Hey there, I’m April!
Not long ago I just knew that I’m not a millennial. Instead, I’m part of this generation called Generation Z which also known as Gen Z. Let’s be honest, millennial sounds cooler than Gen Z. Although it makes me wish I was born earlier, I found some awesome facts about Gen Z which gradually makes me proud to be one. After all the research, I will conclude us, Gen Z as the generation of explorers. Yes, we are explorers! “What you talkin’ ‘bout, April?” Well… glad you ask. First thing first, before I answer, grab your tea (or coffee) because it’s about to be spilled.
Let’s be honest, millennial sounds cooler than Gen Z.
Gen Z are explorers in many aspects. You might very well think that Gen Z can be easily distracted. While actually, we just love to explore everything which catch our interest. Repetitive lifestyle is a big no for us. We love challenges. We are not playing the game of life in the safe zone. The world evolves slowly as we create few changes here and there. It becomes more dynamic. It’s not like life is boring before Gen Z were born, but let’s say Gen Z makes life more fun. Don’t you agree? The market of different industries keep expanding to wider variety because we continue searching for new interest to invest. And that’s my friend (or future employer 😉) is my favorite part of being a Gen Z.
Gen Z are explorers in fashion. I’m studying in Hotel Institute Montreux where I take Luxury Brand Management as my specialization. I remember once my teacher told us, “We wear the same luxury brand from head to toe back in my day. While you guys wear non-brands and pair them with different luxury brand items. Your generation change the industry.” Then it makes me think that our generation are rebels, we challenge the tradition and explore fashion in our own way. We think it is too much to wear all branded clothing at work, so we wear non-brand shirt and culottes then grab our favorite designer bag to complete the look. Not to mention, we even pull off pajama as a casual office outfit. Well, I’m not talking about the fluffy onesie or hoodie with sweatpants, as much as I want to wear them to work, it’s way across the border of professionalism. Instead, the classic two piece plain or stripes pajama will be a good example, nothing too extra. If you still can’t connect the dots, feel free to search Pajama Style Outfit on the internet. Furthermore, I think you can easily spot Gen Z in workplace, we prefer simplicity and comfort. I will totally wear sneakers at work if I’m allowed to and avoid heels for eternity. . Nevertheless, bear in mind that we are unique individuals, therefore within the same dress code, we might wear different clothes according to our own style.
Gen Z are explorers in friendship. It seems easy to befriend with someone who have many things in common with us. However, Gen Z prefer to have somebody who are different from them as friend. We love challenges, even in friendship. Having someone similar will be boring, maybe the conversation will be full of “Me too!” For Gen Z, having different friends, especially in terms of personality and interest are like solving puzzle. We search for the right friend to complete our puzzle. Based on my experience, friends who are different from me usually stay longer. More different we are, more connection we can build. People usually wonder how my friends and I became besties in the first place. Hmm… Now I’m wondering the same thing. Just kidding! Like I said, we complete each other. Believe me when I told you it’s not easy, but it’s rewarding. Through many misunderstanding and arguments because of different point of view, I learnt many life lessons. From accepting rejections to be more open minded along the way. Meanwhile at work, we will take different approach. Being the newest member at work, our colleague will mostly be Gen X or millennial who prefer people who cherish the same value as them. Therefore, Gen Z usually will start to blend in. We might show our true self when we feel comfortable, but in the beginning playing around the safe corner is our best bet.
Gen Z are explorers in workplace. Working in different departments during internship is our dream! Yes, Gen Z, whether you realized it or not. Have you ever got bored doing the same tasks over and over again everyday? If your answer is yes, then I was right. And no, there are some people who actually love having the same tasks everyday (I can read your mind). Shhh… If you, who currently reading this post are one of our future employers, let me share the secret spells to attract Gen Z. The first spell called “cross training”. Increasing the amount of cross training might draw Gen Z’s interest as we are curious to know every departments’ insight. Second spell is “challenge”. We love challenges and I assume you know it by now. Give us more responsibility when we successfully accomplish our tasks, it gives us motivation to work better. Eventually, Moreover, we might find what we actually really good at or enjoy doing after the exploration. Third and the most special spell is called “multitasking”. Gen Z are in fact, good at multitasking. Giving us some tasks at the same time actually push our brain to create a system to finished the work efficiently. We will think of which task to do first and while doing so what else can we do. So… there you go. Three powerful spells to lure Gen Z. But remember, never take us for granted.
Yes! You made it ‘til the end. Thank you for reading my blog post and hopefully you gain some new insights of Generation Z. I am more than happy to share my thoughts with you. If you like this post, feel free to leave comments down below for feedback, question or idea.
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Author: Nelliyana Aprilya, Hospitality Bachelor Student at Hotel Institute Montreux (HIM), from Indonesia