A new survey has found that employers prefer to hire older professionals over recent college graduates because according to them young professionals don’t make a good first impression in job interviews. Intelligent, an online magazine focused on student life, surveyed 800 managers, directors and executives involved in the hiring process. They found many reasons why older applicants are preferred, one of them being Gen Z jobseekers bringing their parents to interviews.Â
According to the survey, 39% of employers actively avoid hiring recent college graduates for roles they’re qualified for. 53% of the employers said young recruits struggled to make eye contact during the interview. 50% said they asked for unreasonable compensation. 47% of them also stated that young job candidates showed up in inappropriate attire, and nearly 20% said a recent college graduate had brought a parent to a job interview.Â
Additionally, 63% of those involved in hiring claimed that recent college graduates can’t manage their workload, 61% said they are frequently late to work, 59% claimed they often miss deadlines, and 53% noted that they are frequently late to meetings.
Employers also claimed that Gen Z jobseekers get offended easily and are unprepared for the workforce in general. Out of 800 employers, 63% said they are entitled, 57% believed they lack professionalism, 55% said they don’t respond well to constructive feedback, and 52% claimed they have poor communication skills. 47% also admitted that they had fired a recent college graduate.
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However, according to the New York Post, Diane M. Gayeski, a professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College, suggested that these behaviours aren’t entirely Gen Z’s fault as a lot of it is circumstantial.Â
“Employers need to recognize that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people graduating from college had more than two years of disruption in their education as well as their social and professional development,” Ms Gayeski explained. “Current seniors were in their freshman year at the height of COVID. They likely took classes online and were unable to participate in clubs, internships or summer jobs,” she added.Â
Meanwhile, the survey also uncovered that of the employers who said they preferred to hire older job seekers, 60% said that they would be willing to offer more benefits to attract them, 59% said they would offer higher salaries, 48% said that they would allow remote or hybrid-working opportunities and 46% said they would be willing to hire overqualified candidates.Â
