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Gen Zers are looking for jobs. But a senior recruiter said they may be making mistakes early on that set them back.
Emily Levine, executive vice president of Career Group Companies, told Business Insider a lot of Zoomers who are filling in applications feel like they're sending them "into the abyss."
"There's all these job postings, but they can't get through to a live person," Levine said. "There's just a ton of complaining and panic about what's next for this new generation of workers."
Levine said a slowdown in vacancies is half the story. The other half is that Gen Zers have a bad reputation among hiring managers.
Companies are still hiring, she said, "they're just being a lot more careful."
When companies started filling roles again as global COVID-19 lockdowns started to lift, employers were "throwing money at candidates," Levine said. Jobs were plentiful. But no longer.
"There aren't as many jobs open as there are people who are graduating," she said. "And there's a lot of people who are just more old-school and maybe turned off by the rumors of Gen Z."
Levine recruits from industries including fashion, media, tech, entertainment, and real estate, from entry-level to the C-suite. So, she's got plenty of examples of what not to do during the jobseeking stage.
She said Zoomers can have particularly high demands of their workplaces, which may be hindering them.
They are known as the generation less enthused about climbing the corporate ladder. They favor a work-life balance and flexibility. They are the cohort that coined the term "lazy girl jobs" and work to live rather than the other way around.
But bringing up these preferences in the very first interview with a company can be a red flag, Levine said.
"Do they understand that they have to pay their dues?" she said.
Some are overeager to get promoted instead of focusing on the job they applied for, she said. "Do they understand that just because you hit an anniversary or a milestone, that doesn't mean your title is getting changed?"
Levine said raising concerns about career progression is fair, but candidates should first show the company what they can do.
Otherwise, "it sounds the alarm in the interviewer's mind," she said, that they are already thinking about their next steps.
Gen Zers love to job-hop. Many see a job as just a job and are happy to quit roles that don't meet their expectations, even without a backup plan.
That can make firms turn to more experienced candidates — even for entry-level positions, Levine said.
"How do we find someone with an entry-level price who isn't this entitled Gen Z type of candidate?" Levine said. "Maybe we hire someone with a little bit more experience because turnover is expensive."
One of the biggest mistakes Levine has encountered from young job seekers is "winging it" — not doing any research on the company or person they are meeting for an interview.
"Even if they're provided with the link of who they're meeting with, they show up completely blind, and they have no idea of anything about the company or the person that they're interviewing with," she said. "Which is just so insulting."
She's heard of some candidates taking video interviews from their cars without pulling over.
"They're just driving on video and having a conversation as if it's totally normal," Levine said. "Not even making eye contact with the interviewer."
Levine has also seen candidates take interviews from bed, or lying down on the sofa with a laptop on their stomach, "and just dirty laundry everywhere in the room."
Levine's colleague had a recent interaction with a potential client who was in bed watching TV during her interview with them.
"We just thought it was the strangest thing ever," Levine said, as if "we were inconveniencing her during a nap."
"I've had people answer FaceTime interviews and they're wearing a bathrobe," Levine added. "Wet hair, hair twisted up in a towel."
Chewing gum throughout the interview is also a bad look, Levine said, as is having a parent follow up after an interview — or even bringing mom or dad to the interview itself.
"The bottom line is that people are just way too comfortable," Levine said.
To bridge this disconnect, Levine said Zoomers who want to work hard and find the right job should start by doing their research. They should tailor their resumes and applications to specific roles rather than sending the same version to multiple job postings.
Interview attire is also important, Levine said, so candidates should have a selection of job-appropriate outfits. It doesn't have to be expensive, she said, but should show you take yourself seriously.
They should also clean up their social media, Levins said, removing anything "controversial" from public profiles.
"Interviews are auditions, and you always want to put your best foot forward," Levine said. "But I'm finding that candidates are just more and more clueless today about what it takes."
