TULSA, Okla. — Right now, at Tulsa Public Schools alone, around 200 job openings sit open, waiting for people like Bernie Garland.
He tells 2 News Oklahoma he’s dealt with personal issues and has slid in and out of jobs for a while; he’s sick of the rollercoaster.
"Maybe for a month or two, it’s OK to kind of sit around and watch daytime TV and kind of kick back," Garland said, "But it gets old real quick. Myself I've got to stay busy, I've got to stay stimulated and that’s really why I want to get back to work."
Garland has swam through a number of job openings, trying to find the right fit for him. He holds a communications degree, but hasn’t really worked in that field. He has worked in sales and other management positions, making the job search that much harder.
"I feel like there’s a lot of jobs that I’m either way over-qualified for or extremely under-qualified for so I’m kind of in between so it’s a little different in that regard," Garland said.
Tulsa Public Schools is one of the largest employers in the city. Their lead recruiter told us they’re trying to reach out to more young people.
"If we’re going after millennials and Gen-Z, we need to go where they are, so Linkedin, social media. I also think that we need to be thinking more about the kind of benefits that that people are looking for," Nicolette Dennis said.
Garland told us he’s looking not just for good pay, but stability and a positive workplace culture. The generation below his, Gen-Z, is singing the same tune.
According to research from the Society for Human Resources Management, the top quality Gen-Z job seekers look for is stability. They suspect a recession-era upbringing is what created that mindset.
"I’ve had some good jobs from some good companies. Worked in some pretty toxic environments too and been to places that don’t value [employees] much," Garland said.
Garland said he’s looking to make a transition into education, and he'll keep hunting until he can land that dream job.
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