Most hiring managers feel skeptical about the capabilities and professionalism of young workers joining the workforce, with 1 in 6 saying they’re reluctant to hire the cohort, according to a May 6 report from Resume.org.

More than half of hiring managers said recent graduates were unprepared for the workforce and difficult to manage, while 78% said recent graduates spend too much time on their phones.

“Colleges don’t teach students how to behave in the workplace, and there is a lack of transitional support from both universities and employers,” Irina Pichura, Resume.org’s career coach, said in a statement. “Most students graduate with little exposure to professional environments, so when they arrive at their first job, they’re often learning basic workplace norms for the first time.”

In a survey of 1,000 hiring managers, 8 in 10 said a recent college graduate didn’t work out at their company during the past year, 7 in 10 said they put recent hires on performance improvement plans, and 65% said they had to fire a recent graduate. Only 58% said they’d consider hiring from the graduating class of 2025.

Among the companies where recent graduates didn’t work out, nearly half of hiring managers said the top issue was a lack of motivation or initiative. In addition, they noted a lack of professionalism (39%), excessive phone use (39%), poor time management (38%) and an attitude of indifference (37%). Others also pointed to poor communication skills, difficulty handling feedback and an inability to adapt to company culture.

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