Hackathons

Virtual hackathons are online events where people come together to explore challenges, and design and build solutions. Unlike physical hackathons, in a virtual hackathon the finale can be hosted from anywhere and do not have the same geographical boundaries—all you need is a live-streaming platform like Zoom to get started.

Furthermore, these hackathon finales last for a few hours or a few days. When we asked Vineet Khandelwal, Director of Customer Success at HackerEarth about the ideal duration of a hackathon, he said that the registration for a hackathon usually takes 4-8 weeks depending on the size of the community that the hackathon is targeting.

This timeframe is used to create a buzz about the hackathon in our community and enables the registered candidates to come up with a unique idea related to the theme of the hackathon. The time in which the participants can work on their ideas and submit a working prototype is usually another 4 weeks which ultimately end with a virtual finale.

If this sounds daunting, let’s break it down together as we take you through the intensive process of organizing virtual hackathons.

Why should you host a virtual hackathon?

A virtual hackathon comes with several perks that a physical hackathon would not have. Let’s talk about these benefits in detail.

Cost-effective

With a virtual hackathon, you can reduce overheads you otherwise have to bear in a physical hackathon—the elimination of paying rent for physical venues, food, event settings, and more. Moreover, this makes it easier for candidates as well, as they can attend the hackathon from the comfort of their homes.

Eco-friendly

Most companies are becoming environment conscious, and virtual hackathons are helpful in that way.

With virtual hackathons, the carbon emissions the online event produces are much lesser than a physical event as participants don’t have to travel.

The research article published in International Journal of Environmental Studies talks about a case study based on a virtual conference held by Airminers in 2020, which produces 66 times less greenhouse emissions than in-person gathering in San Francisco would have done.

Clearly: Virtual hackathons are a boon for the environment too.

Diversity

With physical hackathons, you can only invite local developers — from the same city, state, or nearby places. But virtual hackathons open doors to different geographical locations, helping the company get diverse participants with a large skillset.

Developers like to be associated with projects where they can use their skills for real-world problems. For example, if you want to introduce a specific technology in a geographical location you’ve never explored, participants from that region can give ideas and develop the technology that works well for people in that region.

How to host a successful virtual hackathon?

At HackerEarth, we have perfected a 4-step process for organizing and conducting a hackathon which we recommend to our clients. This process begins with ideating the theme for a hackathon and includes tips on promoting and gaining more participants as well. Let’s begin.

Step 1: Decide your goals

Ask yourself this—what do you want to accomplish with this virtual hackathon?

• Do you want to engage with participants and create awareness about your company?
• Do you want to develop a product prototype via crowdsourced ideas?
• Or, do you want to attract talent and hire them?

Once you have the answers, you can proceed further.

Let’s look at LGBTQIA+ matters, a recent virtual hackathon organized with the clear aim to foster cross-cultural dialogue, promote awareness and understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues and developing innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ community.

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Step 2: Pick a theme

Themes should be decided according to the trends in industry, the company’s own target audience and product lines, and whether they want to build employer branding by using CSR initiatives.

So, pick the theme for the virtual hackathon keeping these components in mind.

For example, the Perkins School of Blind used our end-to-end managed hackathon platform to host the Perkins Hacks in 2018. Participating developers had to build a wearable device for older people with lower vision to navigate spaces.

In this hackathon, the theme was visual impairment, and the challenge was building such a device that was never developed before.

But you don’t have to always stick to one theme. You can have multiple themes for a single hackathon.

💡Pro tip: HackerEarth’s Hackathons allows you to add multiple themes for the participants to pick from.

Step 3: Choose the timelines

Dates: Virtual hackathons are long-term events with multiple stakeholders. This is why, it is important to divide the duration into specific phases and timelines so that everything can move smoothly.

For example, virtual hackathon organized by Intel, the event timelines were broken down into individual phases: date of registration, dates when submission phase 1 and phase 2 start, and so on.

