In March, Symplicity, a maker of software for universities to manage student experiences, surveyed over 3,700 college students nearing the point where they will be looking for jobs. More than 90% of the students rated job stability, salary, and work/life balance as most important. The results were consistent with the company’s 2022 survey on what students value the most in a job.

What was not important to them? Brand name of a company. That, too, was consistent with Symplicity’s 2022 research.

But not all results were consistent with the prior year’s findings. This year’s results show that flexible schedules and remote work have slipped on students’ priority list-from 75% saying flexible and remote work were important or very important to just 42% saying hybrid/remote work options are important or very important to them.

Those about to enter the workforce also highly value traditional benefits. Health insurance and substantial vacation and/or paid time off (PTO) were cited as the two most important benefits.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) also are on the minds of Gen Zers, and the Symplicity survey found that students ranked pay transparency as the most important DEI initiative. Other DEI efforts important to survey respondents were inclusive benefits, the diversity of the team they would be working on, and the diversity of the leadership team.

One respondent leaving a comment wanted to see specifics about an employer’s DEI efforts “not just the pasted legal disclaimer, but conscious movements within the company.”

Besides knowing what’s important to Gen Z candidates, employers need to understand how Gen Z tackles the job search. The Symplicit research shows employers would be wise to examine their own websites, as 49% of students said the employer’s website was helpful or very helpful to their job search.

The students also found career centers and independent online research important. What’s least helpful? Survey respondents cited social media and employer info sessions or other employer-sponsored informal events.

The Symplicity data also show the importance of job descriptions to Gen Zers looking for jobs. “Our data show that students are unsatisfied with the way job descriptions are approached as they either feel completely unattainable or the information is too vague for them to want to invest time in the application process,” the survey report says.

Complaints include job descriptions that lack clarity, those that set the bar too high, and those with missing salary ranges. Feedback from survey respondents shows that Gen Zers want realistic job requirements, not just a wish list.

The young people also wanted job descriptions with practical information such as work hours, internship start and end dates, and details about day-to-day activities instead of just the job title or description.

Another respondent called for an actual description of the work environment “instead of using cliches such as ‘dynamic and fast-paced environment.”’

A May 2022 entry on LinkedIn’s talent blog makes suggestions for employers trying to attract Gen Z candidates. One suggestion: Examine the experience requirements included in job postings.

For example, jobs labeled “entry level” often require more than three years of experience. The blog explains that Linkedln analyzed data from nearly 4 million postings between December 2017 and August 2021 and found that a minimum of three years’ experience was included on 35% of their entry-level postings.

“While it might feel nice to swing for the fences on every entry-level hire, you could wind up missing out on a top prospect simply because they didn’t check every box,” the blog says.

The Linkedln blog notes that Gen Z is the most multicultural generation in U.S. history and therefore expects employers to value diversity, equity, and inclusion. It also notes that Gen Zers are “good at sniffing out inauthenticity.”

This article is republished from the Upper Midwest Employment Law Letter, a monthly publication focusing on Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.