Main image of article Yes, the Job Market is Tough. But You're Not Powerless

Look, we don't want to sugarcoat this: if you're a recent graduate trying to break into tech right now, you're facing one of the most challenging job markets in nearly a decade. The current landscape for new grads has been described as "a black hole" and a "dismal job market," leaving many questioning whether their education was worth it.

The numbers back up what you're feeling. Recent graduate unemployment has climbed to an average of 5.3% this year, making it one of the toughest job markets since 2015. Compare that to around 4% for the overall workforce, and yeah—new grads are getting hit harder.

Fortunately, you can still position yourself strategically, even in a tough market.

Summary

One thing we've noticed: employers are increasingly prioritizing specific hard and soft skills over traditional college degrees. Some 86% of job postings for network support specialists didn't require a four-year degree in May, along with 77% of tech support specialists, 47% of network administrators, 49% of web developers, and 55% of database administrators.

Your ability to demonstrate what you can do is becoming more valuable than where you went to school.

The market is demanding something specific right now: candidates who can bridge business and tech skills. Being a "business tech problem solver" is highly valued. You need to show employers how your contributions can drive real value and solve actual business problems, beyond simply listing your technical knowledge.

Instead of just saying "I know Python," try: "I built a Python script that automated data entry, reducing manual effort by 15% and freeing up the team for analysis work."

We know AI feels threatening—79% of tech professionals feel pressure to upskill because of generative AI. But AI skills are increasingly appearing in job descriptions , and integrating AI into daily workflows is becoming essential.

Rather than seeing AI as a threat, learn to work with it. Candidates who can evaluate and interpret AI-generated data for business use cases are in demand. You don't need a machine learning PhD—focus on understanding how to leverage these tools to solve real problems.

Build Your Portfolio First Create mini coding projects, case studies, or tech tutorial walk-throughs for any role, even non-coding ones. UX mockups, SEO reports, or sample social media audits all count. The key is demonstrating hands-on knowledge.

Get Strategic About Certifications Quick wins include CompTIA A+, Google IT Support Professional Certificate, Google Data Analytics Certificate, and cloud certifications from AWS or Azure. These verify your skills to employers who are drowning in resumes.

Network Like It's Your Job (Because It Is) Leveraging professional connections on platforms like LinkedIn is critical for uncovering opportunities and getting trusted third parties to vouch for you. But don't just connect—engage meaningfully with content and offer genuine value in conversations.

Target the Right Opportunities Look for companies explicitly seeking 0-3 years of experience—20% of tech job postings in May wanted exactly that (with 33% not specifying experience requirements). These employers expect to train and develop talent.

Here's the most important point: job seeker confidence has plummeted to its lowest level since Q1 2022, with 41% finding their search "much harder". Everyone else is feeling this way too.

When the market is tough, the candidates who stand out are the ones who:

  • Show genuine enthusiasm for learning
  • Demonstrate problem-solving ability through concrete examples
  • Approach applications strategically rather than spray-and-pray
  • Persist when others give up

The hiring has significantly slowed across the economy, reaching its slowest pace since the pandemic. Economists describe it as "a pretty stable market for those who have a job, but a much more challenging one for those trying to get one".

But challenging doesn't mean hopeless. It means you need a better strategy than your competition.

The majority of tech professionals (89%) use company-provided training to keep skills current, and many employers offer tuition reimbursement for upskilling [17]. This tells you something important: continuous learning is now the norm, not the exception.

Start building that learning habit now. The skills you develop while job searching, whether it's mastering a new framework, contributing to open source projects, or learning to communicate technical concepts clearly, will become the foundation of your entire career.

The market will eventually turn around. It always does. The professionals who do well long-term are the ones who use tough periods to build solid fundamentals.

Focus on what you can control, and keep moving forward.