Job seekers in the final round are interviewed by a human resources representative at a sales office.
getty
Recent Gen Z college graduates must face an uphill battle when it comes to finding a job. More than a quarter of executives are currently not even considering hiring university graduates, a new General Assembly survey has found. And it’s not because young entry-level employees don’t have enough knowledge to complete the tasks in the job description. Rather, managers surveyed feel that the most significant shortcoming of Gen Z employees is a lack of critical interpersonal skills, often referred to as “soft skills.” This includes communication, problem solving, creativity, collaboration, adaptability, conflict resolution, and other skills. These skills are typically developed through direct experience rather than instruction and are essential to professional success.
Unfortunately, a lack of soft skills among young workers is causing companies to hire fewer college graduates, which is already having ripple effects throughout the U.S. workforce. Strada Institute for the Future of Work and Burning Glass Institute find that more than half of recent four-year college graduates are underemployed one year after graduation, according to the Talent Disruption report. I did. The soft skills shortage is also affecting the jobs of managers, who are already overworked after a series of corporate layoffs of middle managers. One in five managers have considered quitting their job due to the stress of supervising Gen Z employees, and 75% of managers say they’re more likely to work with employees of other generations, according to a new study from online education magazine Intelligent.com. respondents say they require more time and resources than employees.
Social isolation during the pandemic has been cited as the main reason young workers feel unprepared to enter today’s workforce. According to a Gartner report, 46% of Gen Z employees say the pandemic has made it more difficult to pursue their education and career goals. During the pandemic, young people attended school primarily remotely. As the Gartner report points out, without in-person connections and interactions in school, Gen Z is “developing the skills needed to negotiate, network, speak confidently in front of a crowd, and the social skills needed for work. We missed out on developing soft skills such as developing attentiveness” in a face-to-face environment for long periods of time. ”
There’s no denying that in order to get the job done right, employees need to hone hard skills, the specific technical abilities needed in almost every job. For example, workers need to understand how to write code and develop products. But without soft skills, those same employees won’t know how to coordinate with colleagues and other teams involved in the project, or when and how to bring questions to team leaders during the planning process. It’s possible that you don’t understand.
No matter what field you’re in, you need soft skills to be successful. Throwing away job applications from younger employees may seem easy in the short term, but it won’t help your company in the long term. Failing to hire and develop young talent is simply not sustainable (or right). Additionally, ignoring Gen Z workers means inheriting a diverse talent pool that is incredibly tech-savvy, adaptable, innovative, bold, and with fresh perspectives. I will.
Failing to invest in Gen Z’s professional development is a grave mistake, and companies will ultimately pay the price one way or another. Rather than not hiring young workers at all, companies should consider providing training that teaches them important soft skills. According to research conducted by ResumeBuilder, in response to Gen Z employees struggling with soft skills, 45% of companies have started offering specialized classes to gain skills. About two-thirds of companies surveyed said these classes were very successful.
To be clear, soft skills instruction must begin before graduation. In addition to traditional pedagogy, schools need to place more emphasis on teaching interpersonal skills to prepare students for success, according to a report by education experts at the Learning Policy Institute. The report states that subject matter knowledge alone is not enough, and that the curriculum emphasizes “other important competencies as well, such as critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, effective communication, independent learning, and academic thinking.” states that it is necessary. Notably, the report also states that “the human brain develops in response to positive relationships, experiences, and environments, and quality education begins with relationships.” This applies both inside and outside the classroom.
Professional development is necessary for future employees to gain practical experience outside of the classroom and hone valuable soft skills that they will rely on throughout their careers and lives. To this end, schools are increasingly offering programs that allow young people to work on problem-solving, communication, collaboration, time management, and leadership skills. For example, Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, hosts the Business Power Skills Conference, which teaches students communication and leadership skills. While programs like this are a great start, it’s clear that companies need to do more to invest in their Gen Z employees as well.
Companies can’t simply throw Gen Z graduates out of work because they haven’t yet had the opportunity to develop important interpersonal skills. This is not their failure and it is up to the generation responsible for their professional development to fix it. Companies should consider how to prepare the next generation for success by investing in workplace programs, mentorship, and onboarding training that build and strengthen soft skills. The business world needs Gen Z talent. To harness that talent, business leaders must actively invest in its development.