Step 4: Get the word out

Once you have planned all the elements like collaborating with judges, deciding on the prizes, setting up communication, etc., it’s time to promote the event.

A simple way to do it is to promote the virtual hackathon on social media. For example, companies use HackerEarth’s Hackathons to conduct their virtual hackathons where we promote their online hackathons on social media platforms like Twitter and drive registrations.

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Here are some ways to spread the word about virtual hackathons:

• Get your employees to share about the virtual hackathon on social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Create a short video with your company’s leadership team and share it on the official social channels.
• Tell the participants the benefits of participating in the virtual hackathon—prizes, subject matter experts, and more.
• Conduct polls and ask questions to keep developers engaged and curious about the upcoming virtual hackathon. This is where digital business cards can be handy as they can be used everywhere. You have the option of including custom links such as polls, hackathon registration pages etc. Along with contact detail you can use top digital card software. So go ahead and on your platform where you are promoting hackathon.

What do you need to host a virtual hackathon?

Wondering what exactly you need to host a virtual hackathon? Here’s a list you must follow:

Software

Here are a few tools you must use to host a virtual hackathon:

Video and text platform

Since the hackathon finale is hosted virtually, it’s imperative to choose a good video conferencing platform to conduct the event.

✅Google Meet and Zoom: Meet the participants virtually

Digital collaboration

Participants will need a place to manage all projects and timelines, and brainstorm ideas with their team members.

✅HackerEarth’s Hackathons: Registration of participants and organizations, managing the project and team formation.

✅Slack and Discord: Use asynchronous messaging platforms for more interactive group activities.

✅Screen Recorder : Use a free screen recorder to communicate effectively with other remote participants when organizing the event

Centralized resource hub

Don’t give participants the chance to come to you during the live hackathon to ask about event-related information like rules, schedules, FAQs, contact information, and promotional material.

Instead, create a centralized resource workspace using Google Docs, Dropbox, or Notion and give access to each participant and share that on the hackathon page under the Resource Center tab Leverage a text summarizer to highlight key points related to your hackathon that can serve as a guiding document and add it to your resource hub. Here are a few suggestions from our end.

✅Google Docs and Dropbox: Save important documents and resources for participants and organizers to access

✅Notion: Create collaborative documents

Presentation during the finale

While Zoom and Google Meet’s screen-sharing options are good options to showcase presentations, and conduct a simple finale, to make it look more lucrative you can dip your toes in the latest technological advancements like VR using tools like Hubilio to make it more interesting..

Judges

Just like a physical hackathon, virtual hackathons too need to have a judging panel to assess the finished project and award prizes.

🧠Best practice: Invite subject matter experts related to the theme.

Also, having a judging panel can help you with the promotion. Here’s how: During the promotion, talk about the specific judges who’ll be judging the event and share their credentials.

This will drive curiosity and more interest from participants. Plus, ask the judges to promote the event on their social media channels and in their network to get more registrations.

Prizes

While running a virtual hackathon, there’s no limit on the kind of prizes you can offer to the winners. Some of them include cash prizes, cryptocurrency, and digital and physical products.

For example, the organizers of HCL Volt MX Hackathon 2023 handed out multiple prizes after the hackathon ended which included the main prize category (the three winners get cash prizes worth $7000, 4000, and 3000) and special prizes with creative titles like ‘Most Innovative Submission’ and ‘Most Beautiful Design’.

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Hackathon landing page or Wiki

You need a landing page to drive more registrations to your virtual hackathon. This is where participants can better get all the information they need about the virtual hackathon.

Companies without an official hackathon landing page can use HackerEarth’s hackathons platform to set up a landing page and share all the information related to the event.

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Engagement channels

Picture this: Your virtual hackathon is live. Participants are willing. Judges are curious to see the final project.

But there comes a blocker: the participants have a concern related to a specific component but alas, there’s no way for them to communicate about it.

