- Employers aren’t impressed with college graduates and are hiring older professionals instead.
- That’s according to an Intelligent survey of 800 managers, directors, and executives involved in hiring.
- 20% of employers said a college graduate showed up with a parent for a job interview.
Some employers said they’d be willing to offer older professionals more benefits and higher salaries to avoid hiring new college graduates, a recent survey found.
Intelligent, an online magazine focused on student life, surveyed 800 managers, directors, and executives involved in hiring in the US in December. It found that 39% of employers said they avoid hiring college graduates for positions they’re eligible for in favor of older candidates.
According to the survey, employers are favoring older workers partly because young professionals aren’t making a great impression on hiring managers during job interviews. Over half of employers said young recruits struggled to make eye contact during the interview, and 50% said they asked for unreasonable compensation.
Almost half said they showed up in inappropriate attire, and nearly 20% said they even brought a parent to the job interview.
Of the employers who said they prefer to hire older job seekers, 60% said they would be willing to offer more benefits to attract them, 59% said they would be willing to offer higher salaries, and 48% said they would be willing to remote or hybrid-working opportunities.
Young professionals also appear to have a reputation for being difficult to work with. Nearly two-thirds of employers said it was “very true” or “somewhat true” that recent college grads are “entitled,” while 58% said it was very or somewhat true that they “get offended too easily.”
Nearly 60% of bosses said it was very or somewhat true that recent grads are unprepared for the workforce, with more than half agreeing that young professionals “don’t respond well to feedback” and have “poor communication skills.
As Gen Z has entered the workforce in increasing numbers in recent years, employers have expressed concerns about the younger generation’s ability to adapt to corporate life.
PWC, Deloitte, and KPMG are among the major firms that have said Gen Z recruits who graduated during the pandemic struggle to exercise basic communication skills and office etiquette.
As a result, they’ve been offering extra classes on soft skills such as how to send emails, what to wear to the office, and how to work in a team.
