Dear Gen Z: don’t bring a parent

Interview Tip 5 of 10.

I received a message from our first investor with the following info: in the last year, 25% of Gen Z job seekers who went on an interview (drumroll)… BROUGHT A PARENT with them.

My jaw literally dropped.

I asked our marketing team about this, and they weren’t surprised, saying, “They’ve spent their whole lives behind a screen, so they have a difficult time in live situations.”

This generation can’t be skipped over. It’s not their fault that they spent their whole lives behind a screen, and we’re not understanding the long-term effects of that yet. We are only scratching the surface.

Having said that, it makes a lot of sense that employers do not want to hire people who cannot assume adult responsibilities.

The exception to bringing anyone with you to an interview is when you have certain disabilities. In these cases, it is obvious and appropriate to have assistance.

But disabilities do not seem to be the driving force behind this statistic.

So, what are we going to do about this situation? How are we going to bridge this gap between the generation that is doing the hiring and the generation that will need to be hired very soon?

We’re all going to have to collectively come up with solutions, including training and providing guidance. Otherwise, how are these job seekers supposed to magically know what seems abundantly clear to those of us doing the interviewing?