How to Job Search in a Bad Market: New College Graduates Edition
Recently, I conducted a very unscientific poll of a few college students who will be graduating soon. I asked how prepared they were feeling about searching for jobs. The resounding response was: “Not at all.”
While a few students had jobs lined up or were applying to graduate school, most would start job searching soon, and they were feeling pessimistic about their job opportunities. They said: “Everyone keeps telling me that the job market is bad. What am I supposed to do with that information?”
They worried that they had done something wrong – picked the wrong major, landed the wrong internships – that would make it impossible for them to find a job. They were overwhelmed about their job search before even starting.
These students have been working their butts off for years, learning, studying, growing, and gathering the amazing skills that they will bring to the workforce. Getting ready to graduate and job search should be an exciting time. Sure, all transitions are difficult, but it broke my heart to see these hard-working, talented students feeling so discouraged about finding their way into the professional work world.
In our conversations, they asked lots of thoughtful questions about the job market and the job-searching process.
(While I have geared this article to new college graduates, the questions and answers apply to anyone who is searching for jobs right now.)
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADS ABOUT JOB SEARCHING
#1 - JOB SEARCHING IN A BAD JOB MARKET
QUESTION #1: Everyone keeps telling me that the job market is bad. What am I supposed to do with that information?”
You’ve probably heard that the job market is not great right now. But what does that really mean?
What is a “good” or “bad” job market?
Economists track data on how many new jobs are being created, how many jobs are being lost, how many people are unemployed, and many other factors that influence the health of the U.S. economy. When jobs are being created (i.e., more companies are hiring, fewer layoffs are happening) and unemployment is low, it suggests that people who want jobs can find them, resulting in a “good” job market. While this is an oversimplification (apologizes to the labor market economists), it is useful to have a general idea of what data is analyzed to determine how “good” or “bad” a job market is.
What is the current job market like? The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (9/5/2025) confirmed that job growth is down in most industries, except in healthcare and social service. This means that companies are not hiring as many people as they were previously, and job seekers will see fewer job openings. At the same time, rates of unemployment have held steady and not increased in the last year, suggesting that people who are job searching will (eventually) find jobs.
Because we are not seeing growth in the job market, we can conclude we’re in a down job market. What this means for new college graduates is that they will begin their first professional job search in a highly competitive job market.
Let’s go back to the question: “So the job market is not great right now. What am I supposed to do with that information?”
SHORT ANSWER: “Ignore it.”
How do you job search in a bad job market? The same way you search in a good job market, but for longer.
Regardless of the state of the job market, new graduates need jobs. Being in a down job market doesn’t change the fact that you need to find your first professional job.
You control the time and energy you put into job searching, but you have no control over the job market.
The state of the job market will not change your credentials, the degree you got, or the major you studied.
LONG ANSWER: “Use the information to understand the realities of job searching in a down market so that you have realistic expectations and do not get discouraged.”
Here are some realities of job searching in a down market:
There are fewer job openings.
There is more competition for those jobs.
Salaries may not be as high.
It may take a long time (many, many months) to land your first professional job.
You may need to make compromises (in pay, location, industry).
You might have to accept a “good enough” job while you keep job searching.
But – and this is really important – these realities are not reasons to be pessimistic or discouraged or stop job searching. These realities are simply descriptions of the state of the market.
Knowing the realities will help you have realistic expectations for how much time and energy you will need to put into job searching. And it will help you figure out how to stay excited, motivated, and engaged in job searching over time.
Knowing the realities will help you develop the emotional hardiness to deal with rejection, being ghosted by employers, and navigating the idiosyncrasies of the different application websites. If you made it through college, you have what it takes to persist through the job searching process.
#2 - THE JOB SEARCH
QUESTION #2: I’m graduating soon and know that I will need to search for jobs. How do I do this? Where do I start?
ANSWER: For most new college grads, this will be the first time you are searching for a professional position. Like all things that you do for the first time, you will feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. And remember that no one knows what they are doing, even if they act like they do.
