Lazy, entitled or simply unrealistic?

Yes, there definitely is a shortage of good people, at all levels!

My clients and my team of recruiters see it every day. In addition to the lack of talent, there is a new sector in the job market arena that I will label “GEN R”. That's for GENERATION RIDICULOUS.

This is the group of unrealistic, lazy and/or entitled 21-28 year old 's who are currently in the job market. You might recognize them by name, by experience (or lack thereof), gaps in employment, unrealistic salary requirements or possibly by the inordinate amount of jobs on their resume that only lasted 6-12 months.

Members of Gen R have the uncanny ability to rationalize everything, from their inability to keep a job to why “it’s not fair”, and of course, their all-consuming concern “What’s in it for me, right now?!" These observations are coming from my recent interviews, conversations, and experiences - of course this doesn't include some very hard workers in this age bracket. But it’s a growing trend I can’t ignore.

Let's see if you agree. Last week, a quasi-client reached out to me (and most likely other recruiters he works with) to help his daughter, a 2017 grad. He told me she has been home basically doing nothing since the summer. We got lucky - less than 24 hours later, a client in Center City asked to see some new grads for an entry level position. Ms. Gen R actually took the phone interview - then proceeded to come up with any and every excuse in the book NOT to have a face to face interview over the next three days, knowing it would be a quick temp to hire position with an almost immediate start date.

I got an email the other day from a connection on LinkedIn (who I don't know personally) asking if I could help his son, who graduated in December 2016. He came out of a well respected Liberal Arts College with a high GPA, and a degree in some sort of ancient history (Greek? Roman? I already blocked it out). He had held TWO jobs since graduation, including a temp stint, and hadn’t worked since November. When we talked, Mr. Gen R tells me that $40-45k isn't a salary range he would consider - it would have to be closer to $60,000. I asked him what experience he could offer (from ANY of the  jobs he had in the 12 months since he graduated) to warrant $60k? The answer is irrelevant, but I can assure you it wasn’t a $20,000 response.

Ms. Gen R, who graduated in May 2017 and took the summer off to chill, started her first job in late August. In November, she asked her boss if she was going to be promoted soon, as it had already been a few months. Spoiler alert: she gave notice and left her marketing position over the holidays because she didn't get that oh-so-well-deserved promotion after the  grueling four months she put in with the company.

How about the resume I received last week from a 2015 graduate who is currently unemployed, highlighting his three jobs in three years? He will only consider a direct hire position (no temp /contract to hire) that offers long term growth. I asked him why he left each of his previous positions after such a short time. His response was that two positions were not “the right fit", and one was not exactly how they described it to him during the interview as far as workload. Gen R was horrified to report that most weeks he worked as many as 45 HOURS! Ay Caramba!

Where did the Entry Level, nose to the grindstone, start-at-the-bottom-at-a-BEGINNER’s-salary job seeker go? Show me one hard working new grad and I will give you the names of fifteen clients that get blank stares when they ask (not tell) their staff to work a little late. For every new grad you know that truly wants a job, and puts in their time to learn and progress, I will send you a list of temp workers that will call out “sick” the day after the Super Bowl.                

I remember when I was happy to get a paycheck, valued BOTH weeks of vacation and loved knowing that if I worked hard, I would succeed in some way. Now? The initial questions a GEN R asks in a career conversation are not about the company, the position, the job description, the long term opportunity – they are “what are the hours?” and “what does the PTO look like?” How about starting the job (and your career, in some cases), learn, AND THEN earn. It's not that I’ve turned into my father or grandfather, but the spoon-fed, entitled generation entering the workforce is making me want to shout GET OFF MY LAWN!!

Please share if you have had other experiences, and again, of course this does not encapsulate the ENTIRE group of young candidates I’ve seen. But I have to say, I’m starting to have major concerns for the American Workforce in years to come!

Happy Hunting