- By Shailvee Tiwari
- Mon, 24 Mar 2025 01:57 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A Bengaluru-based CEO took an unusual approach during job interviews. Instead of asking typical industry questions, he gave candidates a simple Class 5 math problem: "If a car travels the first 60 km at 30 km/h and the next 60 km at 60 km/h, what is its average speed?"
Surprisingly, out of 50+ students from BBA, BCA, and other streams, only two answered correctly. The rest struggled. However, when asked about marketing strategies, they confidently discussed Instagram Reels, viral content, and digital trends.
Sharing This On LinkedIn, The CEO Wrote:
"Gen Z Knows Reels, But Not Real Math? Recently, I visited a renowned campus to hire fresh graduates, and bright minds from BBA, BCA, and other streams. During my interaction with 50+ students, I asked them a simple Class 5 maths question: ‘If a car travels the first 60 km at 30 km/h and the next 60 km at 60 km/h, what is its average speed?’ Only 2 students got it right. The rest struggled. Yet, when I asked them how they would market our product, they had tons of ideas about Instagram reels, viral content, and digital trends."
He pointed out a growing concern—many young graduates excel at social media but lack basic math, problem-solving, and financial literacy. He stressed the importance of developing these essential skills to prepare for real-life challenges.
"This highlights a stark reality, Gen Z is highly skilled in social media but lacks fundamental problem-solving, logical reasoning and financial literacy. If these trends continue, we may have a generation struggling with personal finance, decision making and analytical skills. As educators, employers and mentors, we must bridge this gap. Critical thinking and basic numeracy are non-negotiable life skills," he added.
Watch The LinkedIn Post:
The CEO’s post quickly caught attention, sparking discussions among social media users. Many shared their thoughts on the skills gap among Gen Z graduates. One user commented, "It's an interesting generation. Very high on aspiration but very few have an idea about how to fulfill that aspiration and what is required for that." Another user agreed, saying, "I agree. We should mentor Gen Z strongly in the right direction to make them learn that much of life is beyond social media."
A third person shared a similar experience, writing, "Very true. When we asked a mechanical student about brakes and pistons, he struggled to answer it... They prepare for the current role but they lack basic fundamentals." A fourth user criticised the modern education system, saying, "This is the situation in modern education where students are lacking basic knowledge and getting addicted to modern tools, which are making them, directly or indirectly, weaker fish in the ocean."