The early talent landscape continues to shift, and fast.
As organisations prepare for the 2026 recruitment season, one thing is clear: we’re no longer competing on brand alone. Gen Z’s expectations, behaviours and motivations are rewriting the rules of attraction, pushing employers to think more strategically, more creatively, and more personally.
As part of our Insight to Impact series, our APAC team, alongside leaders from RSM, Prosple and SeekGrad, explored what today’s talent are looking for and how strategies must evolve. If you missed the session, here’s your essential recap.
Start with what Gen Z actually wants
A lot has been said about Gen Z, but one message came through clearly during our webinar: they’re not a mystery, but they are different.
Across all generations, certain motivators remain consistent – approachable leadership, opportunities to grow, and environments where people can thrive. But for Gen Z, three themes stand out:
Short-form content they can truly absorb
Despite the stereotype, “short-form” doesn’t mean 5-10 sections. In fact:
- Video of 60-90 second deliver the strongest engagement.
- Anything shorter often underperforms, it’s not enough time to communicate value.
- Anything longer needs to work much harder to maintain attention.
Gen Z aren’t disengaged. They just don’t want fluff. They want clarity.
A real connection to purpose
Gen Z wants to understand the why:
- Why does your organisation exist?
- How do your values align with theirs?
- How will they make an impact there?
- How will you grow them into future leaders?
Purpose isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a core part of their decision-making.
Personalised, relevant experiences
This generation has grown up with curated feeds, tailored recommendations, and instant access to information.
If your attraction content feels generic, overwhelming, or hard to navigate, they will drop off quickly. They want:
• Clear pathways
• Targeted information
• Tools that help them see where they fit
Which brings us to…
Personalisation is now non-negotiable
A standout message from our webinar: personalisation isn’t a tactic, it’s an expectation.
Employers can bring this to life in several ways:
- Use tailored messaging for specific audiences – Whether you’re targeting regional candidates, underrepresented groups, hard-to-fill streams, or high-priority disciplines, your language, visuals and storytelling should be built for them, not for everyone.
- Make your value proposition specific to early talent – It’s no longer enough to repurpose an organisation-wide EVP. Early talent wants to know what their learning journey looks like, how leaders will support them, and what’s unique about your experience. You need an Early Talent Value Proposition (ETVP).
- Leverage platforms that bring your story to life – The session called out several tools reshaping the early talent experience, such as job boards built for early talent that elevate storytelling, AI chatbots that provide instant, tailored answers at scale, and MatchMe, our personalised, interactive role-matching for candidates.
Start with strategy – Brand Awareness vs Targeted Attraction
Too often, attraction campaigns default to “what we did last year”. Instead, employers need to define their strategic intention up front. Most employers fall into one of two approaches:
- Brand Awareness- This is usually best for organisations who are new to early talent, have rebranded or repositioned, or need to build recognition and trust over time. Goals include broad reach, visibility, wide-angle messaging, and emotive, high-level storytelling. This approach often requires higher investment, with return building over multiple seasons.
- Targeted Attraction – This is ideal for employers who have specific hiring needs right now, need talent in particular disciplines, are addressing diversity targets, or have hard-to-fille roles. The focus shifts towards precise messaging, converting the right candidates, clarity around specific pathways, and measurable conversion data. This approach tends to be more resource-efficient, but requires tight alignment with workforce needs.
Let data shape the decisions
Data isn’t the afterthought, it’s the centre of decision-making.
Whether you’re chasing reach or conversion, your success metrics should be defined before creative development begins. Your data determines which platforms you invest in, which message resonates, what needs optimisation, and where candidates are dropping off. A data-led attraction campaign is not only more effective, it’s more defensible when budget discussions come around.
Real-World Proof: RSM’s Award-Winning Campaign
RSM’s 2025 attraction campaign, winner of the Integrated Marketing Award at the AAGE, brought these principles to life. Their success was driven by:
- Authentic, decentralised content using VideoMyJob
- A strong regional attraction strategy
- Intentional messaging aligned to target audiences
- The use of early-talent-specific job boards
- Consistency across every touchpoint
- Differentiation on how candidates engage with the brand through MatchMe
Their work shows what’s possible when clear strategy meets personalised experiences, backed by the right tools.
What this means for 2026
Early talent teams face both opportunity and pressure. The market is competitive, candidates are selective, and expectations are evolving. But the formula for success is clear:
1. Know what Gen Z wants
2. Start with strategy, not activity
3. Make personalisation easy and scalable
4. Use technology that enhances (not replaces) human connection
5. Be consistent
Attraction in 2026 isn’t about being the loudest voice in the market. It’s about being the clearest, the most authentic, and the most relevant.
