A recruitment expert has revealed the reasons why Gen Z are struggling to land jobs and has given her tips and tricks on how to stand out from the crowd when applying for roles.
Ursula Colman, recruitment director for Zetter Recruitment, based in Cambridge and London, said Gen Z have higher expectations than previous generations, adding that they expect to be able to work from home and be paid a generous salary.
She said her company often sees young graduates applying for senior roles because they expect to be handed their ‘dream job’ without being prepared to do work experience first.
‘(There is an attitude) that you should have the life you want and get paid for it. It has made internships seem out of date,’ she told MailOnline.
She said factors deterring young candidates include employers “wanting someone full-time in the office” or “the salary may not be considered high enough.”
Ursula Colman, a recruitment director with 22 years’ experience, said Gen Z don’t want to work from the office and have high salary expectations
“Whereas before this would be a stepping phase, there is a real desire of ‘I want it here and now’. It’s a sense of entitlement,” she said.
The recruitment expert with 22 years’ experience said there is a desire among Gen Z to travel rather than look for a job.
But when they return, they are left with a huge gap on their resumes, which is unattractive to recruiters because they are older but still lack experience.
What’s more, higher education these days isn’t enough to make you stand out from the crowd.
“Having a degree is almost normal, whereas it used to be the thing that so many companies would (think) is a good way to filter,” explained Ursula. ‘Today it is actually more about experience and what you have done alongside your education.
‘The amount that people are willing to work for has certainly changed. We often want entry level roles and Gen Z is like: “No, it’s not paying enough, I’m looking for more”.
She said what Gen Z set the bar high when it comes to the working conditions they will accept.
“We’re seeing more and more Gen Z wanting to work from home, and historically the first roles in your career are seed roles where you have to commute and work long hours,” she said.
‘But we have candidates who want to say, “I want to work from home, I don’t want to be in the office every day, the pay is not enough” in a way that we never used to see.’
Ursula revealed her top tips on how Gen Z can stand out from the crowd and land highly qualified jobs straight out of university.
“Experience is the best way because that’s how you stand out,” she said. ‘So many people, if they’re good, end up finding a paid role. It’s also really confidence-boosting.’
The recruitment expert said the way people apply for jobs affects how they come across.
To stand out from hundreds of applications, Ursula said picking up the phone and calling the company to introduce yourself and talk about your background will help stick in the minds of potential employers and is a more personal touch than apply online.
She also said that walking into their offices for an interview instead of opting for a video call also makes a huge difference because it shows the employer that you’ve gone the extra mile.
TikTok users joke with their thousands of followers about life on social media
A TikTok video (left) shows a group of young people nodding their heads to music with the caption: ‘When the money doubles the money.’ Another video (right), believed to be a parody, shows a woman showing a weekly benefit entitlement of £1,151 a week and saying: ‘Someone tell me why I would get a job when my weekly Universal Credits I get? ‘
Ursula added that participating in extra sports clubs at universities or in communities can highlight skills to employers such as being a team player.
Yesterday the Mail reported shocking statistics that more people under 25 are now ‘financially inactive’ than ever before – up by around 700,000 since the Covid pandemic.
Young people have been seen posting jokey TikToks about not working.
A video with the caption ‘How life is like living by the dagger’ shows a young man walking through a shopping mall saying: ‘Today I’m going to drink and smoke cigarettes at 14 in the afternoon, which I am quite excited about. do.’
Another video shows a group of young people nodding their heads to music with the lyrics: ‘When the dole doubles the money.’
A third example shows a woman showing a weekly benefit entitlement of £1,151 a week saying: ‘Will someone please tell me why I would get a job when it’s my weekly universal credits I get?
‘I mean why would I get a job. I’ll get your monthly salary in a week… I’m living my damn best life.’
When asked about Gen Z TikTokers who joked about being on the game and not getting a job, the recruitment director said: ‘If you have a gap in your experience, the perception is that you couldn’t get a job and there it is even harder to get a role.
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‘If you see someone who is not working and has not worked for a year, why would you interview them next to someone who has worked? It’s really counterproductive and makes it harder (to get a job).’
Almost three million Britons under the age of 25 are not working or looking for work.
Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that more than a fifth of adults in the UK are generally considered to be economically inactive.
This means that around 9.25 million people aged between 16 and 64 are not in employment and not looking for work – an increase of around 700,000 since before the Covid pandemic.
Almost three million of them are under 25 – an increase of 384,000 since February 2020.
The figures come amid concerns about the impact of labor shortages on the economy. More than 900,000 jobs are currently unfilled.