Think about all the things that you did for the first time. Got on a bike. Sat in the driver’s seat of a car. Jumped into a pool. We aren’t born knowing how to bike, drive, or swim. You learn how to do these things by being taught, watching others, getting advice, and lots of practice.
The job search is just the next thing in a long line of things you will do in your life that you didn’t know how to do before you had to do it.
Where Do I Find Information on Job Searching?
One of the biggest strengths of the current generation of college students is that you know how to use technology to search for information. And you also know that there is so much information out there that it’s easy to go down unproductive rabbit holes.
Job search content online (like all content) has titles written to catch your attention: Don’t Make These Job Mistakes; The Five Reasons You are Not Landing Your Dream Job; The Job Search Secrets Recruiters Don’t Want You to Know. While there might be some good nuggets of information in the articles, it can make you think that there is one right way to go about the job search or make you scared of doing it the “wrong” way. It makes it overwhelming to figure out how to start your job search.
If you are still in college, the best place to start is your college career center. Their websites have information about job searching, access to Handshake (a job searching board for college students), opportunities to schedule meetings with career counselors to develop your resume and your job search plan, access to workshops and webinars on job searching topics, and sometimes even interviews with recruiters. If you graduated within the last year or two, check to see if your college will grant you access to their career services, as many colleges will work with recent graduates as well as current students.
If you no longer have access to your college’s career center, don’t worry. Here are some good sources for step-by-step guides for new college grads:
Career One Stop is the U.S. Department of Labor’s career exploration and job search website and has a good overview of how to develop your job search plan.
Indeed is the largest job board and has a good article on the steps of the job searching process for new grads.
LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform that also has a job board. Even if you don’t love social media, it makes sense for new college graduates to have an account. Enter “job search tips for new graduates” into the search bar and you’ll find great content from career coaches and recruiters.
What are the Tasks of Job Searching?
What exactly are you supposed to do to search for jobs? No one really teaches you the answer to this in school.
While job searching tasks may vary depending on the type of job you are looking for, what your degree was in, where you live, and what kind of network you have, there are some basic tasks that most job seekers will need to do.
Job Searching Tasks:
Understand your “credentials”: your degree, job experience, internships, knowledge from classes, tech tools, certificates, and all other skills have you developed or have the potential to develop
Create a resume that showcases your credentials and skills
Figure out what types of jobs fit your skills and the possible job titles
Research companies or organizations that match your interests
Create a LinkedIn profile
Use job boards (e.g., Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, MN Council of Nonprofits, etc.) to search for job ads
Apply for job openings on job boards or company jobs pages
Learn what to put in a cover letter (and when you might not need one)
Talk to people (network) to uncover opportunities you won’t find on job boards
Reach out to recruiters as another avenue to identify job openings
Prepare for interviewing
Develop a job searching schedule that keeps you motivated but avoids burnout
#3 - JOB APPLICATIONS
QUESTION #3: Where do I apply for jobs? Each application takes forever – am I doing it right?
ANSWER: In the old days, there were bulletin boards in which companies would put up notices for open positions. In our technological age, we use the general term “job boards” to describe the different websites that post job openings or advertisements (job ads).
There are a few different types of job boards, and you’ll want to be checking a variety of them. Do your research so you know which job boards are most relevant to your industry.
General Job Boards are the most comprehensive and have job ads for a wide variety of positions, and you can use filters to customize your job search by location, hours, pay, etc. Some of the most popular job boards are Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter, and you can use Google to search for job ads.
Company Webpages will often have links to positions that are open to external candidates. Companies and organizations will post on these boards first before paying to post on the general job boards, which is why you’ll want to know your target companies. Staffing and recruiting agencies will also post open positions.
Specific Job Boards cater to specific industries or job types. Here are just a few of the types of specific job boards that exist: Government (federal, state, local), Nonprofits, Arts, Environment, Higher Ed, specific industries (e.g., HR, tech, K-12 education), as well as national and local professional organizations.
