In August, Intelligent.com surveyed 966 business leaders involved in hiring decisions at their company to explore attitudes toward hiring recent college graduates from Generation Z.
The survey revealed that:
· 75% of companies report that some or all of the recent college graduates they hired this year were dissatisfied.
· 6 out of 10 companies fired a recent college graduate they hired this year.
· 1 in 6 hiring managers say they are hesitant to hire people from this group.
· Hiring managers say recent college graduates are unprepared for the workforce, can’t handle the workload, and are unprofessional.
· 1 in 7 companies may refrain from hiring recent college graduates next year.
· 9 out of 10 hiring managers say recent college graduates should receive etiquette training.
According to the survey, this year, 94% of companies report hiring recent college graduates. Among these companies, only 25% say all recent college graduate hires were successful, while 62% say only some were successful. Additionally, 14% report that only some hires or none were successful.
The most frequently cited reasons for why these hires didn’t work out were lack of motivation or initiative (50%), poor communication skills (39%) and lack of professionalism (46%). Other factors included poor communication skills (39%), difficulty accepting feedback (38%) and inadequate problem-solving skills (34%).
Most companies (79%) report that they had to include at least some of these underperforming hires in performance improvement plans, and 60% report that some were eventually fired.
“Many recent college graduates may struggle to enter the job market for the first time, as it can be a stark contrast to what they were used to throughout their educational journey. They are often unprepared for a less structured environment, the cultural dynamics of the workplace, and the expectation of autonomous work,” says Intelligent’s Senior Education and Career Development Advisor Huy Nguyen.
“It can be easy for managers to accept typical Gen Z stereotypes and dismiss them out of hand; however, companies have an equal responsibility to prepare new graduates for their particular workplace and give them the best chance to succeed. By understanding the challenges of Gen Z workers, companies can take a more proactive approach by implementing formal employee onboarding programs that clearly outline company culture and expectations,” Nguyen added.
Intelligent points out that pairing recent graduates with mentors at the company can also pay big dividends, as it can provide Gen Z workers with the guidance, feedback and support needed to succeed.
For more details on the survey and its methodology, click here.
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