Gen z Career series - the real way to success

One of the many crucial steps in finding a job is navigating the interview between oneself and the potential employer. To be successful, presenting oneself in a deserving yet authentic light is paramount. To help members of Gen Z best prepare themselves for this step in their job search, we dedicated the third part of our Gen Z Career Series to providing tips and assistance regarding obtaining and participating in interviews and making one's mark as a new employee.

Joining Jezuba’s founder, Rebecca Liao, and our operations manager, Lauren Young, were two professionals with a lot of experience in interacting with potential new employees for their companies. Josh Garcia, a Senior Sales Recruiter for Kong Inc., and Evelyn Gilbert, a People Partner for Tech Ops & Engineering with ICE Mortgage Technology, presented their advice on how to get an interview, present oneself at an interview, as well as how best to start a new job. The panelists took questions from the audience and moderators as well.

As we are still experiencing a now-receding pandemic, Josh and Evelyn made sure to give some advice particular to online interviews. When conducting interviews on video calls or on the phone, it is imperative that the way one looks and sounds is authentic to who one truly is. They also placed emphasis on being prepared and expressing one’s interest in the company. By researching the company and the role one is interested in beforehand, and practicing thoughtful responses, authenticity will show in the interview. Also they suggested that one emphasize why one wants to go to the company rather than why they are leaving their current situation.

Josh and Evelyn gave additional advice on starting a new job: having a flexible and helpful attitude can help greatly with integrating oneself into a new work environment. The panelists also stressed the importance of connecting within that company - reaching out to HR and to employee organizations. Making connections can greatly help with expanding one’s network.

At Jezuba, one of our goals is to make sure that the next generation is ready for the rapidly-developing work environment. We designed this career series with this goal in mind, and as we conclude our GenZ Career series, we would like to thank the following professionals for their mentorship and advice: Claudine Rezek, Lynda Ruiz, Amanda Cretcher, Christine Aguada, Charles Jo, Evelyn Gilbert, and Josh Garcia. 
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This 3-part series has brought with it a lot of valuable advice, enthusiastic presenters, as well as a sense of community among the participants that went far beyond anything we had hoped for when designing this project.

Gavin Cartier
Content Strategists