Gen Z and the New Hiring Equation. What do Employers look for - Credentials or Is Skills the New Career Currency?

Gen Z and the New Hiring Equation. What do Employers look for - Credentials or Is Skills the New Career Currency?

What matters more today—a degree, or the ability to actually do the job? For years, we’ve treated degrees as the ultimate signal of capability—the safer bet, the proven path. But Gen Z is stepping into a very different world of work. A world where skills evolve faster than syllabi, where portfolios sometimes speak louder than pedigrees, and where employers say they want “ready-to-perform,” not just “qualified-on-paper.” So is the value of a degree declining—or are we simply redefining what it represents?  In this episode, HR Leader and Entrepreneur Manisha Goel helps us to unpack the tension between degrees and skills, cut through the noise, and explore what truly drives employability for Gen Z—without dismissing either side. 45 Best Gen Z Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025 [https://podcast.feedspot.com/gen_z_podcasts/] Find Us Online Manisha Goel    :  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-goel-23a7b333/] Nikhil :  Website [https://learnwisely.in/],  Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilraval/], Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC82LUWJ8Ff_KIVqjVrXCYQ] & Book [https://amzn.to/3t6m2Da]

From Burnout to Balance – How is Gen Z rewriting the Hustle Culture

For years, hustle culture was sold as the golden path to success—work harder, sleep less, sacrifice now, and someday it will all pay off. But a new generation is challenging that script.  Gen Z is asking deeper questions about ambition, boundaries, mental health, and whether success has to come at the cost of well-being. Are they rejecting hard work, or are they redefining what sustainable achievement really looks like? In this episode, Guest Bhasker Jaiswal helps us to explore the tension between the old grind mindset and the emerging search for balance, purpose, and a healthier relationship with work. We’ll unpack why hustle culture is being questioned, what leaders need to understand, and how Gen Z may be creating a smarter model of success for the future. 45 Best Gen Z Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025 [https://podcast.feedspot.com/gen_z_podcasts/] Find Us Online Bhasker Jaiswal   :  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaskerj/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bhaskerjaiswal/] Nikhil :  Website [https://learnwisely.in/],  Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilraval/], Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC82LUWJ8Ff_KIVqjVrXCYQ] & Book [https://amzn.to/3t6m2Da]

Gen Z and Meta Stereotypes. How Does Gen Z Sees itself at Work?

What if the biggest obstacle to your growth at work isn’t what others think of you—but what you assume they already do? For Gen Z, those hidden assumptions can shape confidence, communication, trust, and behavior long before real relationships are built.  In this episode, Author and Leadership Expert Merry Brown will help us explore the difference between stereotypes (the labels others place on a group) and meta-stereotypes (the beliefs we carry about how others see us).  We’ll unpack how these patterns show up in the workplace, how they can become self-fulfilling, and how Gen Z can use self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and intentional action to move beyond labels and build credibility with impact. 45 Best Gen Z Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025 [https://podcast.feedspot.com/gen_z_podcasts/] Find Us Online Merry Brown   :  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/merry-brown] Nikhil :  Website [https://learnwisely.in/],  Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilraval/], Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC82LUWJ8Ff_KIVqjVrXCYQ] & Book [https://amzn.to/3t6m2Da]

From Retention to Relevance – Why is Engagement becoming the New Currency for Gen Z?

Engagement is often misunderstood as satisfaction or happiness at work, but in reality, it’s about emotional commitment, discretionary effort, and the willingness to go beyond the bare minimum. For organizations, engagement drives productivity, innovation, retention, and ultimately long-term performance. And when it comes to Gen Z, the stakes are even higher. This is a generation that evaluates work through the lens of purpose, growth, feedback, flexibility, and authentic leadership. So what does it truly take to engage Gen Z — not just attract them, but inspire them to stay and contribute at their best?  In this episode Leadership expert and Author Hanna Hesl Kelchner we’ll explore what engagement really means, why it matters strategically, and what companies must rethink to get it right. 45 Best Gen Z Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025 [https://podcast.feedspot.com/gen_z_podcasts/] Find Us Online Hanna Hesl Kelchner  :  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahaslkelchner/], Book [https://seekingfairnessatwork.com/] Nikhil :  Website [https://learnwisely.in/],  Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilraval/], Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC82LUWJ8Ff_KIVqjVrXCYQ] & Book [https://amzn.to/3t6m2Da]

How is Gen Z Consuming Media: The Tension between Virality vs. Verification

Gen Z doesn’t just consume media — they live inside it. In a world where the feed is the front page and algorithms shape attention, this generation is redefining how news is discovered, trusted, shared and challenged. Traditional gatekeepers no longer hold exclusive control over information. Today, creators, influencers and everyday users compete with journalists for credibility and cultural influence. In this episode, Journalist Janvi Sonaiya helps us to explore how Gen Z engages with media differently: their relationship with trust and truth, the rise of short-form storytelling, the role of identity in shaping narratives, and the tension between virality and verification. Are they disengaged from traditional journalism — or simply rejecting outdated formats? Is misinformation the real threat, or is it declining institutional trust? And what happens when the audience is no longer passive but participatory? Through the lens of media and journalism, we unpack how Gen Z is not just reshaping content, but reshaping the very structure of influence. As institutions struggle to keep pace with platforms, this conversation asks a bigger question: Is Gen Z changing media — or revealing what media needed to change all along? This episode is for leaders, educators, journalists, and anyone trying to understand how the next dominant generation interprets the world — one scroll at a time. 45 Best Gen Z Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025 [https://podcast.feedspot.com/gen_z_podcasts/] Find Us Online Janvi Sonaiya  :  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/janvi-sonaiya-b2766b90], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thejanvi/?hl=en] Nikhil :  Website [https://learnwisely.in/],  Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilraval/], Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC82LUWJ8Ff_KIVqjVrXCYQ] & Book [https://amzn.to/3t6m2Da]