Dr John Sullivan Talent Management Thought Leadership
Lacking a proper handshake, Liam may live in your basement forever!
It’s ironic that during a time when hiring managers complain they can’t hire enough next-generation (aka next-gen) talent, these same hiring managers are rejecting a huge percentage of their next-gen interviewees.
Often, body language issues result from a lack of social skills. I call these nonperformance rejection factors their “social handicaps.” These handicaps that next-gen interviewees carry with them (like weak handshakes, little eye contact, and no smile) are created because next-gen candidates spend too many hours alone in front of electronic screens, with few face-to-face interactions.
As a result, these social handicaps are a foundational cause behind many of the next-gen’s interview rejection factors. Fortunately, the same types of educational actions will successfully convince hiring managers to begin bypassing these non-job-related interview rejection factors. It can also positively alter next-gen candidate behavior, so that your company won’t lose as many of these candidates due to easily preventable interview errors.
A Snapshot Of The Benefits Gained From Hiring Next-Gen Talent
If you’re not already convinced of the benefits of hiring next-gen talent, here is a quick list of the top reasons why they add great value.
- Next-gen candidates are likely to be already using the latest technologies and AI tools.
- They bring with them a unique and diverse perspective.
- There are a large number of them, and many are unemployed.
- They are native digital users.
- Because they are less experienced, they require less compensation.
- They (along with retirees) are the only ones who are likely to take most entry-level jobs.
- Your current flood of Gen X retirees must be replaced.
- Many are recent college grads who are accustomed to continuous learning.
- They are ideal for remote jobs.
- In this AI era, compared to more experienced employees, they have fewer things to unlearn and forget.
Next-gen interviewees have multiple “social shortcomings” that increase their rejection rate.
Action Step I – Hire More Next-Gen Talent By Educating Hiring Managers About Next-Gen’s Social Shortcomings
Although it is painfully clear that in practice, body language issues do routinely influence interview decisions. Where, in fact, they should have zero impact.
After decades of extensive research, I have not been able to find any credible statistical evidence that body language first impressions (as applied by hiring managers) are valid, reliable, or job-related predictors of future job success. And to make matters worse, most of these “ideal body language components” (i.e., smile, sit up straight, don’t fidget, etc.) that many hiring managers expect.
They are, in fact, based on an antiquated white male European corporate stereotype from the 1950s. So, hiring managers in today’s global world must realize that now there are many more diverse but still acceptable ways for a candidate to act during an interview.
So I recommend that you start your next-gen recruiting effort by including it as part of your interview training. An educational component that covers the most impactful body language issues that all managers and recruiters should be ignoring.
Next, you require an interview scoresheet that includes only job-related factors (i.e., skills, experience, education, and accomplishments). And that purposely doesn’t omit assigning points to any of the following body language issues that many next-gen candidates are likely to make during their interviews (because of their weak social skills).
- Failure to make eye contact: 68% (of managers consider it a top rejection factor)
- Failure to smile: 38%
- Playing with something on the table: 36%
- Fidgeting too much in their seat: 32%
- Bad posture: 31%
- Crossing their arms over their chest: 31%
- A handshake that is too weak or strong: 30%
- Playing with hair or touching one’s face: 26%
Action Step II – Alerting Next-Gen Candidates About Any Remaining Interview Mistakes That May Lead To Rejection
We already know that your next-gen interviewees can minimize their chances of a non-job-related rejection by avoiding the above list of body language issues. However, if you expect to hire an even larger number of next-gen talent. You should also include a proactive effort to coach and make all of your candidates fully aware of any remaining interview mistakes that will cause an increase in rejections. These remaining avoidable interview mistakes include:
- Candidate isn’t enthusiastic: 78% (of managers consider it a top rejection factor).
- Candidate are not responsive in their communications: 76%.
- Candidate answers a cell phone or texts during the interview: 67%
- Candidate is late to the interview: 53%.
- Candidate swears: 51%.
- Candidate dresses inappropriately: 50%.
- Candidate talks negatively about current or previous employers: 48%.
- Candidate knows nothing about the job or company: 45%.
- Candidate is rude to the support staff.
- Candidate fails to ask insightful questions.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, the business world is full of articles that highlight the many “social shortcomings” of next-gen potential candidates. And no one should be surprised when they learn that these social shortcomings help to create the multiple miscues that frequently earn next-gen candidates a near rejection.
Fortunately, however, most of these next-gen issues can be avoided, first by educating your hiring managers on why any factor that doesn’t predict on-the-job success shouldn’t be used as a rejection factor. You can also reduce preventable rejections by educating your candidates in advance about any additional miscues and how to avoid them. Of course, these two courses of action aren’t perfect solutions to next-gen’s social handicaps. But I assure you that they will have a measurable impact on your hiring results.
Thank you for reading and sharing this article.
Note for the reader
This is the latest article from Dr. Sullivan, who was called “the Michael Jordan of Hiring” by Fast Company.
Please help spread his ideas by sharing this with your team/network and posting it on your favorite social media.
By Dr John Sullivan – This article first appeared in the 7/7/26 issue of Aggressive Talent Management
