According to July research from Intelligent.com, 40% of business leaders believe that GenZ graduates are unprepared for today’s workforce. 39% have fired a GenZ employee, and of this group, 83% claim they have fired more than one. The survey revealed that 70% of these leaders attribute the cause of this unpreparedness to the lack of communication skills and work ethic.
This can be blamed, in part, on the effects of the pandemic, where for nearly two years, both education and the corporate world was on lockdown. GenZers who were either studying or just starting out in their careers, lacked the opportunities for social and skills development that only in-person experiences and collaboration could afford.
Now more than ever, it should be a top priority for GenZ professionals to actively seek to develop their soft skills so they can be better equipped for today’s workforce with its varied challenges and responsibilities, and maintain a positive reputation amongst employers.
How can GenZ graduates improve their work-readiness and career development?
For GenZ to be prepared for today’s workforce in the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic, there must be a combined effort from all influences and parties—parents/guardians, high schools, further and higher education institutions, employers, and policymakers. But all these efforts will be a waste of time if GenZ do not seek to proactively develop themselves in the following areas:
Self-awareness
How many times have you been informed by your boss, or even your colleagues, that you were performing badly at your job, and you reacted with retaliation and became defensive?
Lack of self-awareness is when one casts the blame on people and circumstances, instead of critically analyzing their own behaviors, cause-and-effect, and taking ownership and responsibility for their own actions.
As a GenZ professional, you can develop this key skill through keeping a reflective journal that is referred to on a daily basis. Note down the key events that transpire throughout your day, your emotions and how you react, and pause at the end of the week to ask yourself questions in the form of a SWOT analysis:
Strengths: What did I do well this week? What positive feedback did I receive? Which tasks did I find most easy?
Weaknesses: What did I consider to be more challenging this week? What things could I have done a little differently? What can I improve on? Where do I need to gain more knowledge, experience, or support from my employer?
Opportunities: What opportunities exist within my organization that will enable me to grow and develop in my career? What unique assets do I bring to my team that will help the business achieve more?
Threats: What likely circumstances or challenges could prevent or slow me down from developing the skills I need to develop in this role, and how can I mitigate them?
When one has a growth mindset, they embrace challenges, continuously push themselves to succeed, welcome constructive feedback even if it feels uncomfortable, learn from setbacks, and are never satisfied with anything less than excellence.
Asking yourself the above SWOT analysis questions is only the first step in developing a growth mindset favored by employers. You now need to put your daily reflective journal into action.
To accomplish this, seek out opportunities to learn more in your graduate or entry-level job, and never be afraid to ask questions, especially if your role is remote.
Instead of shying away from responsibility and challenges, volunteer to take on a new project, or assist with its development. Be proactive and innovative in your approach, appreciating your unique GenZ voice and perspective and bringing that to the table.
Communication
According to Expert Market, 86% of employees and execs cite lack of communication skills as primary cause of workplace failures, and Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report”, proved that disengaged employees cost the world a remarkable $8.8 trillion in lost productivity.
In conjunction with the findings from Intelligent.com’s survey where 70% of business leaders agreed that GenZ lack communication skills, this proves that improving one’s communication across all platforms and media—from emails, to Slack and Teams messages, to business presentations, slide decks, team meetings, and client meetings—is of the utmost importance.
For GenZers who entered the workforce in the time of the pandemic, navigating corporate jargon, widely-used business terminology, and acceptable standards of communication is something that requires more adjustment and in-person office attendance, as Deloitte and PwC have noted with their graduate workforce.
In addition, reading business publications, listening to podcasts, and reading business glossaries may dramatically improve one’s vocabulary and tone at work.
Work ethics
Equally as important to communication skills, is the value of ethics in the workplace. GenZ employees have gained a reputation for showing up late to work, lacking workplace etiquette, and having little regard for corporate structures. For this stigma to be removed, you should value and focus on developing qualities such as integrity, honesty, accountability, time management, and respect for others.
To develop work ethics, think like a leader. Take ownership and view your role as if you were the sole person accountable for its success.
Set yourself goals for improving your skill-set, and most importantly, seek out role models and leaders who embody these valuable qualities and lead by example.
Your first role after graduation may only be entry-level, but it is nonetheless of utmost importance and can set the trajectory for the rest of your career. It is the very beginning of establishing your personal brand. You can build habits of self-awareness, pull from the resources around you, and shift your mindset so you can grow in your career. Or you can blame external circumstances, miss opportunities for development, and fail to grow. The choice remains with you. But if you take the time to improve your skill-set with these three core skills, you will become more of a valued asset to your own career and to employers.
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