That’s why, along with providing a platform that enables communication within teams, you also need to set up a company workspace, especially for online hackathons where one cannot just turn around and ask for help. This way participants can raise their concerns and get them addressed in real time.

A Slack or Discord workspace works great as developers are already familiar with such platforms and it has the necessary file sharing and other capabilities needed for such conversations. Providing virtual phone number for participants to reach out with queries can complement your existing communication plan.

What are good ideas for a virtual hackathon?

If you’re planning to host a virtual hackathon but are clueless about where to start, here are a few ideas you might find helpful.

Web3

Coindesk hosted a crypto, blockchain, and Web3-oriented hackathon called Consensus 2023 where they wanted to bring the Web2 developers into Web3 and support native Web3 builders. This virtual hackathon was focused on teams and projects open to seeking out the right protocols to build on it.

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Healthcare hackathon

The Hacking Health Tech hackathon, hosted by Johnson and Johnson Medtech was aimed at building medical technology to enable efficiency in surgical procedures and developing wearable technology.

Some ideas you can use:

• Data management in clinics and hospitals
• GPS monitoring of ambulances
• Wearable devices

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Consumer-tech hackathon (Microsoft)

The Microsoft Virtual Hackathon 2022 hosted by Microsoft Azure was aimed at solving real-world business problems using Azure AI.

Some ideas you can use:

• Automated workspaces
• IoT for homes
• Autonomous drones

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General hackathon ideas

While there are several niche hackathons that we talked about above, you don’t have to always box your virtual hackathons. Instead, here are a few generic hackathon ideas you can use too:

• Impact Analysis hosted a virtual hackathon where they wanted frontend developers to build and design AI/ML-enabled enterprise SaaS software for retail companies
• DAO Global Hackathon 2023 was a 4-week virtual hackathon to get hackers to leverage existing tools and build governance and coordination tools
• AI Genesis hackathon is organized where developers will explore the power of artificial intelligence with themes in domains like gaming, social media, visual art, and music.

3 expert tips from top engineers that can make your virtual hackathons A+

Tip #1: Have clear communication

One tip I’d like to share with you is to prioritize clear and concise communication throughout the event. Effective communication plays a crucial role in ensuring participants understand the guidelines, challenges, and judging criteria.

As a judge at various events, including the design event at Michigan Tech University, I’ve witnessed how transparent communication fosters a positive and engaging atmosphere.

To achieve this, leverage multiple channels to disseminate information, such as a dedicated hackathon website or landing page. This page can serve as a central hub for participants, providing them with detailed instructions, schedules, and access to necessary resources. Additionally, consider hosting pre-event webinars or virtual orientation sessions to address any questions or concerns participants may have.

— Piyush Tripathi, Lead Engineer, Square

Also, read: Effective Workplace Communication Tips for Remote Teams

Tip #2: Make the navigation easier

Make sure the event is well-organized and easy to navigate. This means providing clear instructions and resources for participants, as well as having a dedicated team of staff members who are available to answer questions and provide support. It is also important to create a positive and engaging atmosphere for participants so that they feel comfortable and motivated to participate.

— Gaurav Nagani, Founder of Desku.io

Tip #3: Include social interaction time

In comparison to physical hackathons, the social aspects of virtual hackathons present the biggest challenge. Building relationships and cooperating with others requires extra effort because people are no longer working in the same rooms together.

— Maria Harutyunyan, Founder of Loopex Digital

Also. read: How to Run the Perfect Virtual Hackathon — Do’s and Don’ts

How HackerEarth helps in maximizing virtual hackathons

We have put down the ins and outs of how you can host a virtual hackathon in your organization. We know the process of developing a virtual hackathon from scratch is time-consuming.

When time is money, and when your internal team doesn’t have the bandwidth to plan the event in detail, you can use HackerEarth’s end-to-end managed hackathons for organizing an event that will resonate with the developer community. From setting up the theme for your virtual hackathon to providing the landing page to promoting your virtual hackathon—HackerEarth does everything.

