Interviewing Isn't One-Size-Fits-All: Lorna Erickson on Generational Gaps

Hiring strategist Lorna Erickson says the single biggest mistake candidates make in interviews is treating them like a uniform ritual — because interviewers themselves read each generation differently. Her advice, aimed at job seekers across age groups, is built on one core observation: what works for a 24-year-old can actively hurt a 54-year-old in the same chair.

Erickson breaks down how generational differences show up in interviewing, from communication style to how candidates frame their experience. The practical implication is straightforward. A younger candidate's energy reads as potential; the same energy from an older candidate can trigger questions about fit. Knowing how you're being read lets you manage the read.

Why does generation change the interview?

Erickson's argument rests on the mechanism of employer perception. Interviewers carry assumptions about every age bracket — about tech fluency, salary expectations, staying power. Candidates who ignore those assumptions get filtered by them. Candidates who anticipate them can counter directly, with evidence rather than assertion.

Her framing cuts both ways. It's not just about older workers fighting bias. Every generation walks in with a stereotype attached, and each one needs a different fix. That's why blanket interview advice, the kind that circulates in most job-search guides, tends to underperform.

Which hiring trends need to go?

Erickson doesn't only coach candidates — she names hiring practices she wants eliminated. Her target is the trends that slow matching between people and roles and reward interview performance over actual capability. When employers optimize for polish, they screen out capable people who interview poorly, and that cost lands on both sides of the table.

For an individual job seeker, the takeaway is tactical. You can't fix employer-side practice in real time, but you can prepare for it: expect generational screening, and rehearse answers that dismantle the assumption before the interviewer voices it.

What should you actually do?

Apply her generational lens to your own prep. Ask how a hiring manager likely categorizes you, then decide which of those assumptions you accept, which you rebut, and which you redirect toward strengths. That's a preparation exercise, not a personality change — and it's the part of interview coaching most candidates skip.

The broader signal for the labor market is that interviewing standards remain uneven while attention to them is rising. As strategists like Erickson push employers to drop outdated hiring trends, candidates who understand the generational mechanics now will hold the advantage until those practices fade.