Young job seeker says Gen X hiring manager rejected her solely for being Gen Z

Over time, a popular notion has emerged questioning Gen Z's work ethic. However, such perceptions can sometimes prevent deserving individuals from securing a job. Alejandra—who goes by @fungalmicrobe on TikTok—found herself in a similar situation when she was allegedly turned down for a job because she was a Gen Z. In a viral video, she shared the hiring manager's reasoning and opened up about her experience with tears in her eyes.

"If you are wondering what the job market looks like right now, look no further than my swollen eyelids," Alejandra said in her video. "A Gen X hiring manager just told me that I wasn't hired because I am Gen Z, and that's been making me cry for the better part of the last five hours." She shared, "I interviewed for this job. I was a shoo-in for three weeks ago. I had worked in this department before, I had worked with this team before and I excelled when I worked there." She claimed she'd felt confident about the job because she had excelled with the same team. "When I left, everyone promised me that they would let me know when a job position was going to open," she said.

"Nobody told me anything. For the better part of the last year, I had been job searching," the Gen Zer shared, "But I didn't let that discourage me. I saw a month ago that this department had a position open again." She added, "I got an interview immediately, and I was feeling very good about it." The interview took place, and she was told the company would inform her if she had been selected. After hearing nothing for a week, she emailed HR, who replied that they hadn't received any updates from the department. Coincidentally, Alejandra ran into the hiring manager in an elevator. They exchanged pleasantries, and the Gen X manager informed her, "The position has been filled," and someone was supposed to have notified her.

"We found someone who was better fitting for the team and had a little more history with us," the hiring manager is said to have told her. Alejandra asked them for honest feedback on why she wasn't selected for the position. "Person told me that I shared things that they wouldn't have. 'I wouldn't have shared anything medical. I wouldn't share anything that you were doing with social media. It was really concerning that you don't have a five-year plan.'" They added, "I have this issue with my son as well and to be frank, I think it is a Gen Z problem. Gen Z needs to understand that you don't need to share everything about yourself." The hiring manager suggested that the lack of a five-year plan indicated a lack of commitment and recommended making something up on the spot if necessary. Alejandra remarked, "You prefer to hire someone who is lying because that's totally trustworthy."

People in the comments expressed their thoughts on the same. @jarj.com wrote, "They want lying slaves who will tell them they want to throw their lives away to work for them forever." @oliviaxjeann commented, "As a generation that was impacted by a pandemic that threw off any sense of a plan and lives in a world where we are constantly in survival mode, it's hard to have a five-year plan, let alone one year." @hannahislosingit13 remarked, "I feel like interviews are just a game, not actual questions they want actual answers to."

You can follow Alejandra (@fungalmicrobe) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.