With Generation Z students graduating from college this spring, companies must prepare their hiring strategies and tactics accordingly, according to The 2019 Yello Recruiting Study released on Thursday.

Gen Z university students–ages 18 to 22–are considered digital natives, spending all or most of their lives immersed in technology. The majority (73%) consider their technology literacy to be good or excellent, resulting in expectations about the hiring process that divert from traditional practices, the report found.

SEE: Recruiting and hiring top talent: A guide for business leaders (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

More than half (54%) of Gen Z candidates won’t submit an application to a company with outdated recruiting methods, the report found, and 51% of student millennials said the same. Paper resumes are a tool of the past, with applicants turning to online applications and job boards instead.

Companies must also prepare for early applicants, the report found. Only 10% of Gen Z students wait until after graduation to start their job searches. Some 18% of Gen Zers even begin their active job searches during freshman year, the report said.

The report identified the following five key strategies to help companies prepare for this new generation of candidates and land the best new talent:

1. Make an early connection

By interacting with interested candidates early on, companies are much more likely to attain that talent in the long run. The earlier the relationship begins, the better, as that organization will always be in the candidate’s mind, the report said.

2. Constantly showcase your employer brand

Organizations must keep their career sites active and updated, filling them with quality content that accurately depicts what the company has to offer. Candidates will be particularly interested in topics including company culture, professional development, and opportunities for career advancement, the report found.

3. Discover what your candidate wants

As early as the first conversation, ask the candidate what they are looking for, including salary, benefits, managerial expectations, flexibility, and more. Organizations should even ask if they are considering options with other employers, the report said. By finding out from the start what the candidate wants, the organization can target those points in the recruiting process.

4. Provide a thoughtful interview experience

Try and make the interview experience as seamless as possible for the candidate, the report said. Give candidates information on how to prepare for the interview, who they will be meeting with, and other helpful insights, and make scheduling simple.

5. Be decisive

Move quickly with the process. The majority (82%) of Generation Z said the ideal hiring process would be wrapped up within two weeks, the report found. As soon as you see a candidate as a good fit, move forward with the hiring process.

To learn more about how to hire a recent college graduate, check out this TechRepublic article.