Stop Hiring by Generation. Start Hiring by Behavior.
A recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece asked the provocative question: “Is Generation Z employable?” The article leaned on surveys that painted Gen Z as “unwilling to work,” prioritizing self-care and self-expression over values like achievement and hard work. Predictably, the LinkedIn chorus followed—consultants, coaches, and commentators declaring that businesses must either “bend to Gen Z” or brace for disruption.
Let’s be clear: these kinds of generational surveys are a waste of time.
I say that as someone who built a career in market research. Surveys have their place when you’re marketing to the masses—casting a wide net and segmenting consumer behavior into distinct groups. But even in marketing, professionals know better than to assume all consumers within a broad demographic behave the same way. Retailers segment housewives into dozens of profiles, not one. Why should employers think any less critically?
As leaders and managers, we’re not hiring “a generation.” We’re hiring an individual. Every candidate—Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, or Boomer—is unique. Treating them as if they all think, act, and value the same things is as ridiculous as believing all Texans, or all women, or all Ivy League graduates behave the same way.
Managers Manage Individuals
Good managers don’t manage generations. They manage people. And they manage behaviors.
That’s why hiring must focus not on age, gender, degree, or diploma, but on the behaviors that predict success in the role.
Here’s how:
Envision success. Picture the best person you’ve ever seen in the role.
Identify behaviors. Write down the 3–5 observable behaviors that made them exceptional.
Ask behavioral questions. Probe candidates with specific, past-oriented questions tied to those behaviors.
For example, if attention to detail is critical, ask:
“In this role, details matter. Tell me about a time you faced a large volume of documents or data and how you ensured accuracy.”
A qualified candidate will answer with clarity and specificity. An unqualified one won’t.
That’s how you hire—not by what year someone was born, but by what behaviors they consistently demonstrate.
The Bottom Line
Ignore the generational noise. It’s lazy, misleading, and unhelpful to managers trying to build great teams. The role of the manager is to understand each individual, coach them, and challenge them to grow. That has never changed—and never will.
I’m Gen X. Surveys once branded my generation as cynical, detached, and unemployable too. They were wrong. And they’re wrong about Gen Z.
Hire the individual. Hire for behavior. Leave the surveys to the pundits.
