College campuses around the country have been erupting in protests against what many consider the genocide of Gaza by Israeli forces. Though students may have trouble finding their dream job following graduation if their employer catches wind of their activism, according to a recent poll.
A recent survey of over 1,200 business leaders by Intelligent.com uncovered a lot about how employers really feel about hiring Gen-Z college graduates. Among the findings, 1 in 2 survey respondents said they believe the recent grads have a worse work ethic and have fewer practical skills. About 57 percent of respondents said they believe the Gen-Zers have “high salary expectations” and 50 percent of the group said they believe the new adults are “entitled.”
“There’s always been plenty of debate about hiring new grads due to broad assumptions around lacking soft skills, entitlement, and overall job readiness,” said Chief Education and Career Development Advisor Huy Nguyen to Intelligent.com.
“In recent months, there seems to be a heightened concern about Gen Z becoming far more politically active and vocal with their beliefs in all aspects of their lives including the workplace.”
Ouch. Yet, the survey didn’t stop there.
As Nguyen alluded to, the poll included questions about the recent (and rather fiery) pro-Palestine protests across college campuses. The survey says *in my Steve Harvey voice* protesting can be a problem for your employer.
Read more from Intelligent.com:
Thirty-two percent of business leaders are more concerned about hiring recent college graduates because of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted students’ education. Additionally, 30% of business leaders have greater concerns about hiring recent graduates due to the pro-Palestine protests, which have occurred in the past 6 months.
Of business leaders surveyed who expressed concerns about hiring recent graduates, 22% say they are reluctant to hire graduates who participated in protests. Conversely, 21% indicated a preference for hiring such graduates, while 57% remained neutral.
The reluctance to hire protestors stems from concerns that they may exhibit confrontational behavior (63%), are too political (59%), or could potentially make workers uncomfortable (55%). Additionally, some business leaders perceive protestors as liabilities (45%), dangerous (40%), lacking adequate education (24%), or holding conflicting political ideologies to their own (23%).
About 6 in 10 business leaders said they ask recent graduates if they participated in protests during the interview process. However, don’t let this information put you on edge: Luckily, the majority of respondents (about 73 percent) actually have a higher inclination to hire recent grads who participate in protests because it demonstrates their outspoken nature, dedication to a cause and, more often than not, their cause aligns with the political beliefs of the employer.
It’s obvious the students aren’t going to stop...campuses are still hot. Six demonstrators were recently arrested at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill following a protest from last month, per ABC11.