In part 3 of our Candidate Experience Generational Series, we look at Gen X and what a great candidate experience looks like for this group of candidates.

Who are Gen X?

Often an overlooked generation in between Boomers & Millennials, Gen X were born between 1965 – 1980, which makes them the more experienced generation in the workplace compared to their younger millennials and Gen Z counterparts. They witnessed major international events such as the ending of the Cold War, the Watergate scandal and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Vastly different from their Boomer parents, Gen X-ers, known as ‘latchkey kids’ due to both parents often working, witnessed major change in technology going into their late teens & early 20’s and started their careers during the Dot Com Boom, with the internet becoming part of daily life. Gen X have developed some of the most influential tech companies like YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia and Google and were the first generation to be more diverse & inclusive.

Gen X currently make up 33% of the workforce and when it comes to work, typically value the following:

• Clearly defined goals & expectations
• Work-life balance
• Professional Development

How does this impact Candidate Experience?

Now we know a bit more about Gen X, what does this mean for candidate experience?

1. Clearly defined goals & expectations: Ensure open Communication

As mentioned above, Gen X are independent! They like to think for themselves and they are very able to be autonomous. Critical thinking is their forte and they do not want to be micro-managed, especially as today, they have more experience than a lot of people they will be working with.

This means that when it comes to candidate experience Gen X value clearly defined goals & expectations through open and honest communication so that they can know how to do their work and get it done. This should be implemented from interview stage (Gen X-ers can see through the smoke and mirrors) through to when they have started.

Remember that constructive feedback is very important in the candidate experience – if a candidate isn’t suitable for the role, let them know why (remember your candidate experience extends past your direct candidates to their network) and demonstrating in your EVP that constructive feedback is a part of the role with built in growth like career progression plans and 1:1’s will be attractive to this age group!

2. Work-life balance: Be open to Flexibility

Some of this age group grew up with their parents and grandparents going through wars and The Great Depression and this has filtered down to Gen X-ers having a very strong work ethic but also valuing balance.

This age group work to live, not live to work and they are not interested in working 10 hour days. They want to have access to resources that enable them to efficiently complete their job and once the day is over, they want to leave work at work.

Gen X’s beliefs over what they want from work was demonstrated in last years’ ‘Great Resignation’ where the quitting rate amongst 45-50 year olds grew by 37% and for those aged 40-45 and 50-60, by 34% [LinkedIn].

We know that flexibility is the new norm and to have flexible working options is often vital to attract top talent and compete against other companies, however this can mean different things for Gen X compared to other generations like millennials.

A lot of Gen X-ers are also now caregivers for both their parents and children, and value flexibility withing their hours. It’s important to remember that flexibility means freedom to work in an individual way & means different things for different people - flexible working arrangements could be working from home flexibility, flexible working hours, or reducing hours worked in the week.

3. Professional Development: Have clearly laid out career progression paths

Professional development is not a value that is specific to Gen X, we know that across the board, people in the workforce are wanting career development. A recent survey from McKinsey showed that over 40% of workers left their jobs between April 2021 and April 2022 due to a lack of career progression or growth. This is definitely the case for Gen X with them tending to value internal mobility and prioritising career growth and development within their company.

This should be a big part of your EVP and should be demonstrated throughout the interview process as well as having a clear career progression path weaved in once someone has started.

This can include:

• Training and development programs with workshops, seminars, and online courses

• Opportunities for mentorship and coaching

• Clear path for advancement with opportunities for promotions and increased responsibility

With Gen X making up the second highest majority in the workplace and many of this group either already in or stepping into leadership roles, ensuring a high quality candidate experience that speaks to this group of candidates is vital in attracting top talent to your company!