All About America explores American culture, politics, trends, history, ideals and places of interest.
Almost four in 10 managers avoid hiring recent college graduates because they judge them to be unprepared for professional life, according to a December 2023 survey of 800 U.S. directors and executives involved in filling open jobs.
One in five employers say a recent college graduate brought a parent to the job interview. Twenty-one percent of employers surveyed said they had a candidate refuse to turn their camera on for a virtual interview. Employers also complained that the interviewees struggled to make eye contact, dressed inappropriately and used inappropriate language.
The results of the survey don’t come as a complete surprise to Michael Connors, an accounting and technology recruiter in the Washington area who prepares recent college graduates for job interviews.
“At the end of the day, there seems like a lack of seriousness,” he says. “Do they even want this job, or do they just go through the motions?”
Connors has never had a candidate refuse to turn on their camera. But he has had students show up for a scheduled online interview in unprofessional environments, like outside a shopping mall.
