if that’s what you want. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit and you think you can do it. 

Rich (18:19):
You put the American dream on YouTube. 

Jacob (18:21):
Yes. 

Rich (18:22):
That’s what he did. 

Adam (18:24):
Yeah. That’s my drop right there. That’s good. I like that. 

Haley (18:26):
I think whoever is watching your videos, they just want to relate to you. I think that’s the most important part is they think that they know you. They’d want to be a part of your daily life. 

Adam (18:38):
I feel like this episode is helping people change their mindset about social media, about Gen Z, how to hire. Indeed is dying. And there’s just a whole nother way to get people into your business that really never existed until a few years ago. 

Rich (18:51):
Adam, what’s the craziest thing y’all have ever found in a gutter? 

Adam (18:54):
A dead squirrel. 

Rich (18:55):
Then you know what? Dead squirrel videos. 

Adam (18:57):
Yeah, that’s a video. 

Rich (18:58):
Yeah. Boom. 

Adam (18:58):
Let me go grab a squirrel. I’ll wait and then we’ll make the video. 

Rich (19:04):
The story of how Sally the Squirrel got there. Boom. 

Adam (19:08):
That’s brilliant. We’ve talked a lot about how to get Gen Z in the door. How do we make sure that we retain them and build them up and train them and make them feel like they’re part of something bigger? 

Haley (19:19):
I think to keep them motivated, we do team meetings, and then we also have incentives. If you get a guest feedback with your name on it, you get a gift card. If you refer an employee, you get a bonus. We do one-on-ones as well. So if we hit your one-on-one, we do your review and we think you’re eligible for a raise. It’s kind of all over the place. 

Adam (19:39):
You’re intentional. 

Haley (19:40):
Yeah. 

Adam (19:41):
You do things that are intentionally developing them and they can see that. 

Haley (19:44):
And I think another part of that retention is for them to feel like they’re working with you and not for you. And so just constant reassurance, constant checking in on them, gratitude, just feeling like we care about them and they’re not just an employee that works here. 

Rich (20:00):
To use Gen Z terminology, don’t be sus. One of the biggest mistakes happening right now is cool, you had really good content, you brought somebody in the door, but then you’re not developing them. And this generation in particular really, really, really cares about developing, about training. Because what you have to do is realize, hey, in a couple years, I’m not going to be able to get into that crawl space. I’m not going to be able to jump on that bunk bed anymore. And I need to ensure that my people are getting trained up in the right way. And yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s time-consuming. But going back to something I say all the time, if you don’t do it, you’re not going to exist in five years or your company’s not going to exist in five years because you’re not doing it anymore. One thing I highly recommend everybody goes check out registered apprenticeship programs. Go to America’s Talent Strategy. The government’s doing a huge push right now to assist companies, states with setting up apprenticeship programs. It looks like a lot of paperwork in the beginning. You can check out our website. We have a bunch of guides to help you through it. Really cool thing. At the end of the day, you set it up, you start getting a check from the government because they understand you’re taking a lot of time, a lot of dedication in order to get that person trained up. But if you’re not doing it, it’s just you’re not going to exist in the future because you can’t do everything. 

Jacob (21:17):
Make sure they’re getting the chance to put the tools in their hands and actually do the work. Even if it’s just here and there, make sure they’re getting the chance, make sure they’re actually learning something and getting new skills soon because if they feel like they’re just sitting there stagnant, 

Adam (21:31):
They want to do the work as soon as possible. And they also don’t want to just be left behind. They want to be trained on how to do it right. 

Rich (21:38):
The biggest mistake we can make as an industry is we’ve already shown young people, Hey, this is a great industry to be a part of. The biggest mistake we can do is to not develop them at this point and just let them sit on the vine or worst of all, not get hired. Because guess what? When they just like, We got lied to, we’re never doing the trades. That’s a labor shortage we’re never going to recover from. And we’ll be in a whole world of hurt if we end up doing that as an industry. 

Adam (22:05):
Alright guys, rapid fire, lightning round. I’m going to ask you guys questions. Just give me your best answer, your first thing that comes to mind. Jacob, what is one way that older people just do not connect to Gen Z? 

Jacob (22:17):
I would say trying too hard to connect. Trying to bring in pop culture references and everything. We’re like, obviously this isn’t who you are. Be honest and be yourself, I guess. 

Adam (22:32):
Rich, what’s the best piece of content or phrase that an employer can put in there to attract talent? 

Rich (22:38):
On social POV, showing exactly what is going on. And I can’t stress enough how important it is to not BS anybody and just be truthful with your content. 

Adam (22:49):
Haley, what is the best way for a manager to handle a mistake that a Gen Z person makes? 

Haley (22:54):
Reassurance, followed by gratitude, followed by a solution. Just kind of reassuring that they’re doing a good job, thankful that they’re here, noting what to do next time. 

Adam (23:07):
And Jacob, what’s your favorite social media channel? 

Jacob (23:11):
YouTube, fired by far. 

Adam (23:12):
YouTube. Guys, thanks for being here. I hope that will really help our listeners really figure out Gen Z, definitely help me a lot. How do people find more about you, Haley? 

Haley (23:20):
I’m Haley, and you can find us at Avai Property Solutions across all platforms. 

Rich (23:25):
Rich Camacho, go to bluerecruit.com and we’re on all the social platforms, especially TikTok. 

Adam (23:30):
Bingo. 

Jacob (23:31):
I’m Jacob Palmer. You can find my YouTube content at the Palmer Electrical YouTube channel, as well as everything else, [email protected]. 

Adam (23:41):
Great guys. Thanks for being here. Thanks so much. Really appreciate it. And thank you for listening. I hope that you heard something today like I did that will help you recruit and retain Gen Z because they’re really, really important. I’m your host, Adam Sylvester. You can find me at adamsylvester.com. Your team, your clients, and your family deserve your very best. So go give it to them.