Generational Discrimination at the Interview
Manager: “I’m going to pass on him“
Recruiter: “Ok, can you give me some feedback on why you’ve made this choice?”
Manager: “He did fine in the interview, but there were a few red flags I just can’t get over. To start, he didn’t bring a hard copy of his resume. Secondly, he didn’t ask me for my business card at the end. ”
Recruiter: “With all due respect, these are generational differences, NOT indicators of laziness or unprofessionalism.”
The hiring manager was missing the forest for the trees. The candidate had brought his tablet to the interview, prepared to walk through his resume digitally; and he already had the manager’s email address from his recruiter; he had no idea that asking for someone’s card was considered “professional etiquette.
We’ve had conversations like these more times than I can count. As Millennials & Gen Z (fast on their heels) take over their rightful place of representing the largest segment of the US work force, we are seeing significant workplace generational disconnects, some of which can have devastating fall outs (No, I’m not talking about all the deforestation due to your Boomer boss’ obsession with printing the updated excel for every meeting).
For the first time in US History, we have 5 generations represented in the workplace. The reason we have this many, is because the Boomers & Traditionalists are not retiring at “retirement” age, like their predecessors. Compounding that, we have technology changing at a rate faster than our intern’s facebook photo - the net effect brings chasms of misunderstanding & miscommunication.
Jason Dorsey, a (millennial) world-renowned speaker, author & thought leader on this topic, has built a global business on helping business leaders build bridges in their workplace, by equipping their employees with the right tools & methodologies to optimize everyone on their team, young and old alike.
If you are a hiring manager, and concerned about unintentional discrimination in your interviews, read on.
Interviewing a Gen Xer? Here’s what you need to know: They may not appear to care much about social impact, extreme hobbies or becoming your BFF; that’s ok. It’s because they are too busy working 60 hours/week and just don’t have the mental bandwidth to entertain these nuances like their boomer or millennial comrades. Their parents (boomers) are the first generation to burn through their kid’s inheritances cruising with Viking, leaving them with no other option but to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. If you pick up on a somber tone you can’t quite put your finger on, that’s because they’re like the oldest sibling who got put in charge of their little sister when Mom went out on her errands. They will not be impressed by your company’s lofty mission statement - they are realists, and might as well be from Missouri, the “Show me” state. This generation represents the largest % of entrepreneurs in our job market today, likely due to the fact that they didn’t take on student loans the size of Tuvalu’s GDP; and speaking of formative years - they spent a significant amount of time alone, unplugged - where creativity and ingenuity reigned. Gen Xers are the steady Eddy, no frills folks you can count on to get the job done.
If you are interviewing a Millennial or Gen Z, here’s what you need to know: They’ve probably spent more time researching your employer’s people & social impact, than it’s products, services or earning potential. That’s because relationships (both internally and externally) trump everything else. They value growth over income. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing; so don’t misconstrue questions about upward mobility, and mistake it for entitlement. They are more comfortable in front of a screen, than sitting across the table from you. Help them to feel comfortable, spend a few extra minutes building rapport. They push back. If they disagree with something, they’ll let you know. Don’t assume they’re disrespectful; they are a product of a culture where hierarchy was as flat as their vegan cookie. Be forewarned though: Do not underestimate this generation: They are known for their big picture thinking and are on mission to change the world.
Bottom line: Take notes during your interviews. When complete, review your notes and parse out the subjective things that could be generational issues; not skill, will or hill. If you still have concerns, run it by someone else you trust, preferably in a different generation than you. This will help you hire the best people, regardless of Boomer, X, Y or Z.