Newsletter

August 2022

August 2022

Recruiters for the Copier Channel® for more than 30 years, Copier Careers® has been the only recruiting firm exclusively dedicated to connecting Copier Channel employers with experienced service technicians, copier sales representatives, sales managers, service & operations managers, controllers, support staff, and MPS/MNS experts. Start your month off right with Newsletter August 2022: Copier Channel news and career advice. Search copier jobs now.

IN THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER

The Top 5: Tips for Hiring Gen Z
Job Market News & News from Xerox
Sound Off: Are you actively job hunting?
Monthly Poll: Choose your top 3 interview selling points

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The Top 5: Tips for Hiring Gen Z

We published our 2022 Mid-Year Q&A with our expert recruiters in June. They described what most of their candidates are looking for in a new employer: better compensation, more flexibility and a clear career path.

However, that’s what they’re observing in more experienced, established professionals of the Boomer, X and Millennial generations. The new folks joining the workforce are from Gen Z and, like the generations before them, they have their own goals and outlooks for their professional careers. Employers need to adapt their strategies to attract this emerging workforce.

Don’t be tempted to write off these young people – you need to be hiring Gen Z

As we’ve been saying for years, the Copier Channel urgently needs to bring in new blood to alleviate the existing candidate shortage and to ensure the industry continues to support businesses in the coming decades. Keep these tips in mind when interviewing this next generation.

  1. Leave the catastrophizing to the 24-Hour News Cycle. We go through this with every generation – young people entering the work force are always a disruption. Some may be inexperienced or naïve or have unreasonable expectations but they will not be “the worst workers in the history of the world.” Remember that candidates are interviewing you as much as you’re interviewing them – if you run an interview with a condescending or dismissive attitude, they will know and they will not be interested.
  2. Look for potential. We all know employers need to bring in new blood, emphasis on “new.” You’re unlikely to be hiring Gen Z employees who already has OEM certs and five years of comparable experience. With young candidates, you aren’t looking for experience as much as potential. Can they focus, can they learn, can they handle pressure, can they communicate? Great – they can be trained! Don’t forget that hiring now is an investment for later or you’ll be singing the Short Staff Blues.
  3. Explain what you’re offering. Remember, Gen Z is new to this – you might be their first or second full-time employer. You might be the first employer to offer them benefits or a 401K. Come prepared to thoroughly explain your compensation and benefits package and any other perks you offer. Paint them a picture of how it will affect them, how you will invest in them, how your company provides them a career path. 
  4. Sell them on long-term employment. Gen Z is coming into the job market fully aware of previous employment trends. If you tell them you will double their PTO and match their 401K in five years, they won’t be interested. Based on what they’ve heard, five years with one employer might as well be fifty. They are not expecting to stay more than a few years anywhere. It’s the interviewer’s job to convince them that they can and should stay with you.
  5. Seek feedback and be open to change. In this market it’s the interviewer’s job to convince candidates to work for them. If hiring Gen Z is a struggle for your company, the problem is not, “young people just don’t want to work anymore.” It’s your company’s recruitment strategies. Start correcting this by seeking feedback from your candidates. Your interview questions should include, “What are you looking for in a manager and company?” After you make your pitch, ask if it appeals to them and, if not, what puts them off. With this info, you can identify issues, implement changes, and learn how to overcome common objections.

Need employees? You’re not alone!

We recruit for any role from techs to executives and everything in between. We work to find industry-experienced professionals and bring in new talent from comparable fields. We are dedicated to helping the industry’s top employers grow and evolve in every economic climate. Contact us today to learn how we can help!


In the market for a new job? Our job board features hundreds of copier jobs with top employers, updated daily. Search jobs now.

Job Market News

CNBC reports “Hiring in July was far better than expected, defying multiple other signs that the economic recovery is losing steam.”

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing nonfarm payroll employment increased by 528,000 in July. Compared to the average monthly gain of 388,000/month over the previous four months, this is a big leap!

Moreover, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% (or 5.7 million) with the leading growth gains in professional and business services along with leisure/hospitality and health care. Employment in professional and business services grew by 89,000 in July alone. In total, the nonfarm payroll employment has increased by 22 million since April 2020.

As of July, the US unemployment rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels seen February 2020!

Average hourly earnings increased 0.5% in July, bringing the earnings increase over the past 12 months to 5.2%.

According to CNBC, this report shows “that the labor market remains strong despite other signs of economic weakness. ‘There’s no way to take the other side of this. There’s not a lot of, ‘Yeah, but,’ other than it’s not positive from a market or Fed perspective,’ said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. ‘For the economy, this is good news.’”

News From Xerox

A month after the unexpected death of Xerox CEO, John Visentin, the company affirms its commitment to his strategy. Interim CEO, Steve Bandrowczak, assured investors at the end of July:

“We will honor John by continuing to execute across the four strategic initiatives he articulated. The same four strategic initiatives that have guided us since 2018 – optimize operations, drive revenue, monetize innovation, and focus on cash flow – are expected to lead to sustainable and long-term growth.”

Sound Off

Last month we asked how long you’d been at your current job so this month we were curious to hear whether you were actively job hunting. We had a record-breaking 20,963 votes this month!

The majority of voters (90%) indicated they were job hunting to some extent. The largest group (35%) said they would only be open to a big improvement. Next, 26% said they were at least open to a conversation while 23% said they were definitely ready to make a change. Only 6% said they were actively searching because they were unemployed.

Just 10% said they were not open to making a job change. Fewer than 1% said they weren’t looking and they were unemployed.

POLL QUESTION:

Are you actively job hunting?

  • Maybe, but the offer would have to be a big improvement (35%, 7,393 Votes)
  • Somewhat, I'm definitely open to a conversation (26%, 5,493 Votes)
  • Yes, I'm ready to make a change (23%, 4,798 Votes)
  • No, I'm not going anywhere (10%, 2,026 Votes)
  • Yes, I'm unemployed (6%, 1,160 Votes)
  • No, I'm unemployed and not ready to go back to work (0%, 93 Votes)
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Some comments from y’all:

  • “I think it’s always important to be open to a conversation. I haven’t felt this empowered in the 22 years I’ve been working in the industry. Feeling wanted and needed is a welcome change. I hope it lasts, but I also want to make sure I’m in a good place in case it doesn’t.”
  • “It’s amazing seeing companies post jobs offering peanuts wondering why they aren’t getting any candidates. I saw an ad paying 15-20 an hour for a production technician. Good luck with that.”
  • “I’m happy where I’m at and what I’m doing but am  always open for conversation.”
  • “My boss doesn’t believe in giving cost of living raises. He thinks that unless I can prove to him that I help bring in more and more revenue every year, I don’t deserve more money. 24 years at this employer and I’m ready to find a new career.”

Read MANY More Comments

Newsletter August 2022 Poll

Choose your top 3 interview selling points

  • Compensation (29%, 4,845 Votes)
  • Connecting with the interviewer(s) (13%, 2,110 Votes)
  • Management/Leadership style (12%, 2,012 Votes)
  • Benefits package (12%, 1,906 Votes)
  • Interesting/fulfilling work (12%, 1,895 Votes)
  • Company car/fair car allowance (9%, 1,427 Votes)
  • Company reputation (7%, 1,121 Votes)
  • PTO (5%, 818 Votes)
  • Flexible hours (1%, 107 Votes)
  • Hybrid work options (1%, 99 Votes)
  • Territory (1%, 97 Votes)
  • Commute (0%, 4 Votes)
  • Job perks (comment specifics below) (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Attractive office setup (0%, 1 Votes)
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