Curious to know more? Book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

What is a virtual hackathon?

A virtual hackathon is an event where individuals or teams connect virtually to collaborate and solve problems through technology.

During a virtual hackathon, participants usually work on projects related to software development, coding, web design, or other areas of technology. They form teams, brainstorm ideas, and work intensively over a set period of time, typically ranging from a few hours to a few days or even weeks.

Participants collaborate remotely using various communication tools, such as video conferencing, chat platforms, and project management software. They leverage their skills, creativity, and expertise to develop innovative solutions, build prototypes, or create functioning applications or software.

Organizers of virtual hackathons provide participants with the necessary resources, guidelines, and access to relevant tools or technologies. They may also organize workshops, mentorship sessions, and expert talks to support participants in their projects. At the end of the event, participants typically present their work to a panel of judges who evaluate the projects based on criteria such as innovation, functionality, and presentation.

What are the advantages of virtual hackathons?

Virtual hackathons offer several advantages over traditional in-person hackathons. Here are some key benefits:

• Diversity: It allows participants from all over the world to participate in the event—increasing the diversity of participants and encouraging a wider range of perspectives and ideas.
• Cost-effective: Participants can save on travel expenses, accommodation, and other costs associated with attending in-person hackathons. Plus, organizations can bear lower expenses when compared to physical hackathons.
• Accessibility: Participants have immediate access to online resources, documentation, tutorials, and open-source libraries, which enables rapid learning and implementation of new technologies, frameworks, or tools during the event.
• Networking: It gives them a chance to connect with participants, mentors, industry experts, and potential employers from around the world—expanding their professional network, exploring job prospects, and seeking mentorship or guidance.

How can one ensure a smooth virtual hackathon experience?

To ensure a smooth virtual hackathon experience, consider the following tips:

• Clear communication: Establish clear channels of communication for participants, mentors, and organizers. For example, Zoom for video conferencing, Slack for messaging, and Notion for project management.
• Robust technical platform: Ensure that the live streaming platform can handle the expected number of participants and their activities.
• Detailed guidelines: Provide participants with detailed guidelines about the hackathon’s rules, project submission requirements, judging criteria, and timelines.
• Realistic timelines: Give participants sufficient time to prepare before the hackathon starts. Share relevant resources, pre-event materials, and any specific challenges or problem statements in advance so participants can familiarize themselves with the topic.
• Mentors and support: Arrange subject matter experts to support participants during the hackathon. Offer mentorship sessions, Q&A opportunities, and technical assistance to help teams overcome obstacles and enhance their projects.
• Regular check-ins: Schedule regular check-ins with participants to monitor progress, address concerns, and provide guidance. Use video conferencing or chat platforms to hold virtual stand-up meetings or progress updates.
• Engaging workshops and talks: Organize virtual workshops or talks on relevant topics to enhance participants’ skills and knowledge—technical skills, design thinking, project management, or industry insights, providing valuable learning opportunities.
• Transparent judging process: Clearly communicate the judging criteria and process to participants in advance.

Which platform is best for a hackathon?

HackerEarth’s hackathons platform helps companies conduct virtual hackathons from scratch. They provide a process management team, creative and design support, organic event promotion, and evaluation of product ideas.

What are the types of hackathons?

• Internal hackathons: These hackathons are conducted internally within the organization. Here, employees collaborate to solve internal challenges, develop new products or features, or foster innovation in the company.
• External hackathons: These hackathons are conducted externally where participants outside of the organization share their skill sets and bring in innovative solutions such as a product prototype.
• In-person hackathons: These are physical hackathons where participants come together in one place to work on projects. These events usually last for a few hours or a few days. In such hackathons, participants are restricted as only location-specific folks can only participate.
• Virtual hackathons: These are virtual events where participants from any geographical location can participate. These hackathons are hosted on a live-streaming platform which makes it easier for talent from different geographical locations to come and participate.

Scene from the movie ‘The Social Network.’

