Downward angle icon Downward angle icon. Gen Z may be making big mistakes early on in the job search process (Stock Photo). Anchiy/Getty Images Gen Z often struggles with job searches because they feel ignored by recruiters. Employers are wary of Gen Z’s sense of entitlement and high demands. Top recruiters advise job seekers to do their research and maintain a professional appearance.
Gen Z is job hunting, but senior recruiters say they’re making some early mistakes that could set them back.
Emily Levine, executive vice president at Career Group Companies, told Business Insider that many Zoomers filling out job applications feel like they’re being “thrown into the abyss.”
“There’s a lot of job ads, but they’re not reaching any real people,” Levine said. “There’s just a lot of frustration and panic about the future of a new generation of workers.”
Levine said half of the blame is on the decline in job openings, and the other half is on Gen Z’s bad reputation among recruiters.
Companies are still hiring, “just being a lot more cautious,” she said.
Red Flag
When the global coronavirus lockdowns began to ease and companies began re-filling positions, employers were “spending a lot of money on candidates,” Levine said. Job openings were plentiful. But that’s no longer the case.
“There aren’t as many jobs available as there are people graduating,” she says, “and there are a lot of people who are more old-fashioned and maybe tired of the Gen Z hype.”
Levin recruits from entry level to C-suite levels in industries including fashion, media, tech, entertainment and real estate, so he has plenty of examples of what not to do during the job search phase.
She said Zoomers can be particularly demanding in the workplace, which can get in the way.
They are known as the generation that is less keen on getting promoted. They prefer work-life balance and flexibility. They are the generation that coined the term “lazy work” and are the generation that works to live, not works to live.
But bringing up these hopes during an initial interview with a company can be a red flag, Levine says.
“Do they understand they have to pay dues?” she said.
Some people are too eager to get promoted, instead of focusing on the job they applied for, she said. “Do they understand that anniversaries and milestones don’t mean that your title will change?”
Levine said it’s natural to express concerns about career advancement, but applicants should first demonstrate their capabilities to the company.
If not, “it sets off alarm bells in the interviewer’s mind that they’re already thinking about their next step,” she said.
Job Change and Bathrobes
Gen Z loves to change jobs, many see work as just a job and are happy to leave a job that doesn’t meet their expectations, even if they don’t have a back-up plan.
As a result, companies may be looking to more experienced candidates, even for entry-level positions, Levine said.
“How do you find people at an entry-level price point who aren’t this entitlement-conscious Gen Z-type candidate? Turnover is costly, so maybe you need to hire people with a little more experience.”
One of the biggest mistakes Levine sees young job seekers make is “just going for it,” meaning not doing any research on the company or person they’ll be meeting at the interview.
“Even though they are given a link to the person they’re interviewing with, they come in completely clueless, they don’t know anything about the company or the person they’re interviewing with,” she said. “It’s really insulting.”
She’s heard some candidates are doing video interviews in their cars rather than having to park.
“They’re just driving around on video and having a conversation as if it’s totally normal,” Levine said. “They’re not even making eye contact with the interviewer.”
Levine has also seen candidates interview in bed, lying on the couch with their laptops on their bellies, and “with dirty laundry scattered all over the room.”
A colleague of Levine’s recently had an interaction with a potential client who was in bed watching TV during the interview.
“We thought it was the weirdest thing ever,” Levine said, as if “we were bothering her during her nap.”
“You might see someone doing a FaceTime interview in a bathrobe,” Levine added, “wet hair, hair pulled back in a towel.”
Chewing gum during an interview is also a bad look, Levine says, as is having a parent follow up after the interview or bringing mom or dad to the interview itself.
“At the end of the day, people are just too comfortable,” Levine said.
To bridge this gap, Levine says Zoomers who want to put in the hard work to find the right job should start with research: Instead of sending the same resume and application to multiple job ads, they should tailor their resume and application to specific positions.
Dressing for the interview also matters, Levine said, so candidates should pack some work-appropriate attire — it doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should show you’re serious about the job, Levine said.
Levins said he needed to clean up his social media and remove anything “controversial” from his public profile.
“An interview is an audition, and you always want to do your best,” Levine says, “but I feel like applicants today are increasingly ignorant about what an interview entails.”
