An Australian recruiter has shared some of the shocking excuses Gen Z has given to avoid job interviews.
Founder and managing director of employment agency EST10, Roxanne Calder, has seen a wider range of reasons for withdrawing from interviews with younger Aussies.
One of the most egregious cases involved a potential employee who said he could not attend because his pet fish had died.
The applicant claimed that “flushing the toilet…was too disturbing” and had to withdraw from the interview at the last minute.
Another Generation Z canceled ten separate interviews through Ms. Calder’s company because their grandmother had died suddenly.
Others could not attend interviews because it was “too nice a day and too sunny” or because they were “afraid that lightning would strike” during a storm.
She also says several candidates claim to have been in a car accident, an excuse the same applicants use against other recruiters.
While the apology may be comical, Ms Calder says it could spell disaster for their future employment prospects.
Recruiters are increasingly ‘frustrated’ as Gen Zers pull out of interviews at the last minute with ridiculous excuses, such as being too upset after the death of their fish (stock image)
She warned they could be worse off amid a cost-of-living crisis that has dried up the job market across Australia.
Ms Calder said she and other recruiters were becoming increasingly “frustrated” with Gen Z only texting or emailing to cancel a job interview and never calling ahead.
“Normally it’s not because they’re not interested, it’s because they don’t care, they’ve lost interest and it’s too much effort,” she said. Yahoo.
After spending time reading resumes and screening applicants, the recruiter added that it’s best to just “be honest” and cancel as early as possible.
Ms Calver believes the sense of apathy among younger Australians stems from fatigue from the Covid pandemic, the economy and the high cost of living.
Founder and managing director of employment agency EST10, Roxanne Calder (pictured), said it’s always best to call ahead and cancel an interview as early as possible
Ms Calder said many candidates claimed to have been in a car accident after a fellow recruiter shared this text exchange online
“It’s dangerous because the more people behave like this and the more we accept it and think it’s OK, the more it becomes the new normal,” Ms Calver said.
“That’s the part I’m worried about. I don’t think it’s healthy because it creeps into other things when we’re okay with that.”
Another recruiter, Graham Wynn, head of Superior People Recruitment, was also shocked when a parent tried to participate in an interview with her daughter from a helicopter.
He had to tell the mother that she could not attend after the mother tried to stay to make sure her daughter “said the right thing.”
He said the mother was just getting in the way by trying to help during the interview and not giving her daughter the skills to stand up for herself.
Others have reported that the act is becoming more common, with parents more likely to tag along for a job in the hospitality industry.