A room full of boisterous Harvard undergrads. In the center: a small group of coders hunched over their laptops, typing away at warp speed. Jesse Heisenberg’s character, Mark, explaining to a perplexed Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) that he had walked right into Facebook’s first-ever hackathon.

The audience learns that the coders have 10 minutes to get root access to a Python web server, expose its SSL encryption, and then intercept all traffic over its secure port. The catch? They have to do so while being inebriated beyond their wits. The premise is that if anyone can manage stealth in such a state, they really must be golden.

Drunk, but absolutely golden.

Allow us the pleasure of that intro, please! It reminds us of when we could smell code and innovation in the air, the ideas floating around that one could almost touch, the adrenaline. It gets us poetic and dreamy-eyed. HackerEarth loves hackathons (minus the alcohol obviously). So, you can imagine our pain when COVID threw our plans for 2020 right out the window.

As the world went into quarantine, we went through an existential crisis. No more hackathons in the physical realm – how were we to survive that? The sadness lasted only for a bit, thankfully. HackerEarth has 8 years of experience conducting hackathons across industries, and it took the team only a short time to regroup and work out a process for conducting these events online.

Despite the challenges, we ended the year with 200 remote hackathons (you can read all about them here). Along with that came a ton of learnings and growth, late nights and seemingly-impossible deadlines. Allow me to share these lessons we learnt from running 200 remote hackathons:

Lesson 1: Developers LOVE fighting real-world challenges with hackathons

As most developers would agree, code is never mere code. A line of expressive text can maybe paint a pretty picture in your head; weave a beautiful story; or profess love for a concept, or another human being. But, code….code can essentially create another being – an artificial entity, but creation nonetheless. I know I’m bordering on science fiction, but you catch our drift.

In 2020, however, sci-fi and reality mingled and coders were at the helm of it all. We saw our developer community eagerly participate in hackathons that tackled challenges the world was going through. From celebrating one’s right to sexual expression to mitigating the effects of the virus, and even finding a real-life missing person, our developers solved it all with JAVA and panache.

Lesson 2: Hackathons still rule as branding, engagement, crowdsourcing, and upskilling tools

When redoing our calendar for 2020, we presumed we would be conducting many hiring challenges as companies bounced back and started hiring again. We were delightfully wrong! The Microsoft Azure hackathon that we ran right in the middle of the lockdown was a branding activity meant to help developers get acquainted with the new platform; and a perfect example of how brands used this platform to engage with the community. Hackathons are also great for crowdsourcing ideas and offer cost-effective ways of community networking for the organizers.

A 2019 survey showed that Indian employees spend about 7% of their daily hours commuting. With WFH helping devs save these hours, honing skills became easier. We saw this reflected in the choices our clients made, and also on our Slack channel which we use to interact and converse with developers across the globe. We conducted more ‘internal hackathons’ in 2020 than ever before. Companies asked us to organize these events with the sole intent of keeping their tech teams engaged, and providing them the opportunity to upskill themselves.

Lesson 3: Virtual AMAs cannot replace a physical workshop, but they ain’t all that bad

The ‘upskilling’ part of a hackathon comes from the workshops, and interactions with subject matter experts that are built into the event itinerary. A workshop in the real-world is a different beast altogether. You can have a day-long workshop with breaks in between. There is ample opportunity for strangers to shoot the breeze and talk about the Pythons in their backyard. Finding a virtual alternative for this was difficult, but we found an answer to the conundrum.

AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions were the alternative we had for these workshops, and minus a few initial hiccups they fared well overall. Zoom fatigue is real, as we all know. Hence, we kept our AMA sessions short and interactive, and broke down a day-long talk into smaller bytes. This meant that each hackathon would have a slightly longer lead period than before – but we found that it helped developers understand the topic better. The shorter sessions can be well accommodated in between all the housework and to-dos we’ve all had to add to our lists in 2020.

