\n Gen Z is stepping into the workforce with bold expectations\u2014flexibility, balance and meaningful work\u2014but they\u2019re encountering a job market that\u2019s more demanding than they had imagined. <\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, we\u2019re wrestling with a couple different issues,\u201d says Briana Randall, executive director of the University of Washington\u2019s Career and Internship Center. \u201cIt\u2019s actually quite difficult to get a job, and we\u2019re seeing more headlines about employers not loving Gen Z workers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z is entering the workforce with different goals than previous generations. According to Deloitte\u2019s 2024 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, few Gen Z professionals want to climb the corporate ladder. Instead, most are prioritizing personal well-being and meaningful work. Financial stability remains a top concern as well.<\/p>\n
Randall, who has been with the UW Career and Internship Center since 2004, has noticed a shift in mindset among recent graduates. \u201cThey\u2019re prioritizing security more than they have in the past and are looking for balance and flexibility,\u201d she says. \u201cI really admire our graduating students for being more mindful of their well-being. But sometimes that focus may interfere with being accountable to teammates and coworkers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning, this generation has experienced more flexibility and support from schools and institutions than earlier cohorts. \u201cHigher education very much supports people\u2019s identities and well-being,\u201d Randall explains. \u201cBut now we have to prepare them for workplaces that might not care about that. Gen Z workers may not be able to delay a deadline or miss work because they\u2019re stressed.\u201d She tells them, \u201cYou have to understand that your team is relying on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds that many Gen Z employees expect the freedom to work the way they\u2019d like. \u201cThey want to call their own shots\u2014to have significant say in their tasks, schedule and where they work,\u201d she says. \u201cBut those things aren\u2019t typical in first jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the disconnect between expectations and reality, Randall points out clear paths to success. The most important credential? Internship experience. \u201cEven if it\u2019s in a different field, it shows that you can be on time and be accountable,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
That helps counter perceptions highlighted in a recent Resume.org report, which found that about half of hiring managers believe new graduates lack key skills, struggle to work in teams and demonstrate poor business etiquette.<\/p>\n
Still, the UW\u2019s own data offers encouragement. According to surveys from last year, more than 62% of recent graduates secured full-time jobs within a few months of graduation, while nearly 20% continued their education. Many found local work at the University of Washington, UW Medical Center, Amazon, Seattle Children\u2019s Hospital and Boeing.<\/p>\n
This year, however, the job market has tightened. \u201cIt\u2019s more challenging,\u201d Randall says. Data from the New York Federal Reserve confirms that the labor market for recent graduates has deteriorated.<\/p>\n
While most students who visit the Career and Internship Center hope to stay in Seattle and work for well-known companies, Randall and her team encourage broader thinking. \u201cWe remind them this is just their first job,\u201d Randall says. \u201cSomething that really fits their skills and long-term goals might be at a smaller company\u2014or in a different place entirely, like Idaho.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to the difficulty is a shift in employer preferences. \u201cIt\u2019s an employer\u2019s market right now,\u201d Randall says. \u201cSome employers are talking about the challenges of managing Gen Z workers. Rather than hire someone who resists adapting to company culture, they might prefer to rehire a retiree\u2014or do the work themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, most graduating students just want a job\u2014ideally one that connects to what they studied. For Gen Z to succeed in today\u2019s workforce, Randall believes compromise is key. \u201cEmployers need to be more flexible,\u201d she says, \u201cand students need to be flexible as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gen Z is stepping into the workforce with bold expectations\u2014flexibility, balance and meaningful work\u2014but they\u2019re encountering a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[84,1371,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-110702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-jobs","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}