💬 Summary

In this episode, we speak to Austin Okolo – founder of Gen Z Recruits and a leading voice for Gen Z in the world of work – about turning lived experience into lasting impact.

Austin shares how his entrepreneurial journey began with selling football boots at school and how it evolved into a mission to fix a broken job market. We talk about building confidence from the ground up, creating opportunities where none exist and why visibility and vulnerability are powerful tools for career growth. Austin opens up about the loneliness of leadership, what most people get wrong about Gen Z and why effort still beats everything else.

💡 Takeaways

• Your audience might be you – build what you wish you had
• Confidence comes from repetition, not personality
• Gen Z aren’t lazy – they’re just unwilling to settle for outdated norms
• Recruitment doesn’t have to be transactional – it can be transformational
• Visibility leads to opportunity – show up even when you’re nervous
• Document your journey, don’t wait to be ‘an expert’
• Working in isolation can damage your mental health – community matters
• Personal branding works best when it’s grounded in lived experience
• Employers and employees both need to define their non-negotiables
• The future of work needs to include flexibility and connection

🕒 Chapters

00:00 – Who is Austin Okolo and what does he do?

01:43 – From football boots to fashion to founding a business

03:50 – The rise and fall of Clubhouse and building a real-life community

06:16 – Becoming “Mr Gen Z” and launching Gen Z Recruits

08:57 – Why he started a recruitment agency with no corporate background

11:39 – Starting from scratch: mentorship, prep and long-term thinking

13:15 – The real problems Gen Z face in the job market

16:13 – Are Gen Z expectations really that unrealistic?

17:56 – Rethinking traditional work models and expectations

20:43 – Meeting in the middle: flexibility vs reality

22:48 – The hardest part: loneliness as a founder

24:10 – Why we need to build our own communities after school

26:05 – The hidden cost of working from home

28:15 – How Austin got into the media – and why visibility matters

31:04 – Building confidence by doing hard things

33:35 – Personal branding tips for early-career professionals

35:14 – What not to post online (and how to avoid being cringe)

38:13 – Why Austin didn’t post about Coldplay – and how to stay in your lane

41:08 – What’s next for Gen Z Recruits

42:46 – Austin’s signature advice: reverse engineer your dream role

44:31 – Where to find Austin online

🔗 Follow Austin

LinkedIn – Austin Okolo

Instagram – @austinokoloo

TikTok – @austinokoloo

Follow Favourite Positions on LinkedIn and Instagram, connect with Alex here.