Love it or hate it, but Gen Z is slowly changing the job market and corporate work culture for good. 71% of Gen Z employees are more than willing to quit a job if it doesn’t prioritize work-life balance and a healthy culture. 75% of them expect promotion in one year or less. Their reputation in the job market is rapidly declining, and sometimes the criticisms against them can be too harsh and one-sided.
But Kraftshala’s recent survey reveals that zoomers are making some deadly mistakes in job interviews that are costing them great opportunities, despite having the qualifications.
Kraftshala spoke to 30 people serving as Recruiters, Team Leaders, Hiring Managers, and CEOs across 7 partner companies that hire from Kraftshala’s talent pool to find out Gen Z’s biggest interview red flags that were costing them coveted jobs. The questions focused specifically on identifying the behaviors, attitudes, and responses that most commonly turned interviewers off. Recruiters were asked questions such as: “ What signals a lack of preparedness or seriousness?” “ Are there any recurring traits or attitudes among Gen Z candidates that concern you?” “ What makes you decide not to move forward with an otherwise qualified candidate?”
The findings revealed several recurring red flags: an over-reliance on AI-generated answers that felt scripted, lack of depth or real-life examples, overly casual language—and other behaviors that signaled a lack of professionalism.
Kraftshala founder Varun Satia said, “Gen Z has immense potential, but our recent survey highlighted some shocking mistakes that are sabotaging their careers, like relying too heavily on AI, giving shallow responses, or coming across as too casual. To stand out, they need to show genuine preparation, depth, and professionalism in interviews.”
7 Deadly Mistakes Gen Z Is Making In Job Interviews
Over-reliance on AI during the job interviews
It’s becoming common for candidates to use AI during job interviews. Several employers found, upon reviewing, that their Gen Z job applicants had been using AI to complete test exercises and on-the-spot assignments given during interviews.
An employer revealed that they could hear an AI chatbot’s voice in the background uttering responses like “great question!” Discovering that a candidate used AI during the interview instantly indicates their incompetence to many employers and also raises worries that they’d put the company’s confidential information in an AI system.
Not researching everything you can about the company
No job interview rule states that a candidate should know anything and everything about the company they are applying to. But, being well-researched and posing sincere questions about the company’s work can earn you brownie points with the hiring manager. At least five employers noted that multiple Gen Z candidates were largely clueless about the company.
Not giving detailed answers
Perhaps the most common complaint from every employer was that Gen Z is unable to talk about their skills and work experience in depth during interviews, despite having impressive resumes. Over 10 employers stated they had to guide the candidate multiple times with follow-up questions to get them to talk about their skills or try to nudge them to answer the main questions.
While this can be due to a lack of confidence, hiring managers sometimes write this as laziness and disinterest.
Demanding too much flexibility before getting the job
Team Leaders have claimed that they are more than happy to be flexible for a valuable employee. However, Gen Z’s demands for flexible hours and even 4-day work weeks during interviews raise red flags.
A senior HR exec revealed that a candidate openly stated that being 10 minutes late to work should be acceptable without being questioned by the management. This doesn’t seem like a huge deal at first glance, but it’s not wise to say this to a hiring manager.
Too informal with answers and language
Gen Z’s use of slang is one of their defining traits. They don’t follow a strict corporate language. But it’s another indicator of unprofessionalism for the hiring team. While they want to see someone who brings fresh breath to the company’s work culture, using professional language during interviews proves, the applicant will be able to fit into their working environment.
Some employers shockingly stated that a few Gen Z candidates even appeared for online interviews while still in bed.
Being too honest in job interviews
Honesty is the best policy, except when you take it too far in a job interview. The HR doesn’t want you to lie about your skills, but they have revealed that some Gen Z candidates took too much time to talk about their social media, mental health, and even family issues during the interview. This is naturally a huge red flag in employers’ eyes.
One hiring team lead pointed out that a candidate claimed they put “mental health above all else” and claimed they wouldn’t show up to work if they didn’t feel like it. Mental health needs to be a part of corporate conversations. But the employer claimed they instantly deemed the candidate as “unreliable” after hearing this.
Not sending a Thank-you Note to the interviewer after
Most hiring managers claim they are most likely to hire a candidate who sends a thoughtful Thank-you note/Email to them after the interview. It’s a great opportunity to not just thank the interviewer for their time, but to reiterate why you are a great fit for the job. It proves that you are truly interested in the job. However, hiring teams have pointed out how most Gen Z candidates fail to do this.