Gen Z and job interviews

[Stan Calow]

The irony is the people doing the complaining, are ultimately responsible for that which they're complaining about.

Absolutely right. Guilty as charged. But it's other people's kids that are the problem, not mine.

[Steve Demuth]

The irony is the people doing the complaining, are ultimately responsible for that which their complaining about.

This thought has come to me during many different interactions with young people coming into the work force, and haunts me in darker reflective moments in retirement. If we're producing adults poorly prepared or unprepared for the world they are entering, that's not the fault of the students, but of the institutions and people who have brought them to that point - which of course means us oldsters, and perhaps especially, oldsters who had leadership roles in educating and raising the young people.

That said, I think an awful lot of the complaining is rather vapid - yeah, the younger generations are not just like we were, and we may need to change some of our expectations and the ways we do things to fit them fully into their new roles. That's hardly new. Past the surface layers of "they are different," I still encounter highly capable, highly motivated new entrants into the work force.

[mike stenson]

This thought has come to me during many different interactions with young people coming into the work force, and haunts me in darker reflective moments in retirement. If we're producing adults poorly prepared or unprepared for the world they are entering, that's not the fault of the students, but of the institutions and people who have brought them to that point - which of course means us oldsters, and perhaps especially, oldsters who had leadership roles in educating and raising the young people.

That said, I think an awful lot of the complaining is rather vapid - yeah, the younger generations are not just like we were, and we may need to change some of our expectations and the ways we do things to fit them fully into their new roles. That's hardly new. Past the surface layers of "they are different," I still encounter highly capable, highly motivated new entrants into the work force.

I agree. I'm currently mentoring several junior engineers. Both millenials and gen-zers. I'm a gen-xer. Really, I find that they're not so different. They just have a different point of view, largely one that was not their choice anyway. I'll be honest, in many ways we had it easier anyway.

So, from this slacker... The kids, they're alright. It's generally the "adults" that are the problem.

[Earl McLain]

At age 13, my oldest son made a mistake. Arrested, expelled from middle school, home detention, a year of probation. I introduced him to the owner of a machine shop, where he worked sorting hardware & organizing tool room 3 hours/night 3 nights a week (max allowable, even when not in school)--had to drive him 30 minjtes each way (2 hours total drive for me!!) to drop him off & pick him up. He used his checks to pay off his attorney, probation fees, and fines. He home-schooled until he stopped about grade 11 when he became kind of a semi-pro BMX rider. Went on to work fast food, a check cashing place, retail banking, selling hydraulic parts.

Now...he turned 38 yesterday, is a good husband and great dad of 2 kids. Along the way, did an online BS in technology & business, got his MBA about 8 years ago. Works as a senior project manager for the international division of a major corp--one step from using corporate aircraft to go to his offices in South America. Makes a great living, yet lives a great life.

Something about having to make your own way, being self-responsible and responsible to others...seems to strengthen the soul and build character. Always a bright kid, it was adversity and being force to pay for it that turned the corner in my son's life. Not a path i would encourage for any child (or parent!!), but proof that nose to the grindstone still can reap dividends!!

[andrew whicker]

I don't understand why (seemingly mainly baby boomers? )want kids to work in high school anyway. I ran track and xc. I was in winter running club. I played a ton of street basketball. I hung out with friends and laughed and screwed around. I had an absolute blast in hs. I did work in the summers and I did work one winter break.

But idk, if someone else took those breaks to travel w parents, play a sport etc, who cares?

After all, once you start working it's a looong road of working. Work isn't the end all be all meaning of life. I enjoy building stuff so I made it my living, but it's also not the entirety of who I am.

Before we are working full time adults we chase opportunities to work and after we are full time we chase time off.

I feel like it's that general idea of "I had it rough so you have to too!" thing that we all tend to do to each other.

[Patty Hann]

I don't understand why (seemingly mainly baby boomers? )want kids to work in high school anyway.....

Some kids will have to work part time if they want pocket money. They can't ask their parents for something that doesn't exist (extra money lying around).
I know that when I was in high school (well my whole life until I went in the Navy) if any of us 5 kids wanted spending money we had to [somehow] earn it.
There was simply no extra money to hand out to us.
If we wanted to play a sport that required buying stuff (shoes/rackets/gloves) we paid for it ourselves or we didn't play.

