I absolutely HATE being a recruiter

TLDR; I hate being a recruiter realizing this new generation of candidates suck

I'm a recruiter for a small-town staffing agency in a rural part of the Pacific Northwest, where the population is about 40,000. Lately, I've been encountering some of the most challenging candidates I've ever worked with, and it leaves me feeling hopeless about the upcoming generation.

I’m a millennial, a generation often criticized for being “privileged and lazy,” but the 18- to 30-year-olds I see now are on a different level. Many move here because our minimum wage is high—nearly double that of Texas—but they arrive with no job lined up and often move in with parents who relocated from California. They frequently have no skills, leave jobs after three months, and bomb interviews so badly it feels intentional. I’ve had to stop interviews to ask, “Do you even want this job? Because you’re not coming across like you do.”

When I try to give people the benefit of the doubt—like explaining away employment gaps as time spent caring for a loved one—it usually turns out they’ve been homeless, on drugs, or in prison. They get angry at me when my clients won’t hire candidates with criminal records, despite it being entirely within the employer’s rights. I’ve heard countless arguments like, “I’ve changed my ways,” from people who are on their third prison stint for the same crime, just got out of jail, or can’t even legally drive because of multiple DUIs. And somehow, I’m the one they’re frustrated with when they can’t be considered for driving jobs.

What’s worse is the lack of preparation. Resumes are barebones—sometimes listing only high school graduation from 10 years ago and two months at Taco Bell. Then they wonder why no one is interested. Many seem to expect a job to fall into their lap and think they should start at $22/hour with no relevant experience.

They waste my time by applying for jobs WAY out of their league, they don't even look at the qualifications of the job posting. It's always like someone who's only worked as a dishwasher for 2 week and a gas station attendant for 6 months applies for an electrical engineer with a major hospital, like, WTF? I call them just to find out, why the HELL did you apply for something that requires degrees, certs, experience, etc without having ANY listed on your resume? And they try to tell me that they did electrical work with their grandpa so they feel qualified and are shocked to hear they aren't a fit.

Almost every construction candidate I've interviewed say they learned construction from their grandpa, never dad, just grandpa. Like what exactly did you do?? And they tell me the same f*cking thing "I know how to do everything".

REALLY? Pouring and forming concrete? Framing? Flooring? Drywall? Roofing? Painting? Siding? ALL OF IT??

Candidate: "Yeah"

Then I give them a shot. Client calls me at the end of the day saying they didn't know anything. I'm over it. QUIT LYING TO GET A JOB!!

It’s hard to tell whether they’re oblivious to how they come across or if no one has ever taught them how to present themselves, interview well, or set realistic expectations based on their skill set.

If this is a snapshot of where we’re headed, I worry for the future of our workforce and society.

I know the economy and life in general is hard, but these guys aren't even trying anymore. They've given up and just get angry at the world.