A Wren Says

Sitting in the coffee shop, I picked up my iced coffee and swirled it around, making sure the syrup at the bottom fully mixed in. “I can’t imagine showing up to an interview like this.”

I thought about the ongoing debate, the one where Gen Z is positioned as clueless and unprofessional, because some members of the cohort are arriving to job interviews with iced coffees in hand.

I can’t imagine feeling that comfortable. I can’t imagine entering into a stranger’s space, with refreshments for myself and nothing for my host. I can’t imagine doing the action of casually sipping a drink through a straw as I try to answer questions about my qualifications. I definitely can’t imagine trying to confidently navigate the condensation without a napkin in sight. Maybe Gen Z lacks professionalism. But maybe it’s something else.

I’m not here to make a commentary on the merits of showing up with a hit of caffeine or empty-handed. I’m not even going to comment on the broad brush being used to paint an entire generation of job seekers. However, I am here to suggest we ask a different question. If the next generation is not prepared to socialize in to work culture, whose fault is that?

Where would they have learned what it means to interview, how to dress, when to show up, and what to do? Was it not our duty to equip them with all the skills they needed? If this generation lacks professionalism, where should they have learned it?

There is a variation of this story all throughout history. The younger generation is billed as lazy, soft, and unfit to enter the work force. Every time we shake our heads at them, until they become the ones judging the next generation.

As we look at this moment, what is it revealing about us all? What is the lesson that we should take?