SINGAPORE: An HR professional has sparked discussion online after claiming that many Gen Z applicants do not seem particularly interested in the roles they apply for, as they “won’t pick up or return her calls.”
In a post on the r/singaporejobs forum, she shared her recent experience while hiring for a junior role that pays “well above the market rate.” According to her, the position drew strong interest, receiving around 60 applications within just one week.
However, when she began contacting shortlisted candidates during normal working hours on weekdays, she said some of the responses left her puzzled.
“I start calling shortlisted candidates. And the first one picks up half asleep. I introduce myself and mention the role. She goes, ‘Orhhh, uhhhh, can I call you back laterrr?’ [But she] never called back.”
Another candidate at the end of her list did not answer the phone at all. When she sent him a message explaining that she was calling about the position, he replied that he would call after 6 pm. However, she said she has yet to receive that call.
The HR also noted that she understands “how hard” the job market can be, as it took her 18 months to secure a job herself. Even so, she said the behaviour of some applicants has left her feeling frustrated.
“If you’re struggling to find work right now, I genuinely feel for you,” she wrote. “But nobody is going to chase you into a job. Pick up the phone.”
“In this day and age, calling people is just weird.”
In the comments section, other HR professionals said they’ve been encountering the same problems as well.
One user shared, “Welcome to my world since last year. I was working as part HR, part manager at a restaurant, and the number of interviewees that don’t reply, ghost halfway through the conversation, or ghost the interview on the day itself, not even picking up when called, can be best described as much as the grains of sand on a beach. Most people don’t realise how bad locals’ attitudes are.”
Another commented, “My boss recruits for the finance industry. She used to refuse to do entry-level, junior roles because she hates dealing with the younger generation for the same reasons you just mentioned.”
A third wrote, “You will be surprised at the number of youngsters who don’t answer calls, email, or WhatsApp these days but keep applying to our job ads. I wonder at their motive. Like, you expect us to put you up for a role when you won’t even deign to acknowledge us?”
A fourth added, “I have people not show up for interviews multiple times; it’s a numbers game on both sides.”
Refusing to take the criticism, some Reddit users from the younger generation joined the discussion to defend their actions.
They said it is not that they are deliberately ignoring unknown numbers. The hesitation, they explained, mostly comes down to one thing: scams. With so many suspicious calls going around these days, many of them simply prefer not to pick up numbers they do not recognise.
One stated, “In this day and age, calling people is just weird. I generally reject calls from unknown numbers because the likelihood that it’s a scam is very high. Literally the only people who call me are my parents and usually it’s some sort of emergency.”
Another wrote, “Firstly, please don’t just call without preempting. Always drop candidates a text first and ask for their availability as a courtesy for when you can call them—instead of calling out of nowhere. It also gives people time to prepare and be in the right headspace instead of just calling out of nowhere and expecting people to be available anytime, which is very disruptive—some people could be working, in meetings, etc.”
A third user said, “I don’t pick up calls from numbers I don’t recognise. There is a reason why Gen Z hardly gets scammed, but you guys always lose your savings and need SPF and DBS to come and protect you.”
In other news, a man in his 40s shared on social media that he feels deeply “dejected” because his poor credit score has not only caused him to lose his job in 2024, but it has also prevented him from finding new employment.
The married father of three recounted his experience on the r/SingaporeRaw forum on Tuesday (Mar 3).
