Gen Z-ers are between 13 and 28 years old, meaning many are in or entering the workforce.
It’s a stressful time to be doing just that, according to the University of Delaware’s Lerner Career Services Center director Jill Panté.
“The word that I use to describe kind of what's going on right now is it's a little wonky,” Panté said. “There's certainly a slowdown in the amount of jobs that are out there, that employers are hiring for. The job process itself is much longer than it's ever been before, at least in my lifetime.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the U.S. saw 22 thousand new jobs in August, compared to an average monthly gain of 186 thousand in 2024.
Panté said Gen Z applicants are particularly affected by the drop in demand for workers.
“You also have a significant percentage of jobs that are out there that are, actually, they're fake,” Panté said. “Meaning that employers are either posting jobs, but they don't have any budget or intention to hire, or you have actual fake postings that are put up by AI or things.”
Panté said it now takes extra time to sift through job postings to see which are real and worth applying to. And after applying, applicants are often ghosted, subjected to weeks-long interview processes or experiencing long wait times.
A survey by MyPerfectResume found 81% of recruiters said their companies post fake or already-filled jobs. Only 5% of those surveyed said none of the listings they post are ghost jobs.
Similarly, Resume Builder surveyed more than 1,600 hiring managers and found 40% of companies posted a fake job listing in the last year. It also reported the reason behind fake listings was to look open to external talent and collect resumes for later use.
Panté said AI complicates the landscape, whether that’s through fake listings or its use to screen applications.
“As a job seeker, it's super frustrating because then there's nobody that I can talk with, and there's nobody that I can reach out to to inquire about my job,” Panté said. “I can just keep refreshing my browser and seeing if the status has changed on my application.”
Large organizations that see hundreds or thousands of applications may use AI screening to streamline the application process. But Panté said she’s in favor of a hybrid approach.
“It cannot just be all or nothing,” Panté said. “Make the adjustments to your resume in order to get through our AI screening. So, for example, some AI screening tools that candidates use cannot read tables. They can't read graphics.”
Many job listings already name what they’re looking for in a candidate. Panté noted employers should give applicants more of a helping hand, especially if they’re using AI to go over applications.
“What steps have candidates taken that have been successful, whether or not they've done certain things to their resume, how they've prepared for their interview, things that they've researched about the company to be able to answer that question, why do you want to work for us? Put the tips on there. Don't make it difficult.”
Applicants have to adapt, too. Panté said tweaking resumés to accommodate for certain jobs and AI screening tools is a must in today’s economy.
When tailoring a resumé, it’s important to review the job description and include the skills the employer is looking for, according to Indeed. The article also suggested customizing the work history section to emphasize relevant experience.
Panté added it’s important young people go about the hiring process with a support system backing them.
“Find a mentor, find somebody, or multiple people that can almost serve as – for lack of a better word – your executive board,” Panté said. “Somebody that is going to check in on you every day or every other day… What I'm really trying to say is, don't do this alone.”
Panté said people will want to help Gen Z workers get their foot in the door.
