Wearable tech improves interviewing skills for Gen Zs and Millennials
With the advent of the Apple Watch, Google Glass, and less popular items like Snap Inc. Spectacles or the Reebok Concussion Cap, it’s no doubt that wearable technology (or “wearables”) are taking our society by storm. For better or for worse, wearable technology is challenging our preconceived understandings of reality and fantasy, merging the two with virtual and augmented reality innovations. The question has become not “should we adopt it?,” but how can we utilize it to our benefit? Best-selling author and social media guru Gary Vaynerchuck posits that the way in which we apply for jobs is changing fast, and that “traditional resumes are dead.” While I believe this is coming true, interviews are and will continue to be necessities in the hiring process as employers still want to know if a candidate will fit with their company culture. Therefore, we still need to master the art of communicating and connecting. And with the average attention span decreasing and the discomfort with non-text based interactions increasing among millennials and Gen Zs, the challenge for young people to connect with prospective employers has become greater.
Enter virtual reality and wearable tech, specifically Google Glass. Imagine being able to practice interviews in the comfort of your apartment, home, dorm room or anywhere. I would utilize wearable tech to design an app that syncs with Google Glass to simulate interviews with employers. The app would create an interview setting based on the specifications and candidates would then be able to go through an interview while wearing Google Glass.
My target audience, college students and recent graduates, are the highest population of job seekers. According to a Pew Research Center study, 83% of 18-29 year olds have sought jobs online and 79% have applied for jobs online. Most are also college educated, at 65 percent. Eighty-six percent of job seekers who are in their first 10 years of their careers use social media in their job search. My target audience is already technologically savvy in their job search, and they are eager to impress in interviews. I believe this demographic would be excited by this new innovation in wearable technology and use it to their advantage in their job search process.
This app and the use of wearable tech would enhance my brand by providing my audience with resources and a vehicle to begin their careers and improve their interviewing skills.