Young adults are graduating from college and heading out into the world, but a growing number of hiring managers are expressing concerns about their readiness to meet workplace demands.
According to a survey conducted by Intelligent.com, one in four hiring managers believed recent graduates were unprepared for entry-level roles, with many highlighting issues such as poor work ethic, lack of professionalism and insufficient interview skills.
The survey, which polled 1,000 U.S. hiring managers on December 30, found that 12 percent intended to avoid hiring recent college graduates altogether in 2025. These managers indicated a preference for older, more experienced candidates, citing issues with younger applicants' maturity and readiness for the workplace.
The findings paint a troubling picture for new graduates entering a competitive job market, the majority of whom are part of Gen Z—born 1997 to 2012. Thirty-three percent of hiring managers surveyed said they believed recent graduates lacked work ethic, while 29 percent described them as entitled and 28 percent as unmotivated.
One-quarter of respondents said graduates did not respond well to feedback, and almost as many said they were easily offended. Concerns were also raised about poor communication skills, punctuality and a need for micromanagement.
The survey's results are in line with other findings that suggest companies don't want to hire Gen Z employees and that Gen Z workers are being fired from jobs months after being hired.
But what are new graduates getting wrong? Almost a quarter of the managers surveyed said graduates were unprepared for interviews, with many candidates struggling to maintain eye contact, dressing inappropriately or asking for unreasonable compensation.
In some cases, interview incidents bordered on the absurd: 8 percent of hiring managers reported that a candidate had brought a parent to the interview.
Huy Nguyen, the chief education and career development adviser at Intelligent.com, said in a statement that hiring managers needed to rethink how they evaluate recent graduates.
"Instead of avoiding recent college grads entirely based on biases and stereotypes, hiring managers need to adopt more proactive and nuanced approaches to identifying promising candidates," Nguyen said, adding, "Specific skills and processes can be easily taught to someone who is motivated and has the right attitude."
The survey also found that hiring managers' frustrations with recent graduates were translating into firings, with 55 percent of respondents saying they had to terminate a recent graduate's employment in 2024.
Nguyen said graduates could take steps to make themselves more appealing candidates for jobs.
"Recent college graduates should be aware of the negative perceptions and biases that exist against them," he said. "By understanding what frustrates managers the most and taking an intentional approach to interviewing, candidates can increase their chances of making a good impression and standing out among the sea of other applicants."
The survey was conducted on December 30, 2024, using Pollfish to collect responses from managers aged 27 and older and working full time at companies with more than 20 employees.
English (US) ·