Members of Generation Z are more likely to “stretch the truth” during job interviews than older age groups, according to a national survey offering a snapshot into changing job-hunting behaviors in today’s labor market.
Why It Matters
Gen Z—typically defined as including those born from 1997 to 2012—is seeing its older segment entering the workforce at a time marked by economic instability, algorithm-driven recruiting tools and heightened competition for roles promising flexibility and growth.
These conditions may be contributing to evolving norms around self-presentation during the hiring process. The generational gap in honesty found in the survey comes amid a broader trend of unconventional job-search behaviors among younger candidates, including ghosting employers and abandoning the hiring process midway.
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What To Know
Roughly 20.8 percent of Gen Z respondents said they had “stretched the truth” in job interviews—more than millennials (15.5 percent), Gen X (15.6 percent) and baby boomers (12.9 percent), according to a new survey published by recruitment site iHire.
The survey was based on March responses from 1,645 U.S. workers representing all four demographics. iHire’s findings align with prior research showing Gen Z’s unique approach to employment decisions.
In an April survey reported by Newsweek, more than a quarter of Gen Z job seekers admitted to ghosting a potential employer after a job interview—a behavior often regarded as unprofessional by hiring managers.
Social media has also amplified the visibility of Gen Z’s job-hunting experiences. Younger users recently shared stories on X, formerly Twitter, about ghosting employers on platforms like TikTok.
User @drinkderiver said that “part of it is probably that gen-z is overwhelmed by the jobseeking process. When even post-interview, we are told there’s another ‘stage’ of the process, I think a lot get disheartened. 3-4 interviews for an entry level job is a lot.”
Big Tech once was known as the top tier for Gen Z career aspirations, but recent data reveals Gen Zers are turning toward health care as a desired industry, according to Business Insider. A 2024 survey by the National Society of High School Scholars showed that while Google and Amazon had become less desirable to workers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Mayo Clinic were among the top potential employers, the outlet reported.
This could be in part due to mass tech layoffs and instability, while health care became prominent during the pandemic due to staffing shortages, per Business Insider, which also reported that business entrepreneurship is also compelling to Gen Zers. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed by Handshake said they would be interested in starting their own business at some point.
What People Are Saying
iHire certified career coach and adviser Lori Cole said in a statement: “Candidates must understand that their behaviors during their job search or at work affect their reputation and personal brand. For example, ghosting an employer or quitting a job without notice can burn bridges, and lying on your resume can come back to bite you.”
Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “With the rise of AI and rapid advances in tech, we’re seeing younger generations use AI-generated language models to help them during interviews. Some even interact with recruiters through these tools in real time. At the root, it’s partly inexperience, but more importantly, it’s about the availability of technology that makes it easy to create a version of yourself that may not be entirely real.”
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “It’s easy to blame Gen Z, but maybe we should be asking why they feel the need to lie or stretch the truth in the first place. This is a generation that’s watched employers preach about transparency while laying people off over Zoom. It seems to me that candidates are simply reacting and adapting.”
Alex Beene, financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Gen Z is the first generation to grow up in an always-online culture where someone’s virtual persona is just as important – if not more so – than their physical one. They’ve become acquainted with embellishing situations presented on social media to add greater importance to their images and words. It’s little surprise some of those exaggerated stories find their way into job interviews to help enhance how they come across to employers.”
What Happens Next
As Gen Z continues to make up a growing share of the U.S. workforce, how employers adapt—or fail to adapt—to their values and communication styles may shape hiring trends in the years ahead.
“It’s definitely a generational difference. Gen Z has grown up in a world where identity is fluid and curated often behind a screen, an avatar, or an AI-generated script,” Thompson said.
“Reality eventually catches up. People may find themselves unprepared for real-world accountability.”
Driscoll said if companies want honesty, they should also start being honest themselves and not ask for five years of experience for an entry-level job.
“Gen Z is reacting to a job market built on unrealistic expectations and corporate hypocrisy,” Driscoll said. “Gen Z isn’t seeking to lie. They’re seeking to survive.”
