Adults, specifically teachers and parents, have always pushed students to work hard. Why? Because “hard work always pays off,” meaning if students put all their effort into school now, applying to college will be easier later. And while that may be true when it comes to money-saving tests and scholarships like the ACT, what about later in life?  

Say one gets into their preferred college and graduates with the best qualifications for their aspired career. Of course, the next step would be to apply for the jobs they worked so hard for. And they would do it with absolute confidence because they did everything, they needed to do to be successful.  

According to Villanova University, in 2019 70-90% of job applications are rejected before reaching a human. Of the applications that make it to a recruiter or hiring manager, only about 3% result in an interview. Even with the required qualifications and education, that students’ chances of being hired are low. 

 The odds are so low for the simple fact that hard work is only one of many factors that decide the success that elders have pushed students to accomplish. First, bias is how humans perceive the world and people around them. Bias against things like gender, race and religion will always play a role in the interview process because of the inherent biases that the interviewer might have against an applicant.  

 Another overlooked factor is market and demand. According to the Corporate Finance Institute, like the markets of goods and services, job markets also follow the supply-demand mechanism. When the quantity of workers demanded is equal to the labor force available (the quantity of supply), the job market reaches its equilibrium point, and wages can be decided.  

Simply put, if people need specific skills to produce and sell their product, then the student has greater chances of getting that job. However, if those products are not currently in demand, then tough luck, those chances plummeted. A good example is video rental stores, as streaming services like Netflix and Hulu became more common, killing rental stores.  

Another major factor that is particularly hurting Generation Z is that job recruiters want experience – and the only way to get experience is to either have had a job or internships – which are hard to land. The last reason is simple: luck and timing. If the interviewer is not in a great mood at the time of the interview, then chances are low.  

With all these factors going unconsidered, those who followed their teachers’ and parents’ motto —hard work always pays off — are left jobless and struggling to get the jobs they worked so hard to obtain.  

There are many people who may disagree, considering they may have faced many odds and still landed a comfortable and high paying job. Often, the only way that could have happened is because of their own hard work, which not everyone has, or social connections. 

Instead, elders need to encourage their students to find a way to set themselves apart from others, so they have a better chance at being remembered during the interviewing process. Volunteering, landing a leadership role, any sort of apprenticeship, and opportunities they can afford – those are some for many extracurricular that will increase their value to society. A new motto like “Increasing your value pays off” sounds lame, but it’s accurate.