How Can A Recent College Graduate Survived the Dismal 2025 Job Market?

FLEETWOOD, Pa. — “I have a job now, which isn’t my field, and I love working there, but can’t help but wonder if my life will go anywhere.” Sound familiar?

Last spring, Gabe Vilches graduated with an English degree from Mount St. Mary’s University. The one thing she wants more than anything is to write professionally. But it wasn’t until after graduation that it really struck her — the job market is one big complex puzzle. Solving that puzzle is like cracking the code to a safe: How can I secure a reliable, well-paying job that fits my most desired role?

Workers from any generation will tell you the search for a full-time job is frustrating. Most of us envision pursuing a dream career, only for that job to be overshadowed by an uncertain future within months. Many experience the persistent dread that sets in after submitting hundreds of applications, knowing you didn’t land an interview. It’s nothing new.

But this year, you get the feeling that something is different.

For Vilches, hearing the phrase “not enough experience” from hiring managers, considering the time she invested in job applications, felt discouraging.

“I applied to over 200 jobs, all to land 10 interviews that went nowhere,” she says. “Recently, I interviewed for a junior copywriter position that put me through four rounds of interviews and an assessment, and I got rejected after the final round. It paid $45k.”

While some reports suggest the market is steady, like this March 2025 NPR article, the picture is bleak. A Forbes  article, “4 Reasons Gen-Z Is Struggling to Land a New Job in 2025,” reports that one in five workers who started job-hunting in 2024 are still searching this year. The number of job applicants continues to grow, with the 1.5 million from 2022 reaching 2.5 million last fall. The Atlantic writer Derek Thompson suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic economy contributed significantly to the job shortage. The pandemic led to a surge in mass layoffs and hiring freezes in subsequent years. The labor market gradually recovered, only to be further disrupted by inflation.

This past January, President Donald Trump announced DOGE’s initiative to drastically downsize the federal government, cutting half of its workforce. Federal workers scrambled amid mass layoffs. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 55 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s DOGE cuts. The public’s trust in the administration has reportedly fallen from 37  to 45 percent since February. The public’s confidence in the country’s long-term economic strength is also notably declining, and those worries tend to lead to distrust in the job market.

So what’s a graduate like me to do?

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Several factors play into low unemployment rates among recent graduates. An American Community survey, combining data from 2022 and 2023, found an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent among bachelor’s degree holders ages 22 to 27. In comparison, those ages 25 to 44 have a lower rate of 3 percent.

The numbers aren’t a fluke. In interviews with peers and career experts, I found that the nonstop, existential search for a job after college feels increasingly more challenging. 

Paige Willet, a communications specialist at the Bureau of Indian Education, is pursuing her master’s degree at NYU’s American Journalism Online (AJO). On February 14, she received an email from her supervisor stating that she had been terminated, effective immediately.

A few of her other colleagues were also affected. “It just stopped right then,” she says.

Willet opted out of the deferred resignation. Luckily for her, she received a call from her supervisor a few weeks later with the exciting news that she was getting her position back. She accepted it.

When she first lost her job at the Bureau, she says, “It was just like, ‘Log off and pack your stuff up.’” She works remotely but still had to return the equipment she was using in her role. “I decided to start job-hunting because what else are you gonna do in that situation?” she says.

Willet has held other state government positions in the past. She remains passionate and devoted to public service. “It makes me happy; it makes me feel like I have a purpose,” she says. 

Last June, I graduated with a BA in English. At first, I wasn’t that worried about what to do with my degree. I knew I liked to write. But when people approached me about it, they would often ask, “So are you gonna teach? What do you plan on doing?”

It was a never-ending cycle. I was desperate to work, anywhere, somewhere. 

I reluctantly decided to sit down with my guidance counselor to discuss grad school plans. I had yet to put much thought into my job prospects. Eventually, I would have to accept the reality that the job market was difficult, and I always sucked at math and science. Though STEM jobs have been rapidly increasing, I was always allergic to STEM-related fields.

As application deadlines approached, I had to settle on a decision — I loved to write and wanted a career where I could make an impact with my words.

