Gen Z Interviewing & In the Workplace

While out having a “cold friendly” 🍻 with a CFO friend of mine last night, a recent popular meme became topic of conversation. I’ve been seeing this meme floating around as well so let’s look at the info. 👀

In a December survey by Intelligent.com of 800 US managers, directors, and executives involved in hiring, it was found that 38% of employers avoid hiring recent Gen Z college graduates in favor of older employees. This preference is driven by various factors including the belief that recent graduates are unprepared for the professional world. Some employers have reported that they offer more benefits or higher salaries to attract older workers, with 46% even willing to hire an older employee who is overqualified for the position to avoid working with someone younger.

The survey also highlighted issues with recent college graduates’ job interview behaviors. Job interview behaviors? What? Here are the behaviors that made the meme:

👁️ 53% of the grads struggled with eye contact

💰 50% (yes fully half) asked for unreasonable compensation

🩴 47% report having grads show up dressed inappropriately

🤬 27% used inappropriate language in an interview

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 19% – yes 1 in 5 – brought Dad or Mom to the interview. While it’s everyone’s favorite, there’s no rational explanation for this one. 🤦🏻‍♂️

In this survey, 63% of the 800 reported that recent college grads frequently were unable to handle their workloads, 61% say they are regularly late for work and 53% say they are regularly late for meetings. 47% of the employers also noted that they have had to fire a recent college graduate in some cases. 🕛

The article suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in the challenges faced by recent college graduates. Diane Gayeski, a professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College, noted that the pandemic caused significant disruptions in the education and professional development of young people graduating from college.

So what’s the takeaway? IMO – this is the part where mentors step in and tactfully guide this next generation. Hire properly, communicate expectations and provide guardrails as the Gen Z’ers get started in their careers. After all, new grads are “soft plaster” as we say. Let’s coach em up!

#cpacareers #genz #careercoaching