Check out the Resources page on my website for links to a wide range of job boards.
Job Applications
Remember when you started college and learned that each professor had different expectations for their classes? Each professor had their own specifications for what they wanted in a paper or how much you had to participate in class. You probably vented to friends about how strict one professor was or how another didn’t even read your papers.
You learned how to adjust your behavior to the needs of each class and each professor. Sure, it might have been frustrating at times, but you made your way through it.
Job searching is just the next iteration of that process. Each company or organization has their own way of managing the job application process, and all their applications systems and procedures are different. Some are more transparent about what they are looking for (e.g., will tell you what questions to answer in a cover letter or when they will be conducting interviews) and others will leave you guessing every step of the process. Some will let you if they have passed on your application, and some will leave you guessing or send a rejection email six months later.
The reality to prepare for is that the applications systems are set up to make it easier for companies, not for the job seeker. This is especially true in a down market where there are more job seekers than jobs available.
The result is that sometimes you end up application hell.
For example: You are asked to list your major, you are given a drop-down menu of majors, the list does not include your major, there is no “other” option, and the question is required, meaning that you cannot leave it blank. (In these cases, just pick the closest major.)
Another example: The application asks if you want to upload your resume so it can use AI to populate some fields in the application. You upload your resume only to have the information show up in the wrong boxes, your formatting gets wacky, and your job experience is no longer listed in order. It takes you an hour to clean up the application. So, for the next application you decide not to upload your resume, but then it takes you an hour to manually enter in all the information. Sigh.
Much of the application process is tedious and time-consuming. It is frustrating. If you are someone who gets frustrated easily when things are more difficult than they should be, you will need to space out your application activities. If possible, complete only one application in a sitting, and then take a break and do something much more fun.
How do you stay excited about job searching when you know ahead of time that the process will be frustrating? The same way you got through four or more years of college. One step at a time. One application at a time. And making sure you are having fun in other parts of your life.
No one gets through college without a few bumps along the way. You learned how to pick yourself back up when you felt discouraged, and those hardiness skills will be valuable as you deal with rejection (or just outright being ghosted). Create a strong network of people around you for support. And know when you need to reach out for guidance and find a career counselor or other knowledgeable person to help you navigate the process.
#4 – Artificial Intelligence
QUESTION #4: I heard AI is taking all the entry-level jobs. Was it worth it to get a college degree?
ANSWER: Technological changes are part of our modern society. During my college years in the early 1990s, the library transitioned from the “card catalog” to an online catalog and we all needed training to learn how to use it. College students today are technologically sophisticated and will never need much training to learn new systems.
You have grown up with technology and are comfortable with it. You are in the best position to get knowledgeable about AI, to experiment with how to use it in and out of the workplace, and to train less tech-savvy employees how to use it.
Yes, there are some jobs that will no longer be available because of AI. But there are other jobs that will be created because of AI. We will still need humans to work with the technology, and you are the generation – more than any other – who knows how to work with technology.
Some Final Thoughts
The reality is that having a college degree does not mean that finding a job will be easy in a down market. But it does mean that you have access to more options (even if those options are more limited right now). In a down market, you may need to take a “good enough” job to get your foot in the door and gain work experience.
Even in a bad market, however, the results are clear: Having a college degree gives you an advantage in the long run. Your earning potential is higher, and you have critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are valued by employers.
When you are in the midst of the job search and not hearing anything back, it’s easy to doubt yourself. You question if the degree was worth it. Or you wonder if you chose the “wrong” major. You worry that your internship wasn’t the right one or worry because you didn’t get an internship. Remember, there is no single formula for getting a job. Looking to the past and questioning your previous decisions is not helpful. When you find yourself in that headspace, it’s time to take a break and do something fun. Then go find the people who can help you see your strengths and help you showcase those amazing skills on your resume.