Despite saying as an undergrad that I never wanted to go back to school!, I realized I needed more direction on my career path. My self-talk quickly changed: “Actually, maybe I should pursue a master’s!”

When I began graduate school, I was actively seeking any opportunity to launch my journalism career. But where do I start

Scrolling through hiring platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed turned into a tedious task. And I thought committing to a college during my senior year of high school was one of the most stressful periods of my life!

I was eager for a job, so every day became the same for me: application, cover letter, emails, and then the most dreadful thing of all: being ghosted. I spent day after day refreshing emails, hopeful for at least one sliver of an opportunity. 

Systemic reform is necessary to help new grads navigate the job market. Vilches thinks universities should do a better job of supporting students. She believes school officials “need to be honest about the difficulties new grads will expect because nobody prepared me for the ‘reality check’ of the job market after college.”

Of course, the industry that new graduates choose significantly impacts career and financial success. Elizabeth Nichols worked under the Department of Commerce as a mathematical statistician in the U.S. Census Bureau for the past 36 years.  She was not planning on early retirement until this year.

“They offered a buyout,” she says, adding that the Department of Commerce wants to reduce its workforce by 20 percent. The department is encouraging people like Nichols to retire early, and many others her age are doing the same. “I appreciate the Department of Commerce. They are really trying not to reduce them involuntarily,” she says.

Nichols is in agreement with the majority — the market remains tough. She also mentioned the possibility of taking on a part-time gig in the future.

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Learning a hiring manager’s needs can be beneficial for prospective employees. How do you market yourself as a hireable candidate these days? How different is it from the last decade or even a year ago?

SFGATE’s editor-in-chief, Grant Marek, recalls interviewing two candidates for a senior reporter role. The candidate they hired ended up beating out a Pulitzer Prize winner.

But Marek is well aware of how messed up the market is. According to him, SFGATE altered the way it hires journalists, compared to higher-profile publications with broader readerships on the East Coast, like The New York Times and The Washington Post.

“All of these communities that we are covering — we are not hiring someone in San Francisco to cover them,” he says. “We are looking for a great journalist who happens to live there or grew up there. They would know the area better than anyone. SFGATE has continued to branch out in various areas of California.”

Marek says a candidate’s unique understanding of the community is essential for great journalism. This got me thinking. If hiring managers tweaked their process, then the candidates searching for their dream role wouldn’t have to bury their heads in over a hundred applications. Marek points out that SFGATE doesn’t use AI to vet candidates, like many workplaces have.

The AI process can kick out applicants easily by keywords, so even if an ideal candidate applies, they may never get the chance to speak about their experience and skills in a personalized interview. Instead of actively seeking the “paper perfect” candidate, what about actually giving applicants the opportunity to prove themselves in their field?

Grant is candid about the current employment crisis. He once saw a journalist get hired at Huffington Post, only to be laid off on the same day. “There were a lot of newsrooms that popped up in the past five to ten years that were paying everyone and quartering talent that seemed like the greatest thing ever, then turned around and pulled it,” he says

I asked Vilches for tips on how to navigate the tricky market. As a new grad, I could use the advice — maybe the best we can do right now as peers is to help each other and lift one another up through the tough times. “My advice would be to keep trying to pursue your career goals and never doubt yourself,” she tells me. “Graduating from college is a huge achievement, and that is something to be proud of.”

Our career accomplishments should be instilled as our greatest achievements, no matter the trajectory of the market. But colleges and universities could take more responsibility for the post-graduate experience. So many Americans are left unfulfilled with their careers, and a part of that stems from the idea that new grads struggle to pursue their planned career path.

“I believe providing career counseling and offering classes geared towards career readiness would be extremely beneficial to new grads,” Vilches suggests.

A few months after graduation, Vilches reached out to professors for career guidance. But who really wants to worry about the stress of planning your career when you spent the past four years doing the same? On top of the job search, many graduates will have student debt looming over their heads while potentially looking to move to a new city. Nonetheless, with layoffs in the midst, federal budget cuts are not making it easier for those who are able to get a gig.

I mean, if a Pulitzer Prize winner is not guaranteed a job, then we must really think about the future of employment.