In 2025, the recruitment landscape is under fresh scrutiny — especially by the youngest professionals entering the workforce. The generation dubbed Generation Z (born roughly 1997-2012) is challenging traditional hiring practices. Although the exact figure of “85%” is not universally validated, recent studies confirm that many candidates of Generation Z consider recruitment slow, non-transparent, and mismatched with today’s digital-first, value-driven expectations. For a staffing and recruitment leader like Apidel Technologies, this is a wake-up call: our processes must change and fast.
Why Gen Z Thinks Recruitment Is Outdated
1. Speed and responsiveness count
Research among candidates indicates that Gen Z has the worst candidate experience of all generations: slow feedback, lengthy processes, and unclear next steps.
For instance, one study cited that many candidates of Generation Z drop out during hiring processes because they are not engaged from the very beginning.
2. Digital-native expectations
Gen Z has grown up in a world of instant communication and seamless digital interactions. If the recruitment process doesn’t meet that standard, if there are clunky portals and lots of manual steps, they perceive it as outdated.
3. Skills over credentials
Instead of relying heavily on traditional degrees, Generation Z expects hiring to emphasize real-world skills, learning potential, and growth. They see rigid degree-based systems as relics of the past.
4. Purpose, values & flexibility
This generation values meaning, transparency, and flexibility, remote work, hybrid work, and work-life balance. Hiring processes that ignore these priorities feel really disconnected from how Gen Z thinks.
What needs to be changed – Steps by Apidel Technologies
Here’s how Apidel Technologies can reshape recruitment to win and engage Gen Z talent:
• Simplify and expedite the process: Decrease the number of rounds/interviews; give timely feedback.
Use digital tools that are candidate-friendly and automate the steps that don’t add value so that applicants don’t feel stuck.
• Adopt skills-based hiring and learning agility: Move from “degree checkboxes” to skills assessment, adaptability, and a growth mindset.
Partner with training or upskilling platforms so that early-career talent sees a path to develop, not just apply and wait.
• Make the employer experience digital-native: Ensure the application, interview scheduling, and onboarding are mobile-friendly, transparent, and interactive.
Use chatbots or communication portals to keep candidates updated and engaged.
• Highlight values, flexibility, and purpose: Communicate the culture of Apidel Technologies, growth programmes, learning and development support, and flexible work practices.
Demonstrate how the role connects to meaningful output; not just “fill a position”.
• Offer clear growth paths and continuous feedback: Gen Z wants to see where they can go. Provide career progression maps, mentorship, and frequent check-ins rather than annual reviews only.
Create micro-milestones to provide early talent with a sense of achievement and momentum.
• Create an inclusive, engaging onboarding & culture: Ensure new recruits feel welcomed, valued, and part of the community from day one. Leverage digital platforms, peer cohorts, and buddy programs to build connections in hybrid/remote settings.
Why This Matters for Apidel Technologies
At Apidel Technologies, we are a recruitment and staffing firm situated at the juncture of employer expectations and candidate demands. We modernize our approach by: Enhancing our talent pipeline, where Gen Z is a significant source of new talent. Enhance our brand as a future-ready employer and recruiter. Increase retention, reduce early turnover, foster a culture that retains rather than churns. Serve our clients better by placing candidates who are engaged, motivated, and comfortable with today’s work environment.
Conclusion
By 2025, clinging to old habits in recruitment will not be acceptable. What was once “standard” in hiring now feels outdated to a generation that expects agility, meaning, speed, and skill-based fairness. The message is clear for Apidel Technologies: adapt or risk being left behind. By re-engineering our recruitment process, making it faster, more digital, value-driven, and growth-oriented, we don’t just “fill roles,” we build futures. And with this, our edge is maintained in an evolving talent marketplace.