Hiring Perspectives

The other day someone was sharing with me an HR rep's experience with interviewing millennials. The chat centered around the frustration HR had with millennial interview etiquette.

There is a popular narrative around millennials, that they are lazy, they are overwhelmed and underprepared for the "real world" because they grew up in a privileged environment where everyone gets a trophy, everyone is a winner and the needs of one, that of the millennial, is greater than the needs of EVERYone.

The experience of this HR rep, who is also the hiring manager, not only came with this biased narrative, but it also included their personal observation that millennials do not know how to interview for a job, and their priorities have less to do with job responsibilities and more about the perks that could help them to choose one employer over another. So what did these privileged millennials ask about that highly offended this HR rep?

Vacation, and a place for them to rest or relax during work. The millennials asked about vacation, which is part of the overall compensation package, and whether the workplace had space to break away from work, throughout the work day. That is what ran through my mind as I listened. Two questions that aren't so out of the ordinary that would cause such frustration from HR.

The HR rep who experienced this, is an Xer, Generation X, and so am I. Our own generation came with a set of stereotypes: Generation Xers were independent, un-loyal (to employers), angry, and lost souls, to name a few.

The irony of all this, after listening to this story and how these candidates merely reinforced the HR rep's perspective, is that millennials are the children of Generation X. Their behaviors and the traits she described are a result of their upbringing, a huge part of it. But this isn't about finger pointing and placing blame on anyone, much less on an entire generation.

Here's what I heard from this whole discussion. Biases regarding a generation that is no different than any other generation that carries a certain bag of traits and dispositions. Some people appreciate the bag of stuff; others ridicule and complain about it. HR with specific expectations of the candidates coming in to interview for a job in their company, which is completely within their right to have those expectations. Candidates who ask about topics important to them doesn't necessarily mean they don't care about learning more about their job duties. Maybe they're asking about things that round out the job and company, to give them a better understanding of what it will be like to spend 10-12 hours a day at the workplace.

I'm somewhat disappointed in how the HR rep looked at the interviews, downgrading the potential of the millennial candidates because they asked about vacation and whether the company had space for breaks, to relax.

Other thoughts and questions definitely popped in my head....did the questions rule out these candidates? Does the company website share the perks and benefits of employment? Did the candidates do their homework about the company before interviewing, to get their own answers? And did the candidates ask those questions because they couldn't find the answers on the company website?

I don't spend a lot of time taking points away from a candidate if they're not able frame a question the way I'd like to hear it asked. I want to know the person has the competency and potential growth to excel in the company. I want to make sure the person will help my business grow and be an asset to the team.