Though millennials and their habits in the workplace have been written about widely over the last several years, less is known about "Gen Z," the first post-millennial generation. Gen Z refers to anyone born after 1996, which means that the eldest members of this next generation of workers are of age, graduating college, and joining the workforce.
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If you are a member of Gen Z who is beginning a work search, you may not know how to get your foot in the door of today's competitive workforce. LiveCareer has got you covered.
Based on a recent Indeed blog post, which collected data to pinpoint and rank which jobs are most sought after by the world's youngest workers, LiveCareer has created in-depth descriptions of five of the most popular positions pursued by Gen Z workers. Also, to help smooth your transition into the workforce, we've created resume examples and tips to help you create your own application materials to get the job you want.
iOS Developer
What iOS Developers Do:
iOS developers help create or maintain software compatible with Apple's mobile operating system. Despite the vague designation, most of these positions require coding and engineering expertise, though an eye for design and leadership abilities can be traits similarly sought by recruiters.
Anyone on a team that develops applications for iPhones and iPads is an iOS developer, but most of these job postings will ask for experience with Swift, XCode, and Objective-C, among other programming languages and tools. As in the majority of competitive fields, most entry-to-low-level positions ask for a year or two of experience, while senior roles may ask for four to 10 years in the industry.
For a better idea of how iOS developer duties fit into the larger tech industry, you might also browse resumes for related positions like remote software engineer or software specialist.
iOS Developer Resume Example:
As you might find on other software developer resumes, one way to ensure a filled-out "Skills" section is to list programming language proficiencies and other software expertise one by one, minimizing white space on the page. This imparts the same amount of information as a tighter-looking list, but hints at the writer's eye for design.
Since this is a more common position, it's acceptable for the "Education" section to only list a bachelor's degree. A smaller number of successful applicants may only list associate's degrees, certificates, or no postsecondary education at all. In all cases, but especially in the latter, applicants need to define previous industry experience as clearly as in the above example.
Computer Vision Engineer
What Computer Vision Engineers Do:
This one is deceptively simple; a computer vision engineer literally helps computers see. Someone with this position, using cameras that interface with a computer, helps that computer process images captured by the camera. Working together, they can measure the position, distance, and size of 3D objects in their view, as well as how light interacts with the subject.
The relatively new technology is used in self-driving cars, motion-control interfaces, and any other type of machine that needs to examine physical objects.
This job is usually reserved for highly experienced engineers and computer scientists. Many candidates for senior-level roles are asked to have a master of science degree or doctoral degree, or are requested to have extensive experience with graphics processing unit (GPU) programming, algorithm development, and robotics. Looking at resume examples for other jobs in the industry might help put the complexity of these positions into context.
Computer Vision Engineer Resume Example:
Since this role involves more complex responsibilities, you'll notice this resume is denser with information. There are new sections for "Affiliations" and "Certifications and Accomplishments," and the skills are listed in a more compact way. Both the applicant's master's and bachelor's degrees are displayed above the two new sections. Many other sample resumes for this position might list a doctoral degree as well.
Just like in the machine learning engineer resume below, computer vision engineers should express their specialization in artificial intelligence (AI) programming, deep learning (or machine learning), or GPU programming.
Machine Learning Engineer
What Machine Learning Engineers Do:
Like the above role, becoming a machine learning engineer can require a master's, a doctorate, or impressively extensive programming skills. Focusing on the development of AI, this type of computer scientist writes code that allows machines to execute future tasks without needing further programming to do so.
Though the most impressive implementation of this tech is found in self-driving cars, you may have already experienced its influence via Google or other basic search functions, which commonly tailor results and suggestions based on a user's previous search history.
This is quite a new type of engineering position, so further resume examples may be harder to find. Don't be afraid to check out LiveCareer's other tech-focused resumes for a sense of how you might organize the page.
Machine Learning Engineer: Resume Example:
You should notice a familiar emphasis on AI expertise, as both machine learning engineers and computer vision engineers develop algorithms for "adaptive recognition" and object-tracking. Both resumes make clear that the candidates understand more than one programming language (even if they're closely related, like in this case).
Though there is no doctoral degree or listed affiliations here, the "Education" section still displays the applicant's undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science and programming respectively, which may again look familiar.
Audio Engineer
What Audio Engineers Do:
Much like with developer roles, the title of audio engineer can apply to more than one type of position. In much of the entertainment industry, it refers to someone who records and mixes audio for music, film, video games, and more. In college, they might have majored in music production or (not surprisingly) audio engineering, where they became familiar with programs like ProTools and other mixing software.
The rest of the time, the title might apply to an engineer who handles the programming (and sometimes design) of a project's audio-related components. That classification may sound vague, but these myriad positions typically require (you guessed it) programming expertise and an audio-related background. That can mean being a computer scientist who is also a musician, an engineer with mixing experience, or any other relevant combination.
LiveCareer's audio engineer resume samples and examples may give a good sense of how the number of job postings might be distributed between the two types of audio engineer.
Audio Engineer: Resume Example:
Don't let "engineer" mislead you. Remember, this title usually refers to those who record and mix audio for media, and the computer expertise required is of a different sort entirely. In the "Skills" section, those applying for this job should list all recording software they're familiar with and also mention any musical ability or performance experience.
If you're wondering what the other type of audio engineer resume would look like, the above three should provide a solid sense, though LiveCareer resume examples like this may give a better idea.
Though millennials and their habits in the workplace have been written about widely over the last several years, less is known about "Gen Z," the first post-millennial generation. Gen Z refers to anyone born after 1996, which means that the eldest members of this next generation of workers are of age, graduating college, and joining the workforce.
Daycare Assistant
What Daycare Assistants Do:
Entirely unrelated to the other jobs on this list, the duties involved in a daycare assistant's role are generally what one might intuit based on the name. These workers supervise and instruct children during learning and play activities, help prepare and provide meals, and ensure that any other basic safety and sanitary needs are met.
Compared to other popular Gen Z roles, this job pays significantly less. Thankfully, the barrier to entry is lower, as most listings only ask that applicants have a high school diploma or GED and experience working with children. Depending on the amount of educational instruction involved in the role, an associate's degree or up to a full year of hands-on teaching experience may also be requested.
If the below example isn't enough, our assistant teacher resume example or daycare assistant resume samples may provide a fuller picture of an educator's resume.
Daycare Assistant: Resume Example:
Obviously, this resume should look radically different from the other four listed here. Gone entirely is the "Education" section, though plentiful work experience and two certifications substitute well enough.
The skills listed may seem less technical, though they are not abstract: food preparation, understanding behavioral charting, and in-depth knowledge of common curricula are important hard skills. These are well supplemented by soft skills like the ability to provide emotional support and this applicant's personable professional summary.
