There are millions of job openings in the United States right now, but the youngest members of the workforce are not filling them at the rate that you might expect.
TikToker Erin McGoff, who has garnered over 2 million followers by offering young people career advice online under the handle @AdviceWithErin, joined Fox News' "America's Newsroom," on Monday, to share her secrets to finding a job in today's complicated working world.
A survey conducted by Intelligent.com finds 38% of employers avoid hiring recent graduates, and 58% say they feel they are unprepared for the office.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT JOBS GO VIRAL ON TIKTOK AS A 'FIX' FOR JOB SECURITY WORRIES: 'AND YOU GET A PENSION'
McGoff quickly pushed back on claims that Gen Zers are resistant to working in an office, saying that "many" of the young adults she has spoken with are "very much willing" to commute to work.
"The Gen Z I've spoken to… many of them are very much willing to go into an office or work hybrid. The issue that I'm seeing, Sandra, is that they are going through tons and tons of interviews, and they are getting ghosted over and over and over again," the social media star said earlier this week.
"They are applying. They're getting interviews, some of them as many as seven interviews. And then they are never hearing back from the job. They have no clue," she said.
GEN Z ATTITUDE TOWARD 9-TO-5 JOB SPARKING DEBATE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN GENERATIONAL WORK ETHICS
McGoff continued, revealing that the biggest problem young job seekers' are struggling with is interpersonal skills.
"They want to know exactly what to say and how to say it. And those are the things that I'm finding people are really struggling with and they really, really want direction on that," she explained. "And I'm not sure if it's because of a lack of working in the office and having those micro interactions and physically seeing how other people navigate interpersonal relationships and connections, but they're certainly struggling," she told co-host Sandra Smith.
McGoff provided a simple tip: "Prepare."
The TikToker referenced a technique called the "S.T.A.R. method," which stands for situation, task, action and result. She says that the template can "really help" job seekers' ability to answer any interview questions.
"The key is to be prepared. Because if you're put on the spot, and you don't have a question or you don't have a story to tell, it can be really difficult to answer," she said.
GEN Z HARDEST GENERATION TO WORK WITH, ACCORDING TO SURVEY: ‘THEY LACK DISCIPLINE’ AND ‘LIKE TO CHALLENGE YOU’
In a statement to Fox News Digital, McGoff, who's been offering free career advice online since 2020, revealed that her own frustrations with the "unequal distribution of career advice," coupled with the pandemic, pushed her to give industry specific career advice on TikTok out of "boredom."
"I posted a silly little video I recorded in my bedroom — a three-part template to answer the most annoying interview question ever: 'Tell me about yourself?' The video went viral, and I started to receive hundreds of (direct messages) a day from people telling me how my content not only helped them, but also made them smile and feel more confident," McGoff explained.
"I kept posting videos, tid bits of ‘big sister advice' — soft things like how to send a "Thank You" email post-interview, how to write your LinkedIn headline, how to tell your boss you're pregnant. The messages kept coming, and my audience kept growing."
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
As for her recent work, McGoff has expanded into a YouTube show/podcast, began writing a book, and provides free resume reviews 1–2 times a month on Instagram and TikTok without charging a cent.
"I've also never charged a dime to be a career coach or review someone's resume. There are plenty of people out there already that do that. I'm not interested in being a career coach. I'm more interested in keeping my education free through partnering with brands," McGoff concluded.