Also Read: A Lookback At The Hackathons In 2020

Lesson 4: Communication. And then some

With physical events you can rest easy knowing the likelihood of your participants dropping off after finalizing travel and stay is really low. Drop-offs are easier with virtual events. As easy as not clicking the ‘Join Meeting’ button 😂

2020 taught us a lot about the power of communication. From making sure our event descriptions were more precise than before, to leveraging the power of social media and emails, we went through a masterclass in the art of communicating without being OTT.

This also allowed us to understand how our community was fighting the pandemic much better and tailor events according to their needs. Whether it was an upskilling project or a hiring challenge, this approach helped us get maximum traction for all our events.

Lesson 5: Brands that invest in the community are brands that will reap the rewards

Eight years into our journey of helping companies find the right tech talent, we know exactly how hard the sourcing-to-hire cycle is. 2020 reiterated the fact that community engagement needs to be at the forefront of every company’s tech recruiting process.

Even if a brand wasn’t actively hiring last year, the fact that they were willing to keep communication lines open with developers and help them develop and master new skills through innovation challenges went a long way in building brand recall.

Developers are drawn towards companies that do not just see them as means to achieve a business goal, but as a precious resource that needs to be nurtured. As our recent survey shows, more developers are asking about upskilling opportunities at work post-COVID.

Using upskilling as a hook for engagement and sourcing will not only earn you brownie points from the gods of code, but also help you keep your sourcing funnel flush with unicorns and purple squirrels.

A HackerEarth guide to hiring and retaining early-talent developers

Millennials have been the hot topic of discussion for a long time in the workforce. However, studies suggest that Generation Z (aka Gen Z) will make up 24% of the workforce in 2020.

As millennials inch closer to middle age, Gen Z is expected to replace them quickly.

Born between 1996 to 2001, Gen Z is the demographic cohort succeeding millennials (born between 1981-1995). They are true digital natives; they have always been exposed to the internet, advanced tech, smartphones, social media, and virtual reality. What this generation looks for in a job and a working lifestyle is significantly different from the generations that came before them. Hence, the same recruitment strategies are not going to work when hiring and retaining Gen Z.

We have created this guide to help companies catch the attention of Gen Z or early-talent developers. Read on to find out how you can attract, hire, and retain Gen Z candidates.

1. Gen Z are tech-savvy

What does this mean for you?

a) Build an online presence: A study revealed that Gen Z spends more time on social media than millennials, at 2 hours 55 minutes per day. Gen Z-ers use social media to engage with their favorite companies, access new career tools, and stay up-to-date with global events. It is important for businesses to build an online presence. This includes regular updates on all social media channels, engaging with followers and subscribers, and the likes.

b) Create a seamless digital candidate experience: Gen Z candidates are very selective. For employers, this means creating a seamless digital candidate experience for attracting top early-talent developers. You need to create a positive brand recall with this generation in the long-term. This is where pre-employment assessment tools come into play. As an employer, you can leverage these tools to:

• Let candidates code from anywhere in an environment of their choice. They do not need to travel long distances to give interviews, code on whiteboards, or get rejected based on a phone conversation during the screening process.
• Conduct unbiased interviews. This means that all the candidates are asked the same set of questions. Interviewers need not know the specifics of each candidate such as gender, age, ethnicity, etc. This assures the candidate that the hiring decision will be fair and they will be benchmarked based on merit.
• Invest in the latest and most cutting edge tools. Most hiring managers and senior recruiters tend to be veterans in the industry. They might be used to traditional assessment methods which have worked great in the past and may have in fact even springboarded their own personal career graph. A sense of familiarity could be a major reason why they tend to slip up on upgrading to the latest tools and software out there. This is a rookie mistake, however, for a veteran to be making. Instead, they should take into account the coding platforms that the current generation of recruits are comfortable with and well-versed in, and employ the same.
• Give all applicants an equal shot. Irrespective of your final decision, candidates should feel that they have had a fair shot at showcasing their skills. This can be done through an engaging process of developer assessment without any human bias.