[andrew whicker]

I completely understand that and I can empathize with that situation. But we shouldn't be AIMING for that reality. That should hopefully not happen. It shouldn't be the norm.

If we aren't careful we find ourselves celebrating the things we should be trying to fix.

[Warren Lake]

at 11 had a paper route. After a year they gave you money they had held back., What a concept so at 12 bought a mini bike. Working just seemed normal after that. Got a better route two apartments instead of sub division start at the top work your way down much faster. Fair bit of weight in those bags on saturdays.

[Frederick Skelly]

I don't understand why (seemingly mainly baby boomers? )want kids to work in high school anyway. I ran track and xc. I was in winter running club. I played a ton of street basketball. I hung out with friends and laughed and screwed around. I had an absolute blast in hs. I did work in the summers and I did work one winter break.

But idk, if someone else took those breaks to travel w parents, play a sport etc, who cares?

After all, once you start working it's a looong road of working. Work isn't the end all be all meaning of life. I enjoy building stuff so I made it my living, but it's also not the entirety of who I am.

Before we are working full time adults we chase opportunities to work and after we are full time we chase time off.

I feel like it's that general idea of "I had it rough so you have to too!" thing that we all tend to do to each other.

I worked 30 hrs a week for much of high school. Paid for my jalopy car, my gas, my dates and things I wanted to buy. I still feel it was good for me. YMMV.

[Warren Lake]

good story Earl thanks for sharing it. We are all in this bowl of soup together and you taught your son lots and had to put out lots of time to do it. You could teach a few people I know about integrity.

[roger wiegand]

Utterly inconsistent with my experience, which is admittedly getting to be a few years out of date. I found the kids I was hiring for biotech jobs to be incredibly well prepared and poised far beyond anything I remember of myself and my cohort growing up and moving into first jobs. Their level of sophistication in their questions and thinking about what they wanted to do, why, and how far surpassed anything I would have been capable at that age. Typically their technical knowledge and experience was far ahead of where new hires were 30-40 years ago. I see the same thing now with high school kids I have the opportunity to interact with now. Of course there are the goofballs and screw-ups, but on average I'm finding kids who are scary bright, articulate, and motivated. Maybe I'm just becoming a serious dim bulb in my advancing years so everyone just seems brighter (but I don't think so).

[mike stenson]

I worked 30 hrs a week for much of high school. Paid for my jalopy car, my gas, my dates and things I wanted to buy. I still feel it was good for me. YMMV.

Those jobs, they don't exist.

Mostly because they're being filled by adults. That economy, is gone, dead, killed intentionally.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Utterly inconsistent with my experience, which is admittedly getting to be a few years out of date. I found the kids I was hiring for biotech jobs to be incredibly well prepared and poised far beyond anything I remember of myself and my cohort growing up and moving into first jobs. Their level of sophistication in their questions and thinking about what they wanted to do, why, and how far surpassed anything I would have been capable at that age. Typically their technical knowledge and experience was far ahead of where new hires were 30-40 years ago. I see the same thing now with high school kids I have the opportunity to interact with now. Of course there are the goofballs and screw-ups, but on average I'm finding kids who are scary bright, articulate, and motivated. Maybe I'm just becoming a serious dim bulb in my advancing years so everyone just seems brighter (but I don't think so).

The kids who you describe almost certainly spent multiple years working, they just did so for free. Instead of being paid for their entry level work, they probably started as “volunteers” in high school before shifting graduating to a series of unpaid “internships.”

You probably are not seeing the kids the article describes because your hiring process has already screened them out.

[Jim Becker]

I don't understand why (seemingly mainly baby boomers? )want kids to work in high school anyway. I ran track and xc. I was in winter running club. I played a ton of street basketball. I hung out with friends and laughed and screwed around. I had an absolute blast in hs. I did work in the summers and I did work one winter break..

I only did summer work, myself. Between school work, football and all the musical activities I was in, working during the school year was not going to happen. As I noted previously, my younger daughter did work during middle school and high school but it was a reasonable number of hours. It's how she funded gas and a contribution for for auto insurance once she was driving, too. Every kids' situation is different.

[Bill George]

Those jobs, they don't exist.

Mostly because they're being filled by adults. That economy, is gone, dead, killed intentionally.

Not around here!! We are at like 3.5% unemployment rate.... lots of jobs here, IF you want to work.