Gen-Z has become known as the generation that makes selfish changes, focusing more than ever on social-emotional well-being than anything else.
While millennials are well known for their hustle culture and strong work ethics, Gen Z is straying away from that norm and moving towards a reality where they have a better work/life balance than those before them.
While some respect the newfound dynamics, others — especially those in hiring positions — reject the unorthodox ideologies that Gen Z has established about career life.
Gen-Z prioritizes flexibility when it comes to jobs
One thing is for certain about Gen-Z’s ideologies regarding work: some of their beliefs are healthy.
Whereas many Millennials and even Boomers believed in being workhorses with very little balance, Gen-Z strays away from this. They believe in having flexible schedules, remote work day options, and extended vacation times for when they need them most.
Finding balance is important
These newfound priorities may not benefit those in HR offices or on hiring committees, but they certainly benefit prospective employees.
When hiring managers see this new trend, they typically adjust their standards to meet the growing needs of the job market and population.
However, some trends are being frowned upon entirely
Despite the work/life balance becoming a major green flag from Gen-Z, there is one new trend that people cannot get behind — starting with the interview process.
Tammie Christofis Ballis, a specialist recruiter and career coach at Realistic Careers, told the New York Post that she has begun to see job applicants bringing in their parents to interviews when looking for part-time or seasonal work.
Ballis owned a cafe in Australia, while her parents still owned a fish and chips shop.
In her cafe, she first noticed the trend
In 2011, when she owned the cafe, Ballis noticed that parents would accompany their children to job interviews.
However, things have gotten even worse, with Ballis admitting that she’s seen parents fill out job applications for their children entirely — forgetting that these kids have less experience and less knowledge than they do.
When their kids don’t get the job, they’re shocked
Despite fudging their children’s job applications, parents are still dumbfounded when their kids don’t receive an offer.
“I think that seems to have happened, they just forgot how they did it and by applying for a job for their kid they think they are helping them,” Ballis explained.
But, she added, kids aren’t taking their parents to work with them daily, so she’s unsure why they have such a huge hand in their application and interview process.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop with high school students and part-time work
As a career coach, Ballis often speaks to job recruiters and hiring committees. Recently, she has also seen an uptick in parental involvement from Gen-Z graduate students.
“I’ve had two graduate nursing recruiters reach out to me as well saying that they’ve had parents turn up to graduate nursing interviews,” she told the New York Post.
“These would be 20- to 21-year-olds. And I just think, you’re not taking your mum to work, so why would you take them to an interview?”
Along with parental engagement, Gen-Z applicants are asking questions during interviews
Sarah Trefren, a Gen-Z TikTok user, went viral on the app when she divulged her story of being yelled at during an interview after bringing up “time blindness.”
During an interview for a trade school, Trefren asked what accommodations there were for individuals with time blindness and who struggle to be on time.
She was then “yelled at” by the person on the interview. “Then when we were done they actually started yelling at me and saying accommodations for time blindness don’t exist and if you struggle being on time you will never be able to get a job,” she said.
As it turns out, Trefren also had her mom on the phone with her during the interview
Her mother interrupted her questioning, posing it to mean something different.
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However, Trefren later doubled down on the question, saying it is a symptom of her ADHD and that she was hoping for a 15-minute window of time to be late.
While some agreed with Trefren, others shared that accommodations should use alarm clocks and reminders to make it to places on time.
Seeing these challenges, Gen-Z shares they get “interview anxiety”
Along with the pressure to obtain the job they are seeking, many Gen-Z applicants get nervous during interviews. Some share it’s due to the professional language and attire expected of them; others share it’s because they feel uncomfortable doing things alone.
Ballis, who runs social media accounts sharing advice for job seekers, said the issue is that Gen-Z doesn’t ever want to be “uncomfortable.”
Nerves are normal when beginning a new journey for anyone
Gen-Z applicants are not special in feeling nervous and pressured — we all do when applying for a job we really want.
Ballis said these situations help us get the job. We need to feel uncomfortable to grow and succeed. If we don’t feel uncomfortable, we aren’t being vulnerable and opening ourselves up to change and growth.
