Gen Z CEO interviews a recent graduate. Then she tells TikTok why she finally accepts the “worst generation” stereotype.

The job market is rough right now, and it seems like every time you look at the news or social media, there’s a new batch of layoffs. Rain (@rainjg13) made a TikTok video weighing in as a Gen Z CEO, providing a glimpse into her search for new hires and why she understands the stereotypes about Gen Z employees now.

Rain has multiple videos about her experiences with Gen Z and the hiring process, but she also states that she has some Gen Z employees who are hardworking and productive. While Rain shares her frustrations in a video that’s shot to over half a million views, she also tags it as job interview tips, hoping that viewers will use her experience to improve their own interviewing skills.

Rain wants applicants to learn about her business

One main question that Rain asks during her interviews is if the applicant looked at the business’s website or social media. This gives her an idea of whether the applicant took the time to learn anything about the business they applied to, and if they say they did look at the content, Rain follows up with another question asking if any clients stuck out to them.

If an applicant admits that they didn’t look up the business at all, Rain ends the interview. According to her, this lack of initiative told her everything she needed to know about that applicant. Seeing this happen more than once, Rain now believes that the stereotype of Gen Z being unprofessional and not having a work ethic might have some truth to it.

Meanwhile, other members of Gen Z believe that the reason they struggle to land jobs is that they value their work-life balance more, making them less willing to go above and beyond their role without incentive to do so. In this argument, the topic of salary also comes up, with the idea that Gen Z is less willing to work for lower wages.

Commenters agreed with Rain’s argument

Rain’s video drew comments from other recruiters and job seekers. One commenter was frustrated that others were reaching the interview stage while they were stuck getting email rejections, saying, “See, you have interviews. Many people don’t reach the interview stage. We’re busy getting automatic rejection emails at 8 a.m. about an application sent 10 hours prior!”

Another manager weighed in with the comment, “Millennial manager here. Had a girl take McDonald’s out of her bag and start chowing down for a 30-minute interview. Got annoyed we kept asking her questions while she was eating.”

One commenter mentioned a recent interview they had, saying, “I legitimately had a job interview a couple of weeks ago, and one of the questions was, ‘Do you know how to work a computer like an actual computer with a screen, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.’ And I was like, yeah, I know how to do that, and they went on to tell me that a lot of their applicants could only use tablets.”

That particular comment received numerous replies from managers who see the same issue in their younger hires, making the lack of computer literacy seemingly a milestone the younger generations are missing as tablets and smartphones take the place of traditional computers for many.

Between Rain’s video and the variety of comments, the matter of generational stereotypes and difficulties with job searching is not simple to untangle.

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