There’s much buzz over employers’ claims that Gen Z’ers are struggling to adapt to the workplace. Many employers have even avoided hiring recent college graduates, instead sweetening the pot for their existing employees so they can stay.
Nearly 6 in 10 employers believe recent college graduates are unprepared for the workforce, according to a recent Intelligent.com survey of 800 U.S. executives. Four in 10 have avoided hiring recent college graduates and prioritized retaining existing employees. Among the companies that did hire recent college graduates, half admitted to firing them, the survey showed.
In short, managers claim that Gen Z hires need more mentoring and guidance about the basics of a professional environment (dress code, writing emails, communication, etc.)
This may seem unfair for young professionals, who are simply hoping to step into a fulfilling and successful career journey. Employers are clearly not making the transition into the workplace easy.
So what can job-seeking graduates do about it? For starters, make sure they are fully prepared for their job interviews, since some employers noted that as a shortcoming. Eye contact during interviews is critical too, with more than half of employers saying interviewees didn’t make enough eye contact. And for those virtual interviews, going camera-on is essential. One in five employers interviewed a candidate who did not do so.
Overall, it seems that employers believe that recent college graduates are struggling with professionalism and appropriate behavior in the workplace. The frustration around Gen-Z behavior is understandable. In my career as a financial analyst, I’ve overseen teams and can relate to the difficulty of managing those who don’t want to be managed.
But I also relate to the struggles that young professionals have in the critical transition from college to the workplace. It’s particularly difficult given that the pandemic prevented many recent graduates from experiencing a “real” workplace, where they show up to the office five days a week and interact frequently with management and peers. It’s unrealistic for managers today to expect young people to perform and behave up to their standards without proper coaching.
This is where mentorship comes in. Young people want to be understood, first and foremost. Said differently, what is it that young people are looking for in their careers? Are they looking for a large paycheck, a good sense of work-life balance and intellectual curiosity? Do they want a mix of all three?
Motives vary from person to person, and guiding young people throughout their professional journeys cannot and should not be a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, getting to know the individual, understanding their goals and aspirations, their talents and drawbacks – that’s where a recent graduate can get help from those who’ve been there before.
It’s time to show employers that Generation Z is not a disappointment, or a failure. Recent graduates are hungry for growth and a fulfilling career journey, just as their predecessors were. They’ve had some difficult years, having to adjust to virtual learning and working remotely. As managers, executives, directors, business owners, etc., we just can’t expect “normal” behavior in such “abnormal” circumstances. What is it that employers are looking for in new employees? And what is it that new employees are looking for from their employers? It’s time to understand each other and close the wide gap.
Through my Echoes of Experience program, I’m helping young professionals reach their full potential. As the title implies, the program is partly based on lessons I learned after making mistakes early in my career. In college, for example, I didn’t know what professional attire really looked like for women. I showed up to interviews wearing dark jeans, knee-high boots, and a button-up shirt. During one interview at a large institution, I walked into a lobby full of men dressed in suits. I was the only woman in the room, and I felt so out of place with my casual attire. I was interviewed by several different managers that day, only one of whom was a woman.
I didn’t get the job offer. I did, however, get a phone call from the woman who interviewed me a day after my application was turned down. She wanted to personally reach out to give me constructive feedback. Apparently, everyone thought I was a great candidate; I just wasn’t dressed for the role. Her piece of advice, and probably one of the best pieces of advice I’ve had in my career, was to buy myself one classic black suit and a white button-up shirt, and to wear that to all my interviews going forward.
As a college student, it’s difficult to set aside $100 or $200 for a business suit. But it’s a small investment in the grand scheme of things. What I learned from this experience is that professionalism matters. Everything from how you dress up to how you follow up in an email after a job interview.
I also learned the value of feedback. I was lucky that one person reached out to me with candid advice. Otherwise, I probably would have continued to wear dark jeans to interviews until somebody else stepped up and told me to dress better.
If you’re someone who’s struggling with closing the deal when it comes to getting a job offer from potential employers, it may be a good time to start requesting feedback from hiring managers. It is very helpful in refining your interviewing skills and potentially securing a job offer with future employers.
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