Gregory Robinson
Job recruiters, listen up: if your employment offer misses this one crucial detail, don’t be surprised if you receive the silent treatment.
For the youngest generation in the workforce, transparency is incredibly important.
A new study has found that 44% of Gen Z university graduates admitted they have been turned off by interviews that failed to mention a salary range.
And it’s not just salary transparency that is shifting the way young people accept job offers. According to Monster’s 2025 State of the Graduate report, 75% of young people will refuse to work for a company with clashing political views compared with their own.
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Hybrid work is also a key issue, with 42% admitting that it is a key element of modern work, and one in three said they would refuse a job offer if the company lacks diverse leadership.
“Since so many job descriptions provide it as a common practice, when other employers don’t, graduates may simply gloss over these job listings that don’t share it,” said Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster speaking to Fortune.
A 2024 study into salary transparency in the UK job market reveals many businesses are still reluctant to disclose how much they're willing to pay prospective employees.
The study, by the HR resource People Managing People of more than 4,000 live LinkedIn job adverts from junior to director level positions across 24 sectors in the UK, revealing that over half (53%) failed to include salary details.
But it turns out Gen Z have another work-related hurdle to get over.
Research has also suggested that Gen Z employees are fired at a startling rate. Apparently, six in 10 employers have revealed why they’ve had to make the choice to fire their newly hired graduates just months after hiring them, and it paints a bleak picture of the office.
The reason behind the mass firings is all to do with Gen Z attitudes, according to a survey conducted by intelligent.com which nearly 1,000 business owners participated in.
Intelligent’s chief education and career development adviser Huy Nguyen stated in the report: “Many recent college graduates may struggle with entering the workforce for the first time, as it can be a huge contrast from what they are used to throughout their education journey.”
Some employees admitted that they are concerned about Gen Z’s lack of professionalism and communication skills. Some experts believe this cohort lacks ‘soft skills’ (interpersonal skills like how they function with colleagues in a workplace) but this may be due to a lack of preparation in the education system.
Employers may call them picky when the time comes to hire a Gen Z worker, but one thing's for sure, they know their value even if how they function in the workplace is different. Entitled? Not exactly. This generation is done settling, and maybe it’s about time.