Technology blamed for applicants' poor interview skills

Antony Jenkins, chief executive of Barclays, has said that many youngsters turn up for interviews lacking basic social skills, and that, “There is the danger that we will have a lost generation of youngsters if we do not help them develop the skills they will need for the new world of work. These include analytical and financial abilities, but also, and this is crucial, they include people skills. It seems basic stuff: how to shake someone’s hand, look them in the eye and hold your shoulders back.” He called on parents, teachers and bosses to help youngsters gain the social confidence they need to compete in the global jobs market, saying, “In the workplaces of the future collaboration will be very important. The question of how to teach this generation to be successful is very important.”

He said that the amount of time teenagers spent looking at laptop and smartphone screens was partly to blame for their lack of social confidence, saying, “A lot of interaction for them now is on social media. It’s a very effective form of communication but it’s a two-dimensional form of communication.” He said that he had learnt how to engage with people when he was still a schoolboy by working on Saturdays. “I used to work in a corner shop and a petrol station when I was the age these kids are now. I learnt about serving customers and taking money and the importance of showing up on time.” However, he said that such jobs were much more difficult to find today. According to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, the percentage of teens combining part-time jobs with school/college has dropped from 40% in the 1990s to 20% in 2012.