Ready for a career move? Seven things Adobe thinks Gen Zers should look for in their next employer.

Work is changing—and that’s having a huge impact on Gen Zers as they launch their careers. The job market is tight; new technologies, like generative AI, are poised to innovate and disrupt the workforce; and offices are still evolving after the pandemic. With so many moving parts, there’s a lot for Gen Z to consider when they look for their next (or first!) employer.

To help make sense of it all, we asked Adobe’s award-winning University Team for some early-career tips. Here's what they shared.

Consider work-life balance and flexibility

To start, ask yourself how (and where) you like to work. Would you prefer to be in the office or at home? Or do you prefer a hybrid mix of the two?

As many companies wrestle with how (or whether) to ask employees to return to work in the office, Adobe is listening to employees. Rather than issuing a blanket mandate, we have empowered managers and their teams to decide which patterns of work enable them to be the most collaborative and productive, while honoring individual needs and preferences.

Join a team that reflects the diversity of the world

It’s no surprise that companies that celebrate differences and provide equal opportunities for all employees tend to foster more creative, dynamic, and inclusive work environments. If that matters to you, look for employers that actively promote inclusivity and diversity within their workforce.

Adobe for All encapsulates our company’s commitment to creating a community that reflects the diversity of the world around us, where everyone feels included, respected, and empowered to make an impact. This year, when Fast Company included Adobe on their annual 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators award, the publication highlighted our global gender pay parity, equal compensation for underrepresented minority groups, and expanded HBCU recruiting.

Make sure it’s meaningful work

It’s useful to ask whether the work you do each day will really make an impact. Does your potential employer value the contributions of all employees, even those who are early in their careers? Does everyone have a chance to contribute?

Adobe’s industry-leading internship and new-grads programs provide students with opportunities to get critical work experience, develop soft and hard skills, and bring their creative ideas to life.

Last year, Adobe welcomed its biggest intern class to date and our internship program was recognized by Forbes as one of the Best Employers for New Grads.

Look for employee-centered career development

When you’re talking to potential employers, ask about their commitment and track record for employee development. Look for organizations that offer mentorship programs, training opportunities, and a clear path for career progression.

At Adobe, we have always recognized that people are our greatest asset. This is reflected in everything we do to create a world-class employee experience, from our industry-leading benefits and programs to the career development opportunities we offer. Our culture of ongoing feedback between employees and managers is also critical to helping us stay focused on what matters most. A decade ago, Adobe replaced annual performance reviews and ratings in favor of Check-ins, an approach that encompasses forward-looking conversations and provides our teams the clarity they need to be successful in their roles and to support career growth.

Focus on making a difference

Would you feel good about contributing to a greener future though your work? If so, consider employers that prioritize sustainability efforts through eco-friendly office practices and initiatives.

Adobe has pledged to achieve net zero by 2050 through our product offerings and operations, as well as through our partnerships and advocacy efforts.

Adobe products also help our users take better care of the environment. For example, Adobe PDF is the de facto global standard for digital document workflows, which helped enable a mass migration from paper to digital documents. In 2022 alone, more than 400 billion PDFs were opened in Adobe products.

And Adobe Document Cloud continues to have a measurable impact on the environment globally:

• Documents created, signed, shared, and stored in Document Cloud drive a 95% reduction in environmental impact compared with paper-based processes.
• Each year in the U.S. alone, Adobe Document Cloud transforms what would have been 30 billion paper documents into digital workflows, saving the equivalent of 3.2 billion gallons of water, 1.1 billion pounds of wood, 177 million pounds of waste, 2.7 billion pounds of greenhouse gas, and 1.1 billion kWh of energy.
• The 8 billion electronic and digital signature transactions processed through Adobe Document Cloud in the past year saved 840 million liters of water and 248,000 trees, equivalent to taking over 18,400 cars off the road for a year.

Find an employer that embraces a new way of work

Gen Z is the first truly digital-native generation, and they are comfortable with technology in all aspects of their lives. If this sounds like you, you’ll likely prefer an employer that embraces technology and innovation in the workplace. Look for companies that invest in the latest tools and resources to optimize workflows and productivity.

Adobe seized the opportunity for creative innovation in hybrid work with our employee experience experimentation program, Lab82. Named after the year Adobe was founded, Lab82 is a global, human-centric experimentation engine focused on optimizing hybrid work for our employees by experimenting with different ways of working in various environments and with different technologies.

Look for a holistic approach to wellbeing

To do your best work, you need to feel well and be well. So it’s important to consider how an employer will support you when you need it.

Mental health is a key pillar of Adobe’s wellbeing strategy. To support the health and wellbeing of our employees, we provide resources including our employee assistance program (EAP), access to several wellbeing apps, wellness-focused reimbursements, and more. And to foster a sense of community among cohorts, interns and new grads are encouraged to join our many community-building initiatives, including our employee networks and interest groups, the Adobe for All Summit, and our volunteer opportunities.

Physical health is just as important as mental health. Whether it’s gym membership dues, ski lift tickets, yoga classes, running shoes, or even fitness-focused technology like an Apple Watch to monitor your steps, Adobe covers expenses for a variety of wellness activities for employees and their immediate family members—up to $600 per year. These expenses don’t have to be focused on physical wellness; Adobe’s wellness reimbursement even covers expenses related to hobbies.