c) Know where to look for them: As stated earlier, Gen Z talent spends a lot of time surfing the internet. The following are a few resources that you can tap into to hire quality Gen Z candidates:

• LinkedIn Talent Solutions can help you leverage the magic of data-driven recruiting to get the best developers you can.
• Using free ads and participating in group discussions can be effective in increasing the visibility of your brand among early-talent developers and foster a relationship with them.
• As focal points of online interaction, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google+, and Instagram can help you promote your company and culture through existing employees, cut through the noise, and find niche networks using eye-catching ads, videos, anecdotes, photos, and hashtags.
• GitHub: GitHub is an online project-hosting service site where developers share their open-source projects.
• Stack Overflow: Stack Overflow is an online community for programmers to learn, share their knowledge, and advance their careers.
• Reddit: Reddit is an online community where users submit content, such as text posts or direct links, in very specific “subreddits.”
• Quora: Quora is a Q&A site that facilitates social interactions and interesting conversations with Gen Z-ers.
• Glassdoor: A promising tool for recruiting, Glassdoor exerts a huge social influence on Gen Z candidates.
• Hackathons: External hackathons are amazing places to network with exceptional early-talent developers and industry experts.

2.Gen Z has an entrepreneurial mindset, driven by security

What does this mean for you?

a) Adopt an open mindset: Gen Z-ers grew up in a digital world with online tutorials and self-learning tools. They know that paying exorbitant tuition fees for in-person classes is not the only way to upskill.

Gone are the days where learning how to code was reserved only for a few. As an employer, you need to have a more open mindset toward learning and consider new ways to evaluate the skills of candidates while hiring Gen Z-ers.

Think — does your new position really require a university degree? Focus on skills more than pedigree and provide plenty of upskilling opportunities to keep this generation engaged.

b) Emphasize job security: Thousands of people in the US lost their jobs due to the Great Recession in 2008, which paralyzed the economy. Gen. Z-ers were still young children when this happened. They may have watched their elders take massive financial hits, lose their jobs, and struggle to make ends meet. So, it’s not surprising that this generation wants and needs more job security.

To facilitate the same, this generation is also more likely to have a side job to diversify their income. This means that, as an employer, you need to:

• Support them to have other sources of income apart from work.
• Provide benefits that include the appropriate payment and the best health care benefits that you can obtain.
• Raise the bar; ask them to lead a technical project without micromanaging. However, communicate that you are available if they need anything.

c) Focus on learning and growth opportunities: Studies reveal that 40% of Gen Z professionals are staying in their current role due to opportunities to learn and grow. Hence, showing your company is invested in learning and development is a good way to win them over.

You need to create an environment that keeps them on their toes and allows for multiple avenues to upgrade themselves.It is also important that you talk candidly about their career path and help them understand the growth opportunities available. This will build trust and help them envision a long-term trajectory at your company.

3.Gen Z is more informed about bias than you think

What does this mean for you?

Highlight and promote your diversity and inclusion efforts: Gen Z has grown up in a society shaped by discussions around diversity and inclusion, technology, gender equality, and much more. They are much more informed about bias than those before them.

Highlight your organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion on your career site. Also, include a note about it in every job description. If your company organizes events and activities that celebrate employee differences, ensure that you let the world know about them. If you have a blog series that focuses on diversity and inclusion in tech, make noise on social media.

You can feature quotes and photos of diverse people on your printed and online company materials. Make sure to include your own employees and customers. Positive branding like this could mean great and diverse hires for your organization.

In Conclusion

It might seem like hiring Gen Z is akin to threading a fine needle with one eye shut. Every generation builds on the knowledge of their ancestors. They are hard workers with well-planned career goals, looking for a guide and mentor to help them navigate the corporate world. The crux to hiring and retaining this demography lies in understanding the values they adhere to and providing them a workplace that upholds the same.

Hopefully, this guide will help you in achieving this.

This piece was originally published in TechHR Series.