From an outside and older perspective, Generation Z is looked down upon as immature. The screenagers of today are presumed to have no social skills beyond typing on a cell phone and no professional skills beyond styling a vintage blazer.

These popular notions amongst our elders are mostly easy to brush off — doesn’t everyone have a silly side and a cell phone? While these assumptions may be in good fun and faith, they’re seeping into the minds of hiring managers — just as Gen Z is reaching hiring age.

Nearly half of hiring managers say Gen Z is the worst generation to deal with in the workplace, and six in ten employers say they’ve already fired their recent college graduate hires for unprofessionalism. These statistics worried  Gen Z students, as the already slowing job market looks more and more impossible to navigate. 

Yet what others might say is all Gen Z’s own fault, is the result of a market older generations created.

The current job landscape is brutal — about 58% of people who hold a full-time job also work a second job. Additionally, the reported cost of living for a single person in the United States in 2022 amounted to approximately $44,000 per year — a sum many entry-level jobs do not offer as a starting salary. 

The dire states of the economy and the job and housing markets are scenarios most Gen Zers are not taught how to navigate, not in early education nor university. 

Within the job market, more and more employers are seeking and developing talent internally with their current employees rather than hiring fresh faces. It seems the only fresh face many companies are hiring is artificial intelligence — many basic office jobs that would require a company to pay an employee a livable wage are being replaced by AI.

Entry-level jobs, even without the hurdle of AI, are scarce. A majority of the entry-level job listings still require a good chunk of professional experience, which most new graduates do not have. Even if you put in the time and effort to earn a four-year degree — which once was more than sufficient to secure a higher starting position — the feat no longer seems enough to get a first-round interview.

Even in the case that an employer contacts a Gen Z applicant to pursue next steps, those next steps never seem to go far. As most people currently applying for jobs know, hiring managers are notoriously unresponsive, even if they are the one to reach out to an applicant first. The worst part is there is no specific answer as to why it is such a universal experience so many young applicants endure. It shows unprofessionalism from the company, which is hypocritical behavior for those who accuse Gen Z applicants of that very behavior.

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The most integral moments of our childhood were impacted by an economic recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic claimed our adolescence. Both tragedies impacted us economically, socially and mentally, as many families struggled with unemployment, illness and death. As a result, many Gen Z-ers are unsure on how to handle their finances. According to a study by The George Washington University, only 43% of Gen Zers showed proficient financial literacy, the lowest amongst all five living generations. 

The reality many older hiring managers will not come to terms with — at least for now — is the fact that businesses will not survive if they do not hire Gen Z applicants. Besides the obvious fact that Gen Z is the next generation entering the workforce, but because of what we are most criticized for: our use of social media.

Although it’s viewed as trivial, social media marketing has become an integral part of commercial success. Digital marketing has found popularity and success over traditional marketing tools, such as billboards and TV advertisements. The silliness and unseriousness of this tactic is what grabs the attention of younger audiences. 

Growing up alongside social media, Gen Z naturally knows how to market to a younger generation — a generation that includes consumers that will finance a company into the future.

While Gen Z can surely seem immature and unprofessional from an outsider’s perspective, it doesn’t mean we don’t know when to shut it off. Making assumptions about how a Gen Z applicant will perform in a position, just because of their age, is unprofessional and unfair. 

Gen Z is the future. Instilling confidence and strategic career skills in younger generations isn’t just good for us — it’s good for business.

This editorial was written by Opinion Co-Editor Hailey Pitcher.