What app was it? What's your biggest frustration? What would have made that better? And did you switch to another app or just give up? I can't seem to find a good app these days. Is anyone out there trying real life dating? The fact that birth rates are down isn't reassuring....
I’m trying to understand what recent grads are actually struggling with in the job search right now.
What part feels hardest: knowing what jobs to apply for, fixing the resume, getting interviews, networking, LinkedIn, staying organized, or knowing what to do each day?
Assume you know everything you know now.
What mistake would you avoid?
What would you start doing sooner?
What turned out to be a waste of time?
Curious what lessons people learned the hard way.
I’ve been looking closely at how recent grads are approaching the job search, and the biggest issue usually is not effort.
It is lack of structure.
Most people are doing some version of:
applying randomly
using one generic resume
not knowing what roles they should actually target
sending no outreach
waiting too long to prep for interviews
changing strategy every few days
The 5 biggest mistakes I keep seeing:
1. Targeting too broadly
“Marketing, ops, sales, analyst, project coordinator, anything remote” is not a strategy. Pick 2–3 role families.
2. Writing resume bullets as tasks, not proof
“Helped with social media” is weak.
“Created 12 weekly posts that increased engagement by 31%” is stronger.
3. Applying without outreach
For early-career roles, a short alumni or recruiter message can matter more than one more cold application.
4. No weekly activity targets
A job search needs numbers. Applications, outreach, follow-ups, interviews, resume versions.
5. Waiting to interview prep until they get interviews
That is too late. Your stories should be built before the invite comes.
My simple recommendation:
Pick:
2–3 target roles
30 companies
2 resume versions
5 outreach messages
3 interview stories
1 weekly tracking sheet
Then run the search like a campaign, not a panic spiral.
Curious: for recent grads here, what part feels hardest right now — picking roles, resume, LinkedIn, outreach, or interviews?