Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- A recent poll from the Deseret News doesn't claim to be overly scientific. Out of 197 Deseret News readers who took the poll, 68 percent say younger workers tend to be lazy and want rewards without effort.
But what does this really mean? Does it mean that the Deseret News has cranky old readers who recite the same kind of thing every older person says about the younger generation? "Back in my day, we had pride in our work," that kind of thing? Not really. Some career counselors say they've noticed this among new college graduates looking for a new job.
It's like they're waiting for the employer to call them because they're so amazing that they don't have to put forth any effort.
–Wendy Forbes
Eye Candy Career Services professional coach Wendy Forbes said, "It's like they're waiting for the employer to call them because they're so amazing that they don't have to put forth any effort."
Forbes says it's a sense of entitlement that's really hurting some people looking for work. She wants to be clear that not every younger worker shares this sentiment. She says many young workers are great and exhibit a strong work ethic. On the other hand, there are some older workers that seem lazy. But, she says the younger demographic is more prone to show this lack of motivation to find employment.
"They don't want to work on their resume. They don't want to do the cover letters. They don't want to put together job searches," Forbes said.
She says the people who are most likely to exhibit this entitlement and the lack of drive in the workplace are educated, white-collar workers.
"The people that I work with, let's say 35 and under that are more like blue-collar workers, tend to be harder workers. They had to work for everything in their life," she explained.
It may be tricky determining if a perceived bad attitude is getting in the way of you landing the job you think you're qualified for. If you feel like you've applied for countless jobs and haven't seen any progress that might be a red flag.
"When someone calls me and says, ‘I've applied for 100 jobs and I haven't gotten one phone call,' the first thing I want to see is their resume. Then, I want to do mock interviews and see how they're interviewing and what their body language is like," Forbes said.
While some applicants may be giving employers a bad impression during the interview, others may just be going through a string of bad luck. So it's important for job seekers to know they're not the only ones having a tough time.
"I'll have them ask their peers about their job searches and what they're going through and what struggles they're having," Forbes said.
She also says it's a good idea for job hopefuls to ask the people they would list as a reference what kind of reference they would give. The truth may be unpleasant to hear. But Forbes says people can become more coachable after getting bad reviews.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
