Recruiting Across Generations: Why the One-Size-Fits-All Approach Is Over
Recruiting Across Generations: What Changes, What Stays the Same
We were unplugged. Literally. Raised by an uncompromising Pentecostal preacher and a mother who could teach anything through a Bible story, I was their caboose baby—a late-in-life child, the last of several home-educated kids growing up in the 1980s. We didn’t own a TV. A formative decision made by my Silent Gen parents and one that shaped—and sometimes shook—the foundations of my ’80s and ’90s childhood.
My parents worked hard at building resilience and self-reliance. They believed that if something didn’t work the first time, it could likely be fixed with zip ties and duct tape. It could be a bloody lip falling off my bike or a failed test and my mother would simply say, “Get up and try it again.”
That phrase was stitched into my daily life.
Today, I find myself in a workforce made up of five—sometimes six—generations, each with its own unique work rhythm and internal motivators shaped by the voices that influenced them. As a Xennial, part of that micro-generation born between ‘77 and ‘83, I’ve always felt like a bridge: analog childhood, digital adulthood. We remember the ear-scalding scratch of a record skipping, but we also taught ourselves HTML on MySpace. We were raised by Boomers and Silent Gen parents and grandparents who leaned into loyalty and grit—but we watched the world hustle into a technology-driven giant. And we hustled right along with it.
What’s changing—because of them?
Let’s break it down. Since Gen X entered the workforce, the way people look at jobs has evolved dramatically:
- Gen X (born 1965–1980): Raised by Silent Gen or early Boomers, they value independence and are skeptical of institutions. This generation lived through recessions, layoffs, and the fall of “job security” as a given. They were the first to say, “I’m not my job,” while still putting in the work. They support technology – even if CapCut is still a mystery to them.
- Xennials (1977–1983): Not quite Gen X, not quite Millennial, we straddle two worlds. We wrote papers with encyclopedias and later Googled our way through early careers. We’ve seen the shift from “stay loyal” to “build your brand,” often with a sense of whiplash that our empathy-programmed ChatGPT assures us is normal and inevitable. And we find ourselves thanking it for the sanity check!
- Millennials (1981–1996): The first fully digital natives in the workforce. They weathered the 2008 recession, student loan debt, and shifting norms around career fulfillment. For them, work must have meaning and a retirement fund that is legacy-worthy.
- Gen Z (1997–2012): Pragmatic, digitally fluent, and born into constant change. They’re entering the workforce with innovation and a demand for transparency. Since they’ve never known a world without the internet, they expect immediacy—in feedback, in progress, in growth. They see the world within reach and they’re not waiting for permission to conquer the digital universe.
Technology has played a central role in the shifts, from fax machines to Slack messages and newspaper job ads to webpage resumes. It’s changed how we work, how we’re hired, and how we see ourselves in the bigger picture. So….
What Still Matters?
Across all these changes, one thing has remained. People want to feel like they matter, like what they’re doing is appreciated and seen. Whether you’re clocking in at an un-airconditioned warehouse in 1985 or joining a startup from your couch in 2025, we all crave purpose, stability, and a reason to show up.
“Get up and try it again.” That phrase means different things to different generations. To my parents, it meant perseverance – don’t sell the farm. For the next gens, it’s come to mean adaptation— shifting careers, picking up new skills, and staying ready to reinvent in an unprecedentedly fast-changing world. For Gen Z, maybe it will mean pushing past AI rejection to find the thread of human connection.
In recruiting across generations, we prioritize honoring what shaped each one; we ask what motivates them to keep going, instead of who works the hardest. We strive to understand that loyalty looks different now—whether it’s to a company, a mission, or a team.
And find the echo from the past that keeps them connected to their own version of ‘Don’t give up.’
Remember this when reaching out to a Gen X candidate on LinkedIn, reviewing a Gen Z’s TikTok-style résumé, or interviewing a Millennial looking for impact over income. Somewhere in their story, they’ve probably heard a voice—maybe their own mother’s—saying, “Get up and try it again.”
If you’ve never said those words, go find your iPad scrolling Gen Alpha kid and tell them now. And if they attempt to barter more screentime, consider it a win—it means there’s persistence stitched into their story.
That’s the thread running through every generation. I hope it always will be.
How We Can Help
Whether you’re looking to attract experienced leaders, digital natives, or next-gen innovators, we’re here to support you in building the right team, one meaningful connection at a time
Let’s find the talent that will grow with you. Contact us to learn more about our recruiting services.
