For decades, the playbook to success for young professionals was pretty straightforward: Go to college, land an entry-level position, gain experience, and climb the corporate ladder. But in today’s sluggish job market where artificial intelligence is reshaping many entry-level roles, that playbook is being rewritten.
Whether you’ve been fortunate to land your first full-time job, or you’re still looking for one, success in the first year of your career requires more than just a degree nowadays. Today, young professionals need to be resilient, adaptable, and open to new opportunities that may not look like the traditional first step for getting their foot in the door.
Here are seven new rules for success that experts say are key for young professionals looking to thrive in today’s economy.
Go Into The Office
With many companies issuing return-to-office mandates, or operating on a hybrid schedule, it’s important for new graduates to take advantage of in-office opportunities. According to management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, structured in-person time can help young professionals build mentor-mentee relationships with senior leaders; can create opportunities for effective knowledge transfer among peers; and can provide an opportunity to observe workplace dynamics that may be harder to read in a remote environment. Also, proximity bias, where managers unconsciously favor employees who are physically closer to them, is a real factor in the workplace. That means showing up to the office can sometimes make a difference in whether or not you get selected for a new project or an assignment that will stretch your skills and experience.
Build Up Your Network
While networking has always been beneficial to career success, Kory Kantenga, LinkedIn’s Head of Economics, Americas, says that in today’s challenging job market building up your network and making connections is more important than ever, especially if you’re still trying to land your first role.
“Use your network to connect with people who are in the roles and in the industries that you have an interest in,” he says. “That way, you’re not just sending cold resumes out and you’re actually making a warm connection and potentially getting a referral, which is very important in a market like this.”
Find On-The-Job Opportunities To Learn
In a slow labor market where hiring is down, experts say any young person who has been fortunate to find full-time work should hold onto their job and take full advantage of any learning opportunities offered. This includes earning a certificate, being trained on a specific AI tool, or even signing up for a job rotation or mentoring program.
“A lot of workers are investing and upskilling on their own, but it’s best if an employer can guide some of that,” says Priya Rathod, workplace expert at Indeed. She emphasizes that many employers may be open to investing in and developing current talent because it’s faster and less expensive than finding someone new.
Data shows that hiring new talent can easily cost employers thousands of dollars when factoring in job advertisements, recruiting tools, and productivity loss for having a vacant role.
Don’t Take On More Debt For A Master’s If It’s Not Needed
For recent graduates looking for a job, or trying to advance at their current one, going back to school for an advanced degree has always seemed like a safe bet. But new data shows that may not be the case today, as workers under 35 with a master’s degree are experiencing one of the highest unemployment rates in 20 years. As a result of this high unemployment rate, and President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill limiting federal funding for graduate degree programs, researchers have calculated a negative ROI for 40% of all master’s degrees.
So before going back to school just to buy time or move up the corporate ladder, young professionals should ask themselves, “Is this advanced degree really needed for me to grow in my career? And how will it pay off in the long run?”
Be Open To Paid Internships And Contract Work If Needed
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 5.6% of recent graduates aged 22 to 27 are unemployed, compared to roughly 4.2% of all workers. Rather than waiting on the sidelines for a full-time job, recent graduates should be open to any paid internships and freelancing opportunities that come their way after graduation. Not only does this build your resume and help you gain more work experience in the first year of your career, but it also helps to build your network, which can eventually lead to a full-time role.
Hone In On The Human Skills AI Can’t Replace
Even with all of the conversations around AI and its impact, Rathod says Indeed’s research shows that many of the human skills that can’t be replaced by AI appear in nearly three-quarters of all U.S. job postings.
“What we’re seeing right now is that human skills are traveling in a way that purely technical skills sometimes don’t,” says Rathod. “We’re hearing again and again that things like communication and critical thinking and leadership and empathy are the skills that are valuable right now across a lot of industries.” That means young professionals should double down on highlighting these skills on their resume, in job interviews, and even after they get their first role to show they can add value to an organization that can’t be duplicated by AI.
Pay Attention To Job Market Momentum
Whether you already have a job, or are seeking one, Kantenga advises professionals to do their research on where momentum is taking place in the labor market to ensure that any job search efforts now or in the future are directed to the right places.
“Say you want to work in an accounting firm, if it’s an accounting firm that serves healthcare providers, you probably have some options there,” he says, while emphasizing that healthcare has been a consistent driver of job growth in the labor market. “But if it’s an accounting firm that serves other accounting firms, then it’s probably more challenging. So you want to make sure that you’re focused on areas where there’s going to be momentum and you’re not just looking at what industry a company is in, but who are their clients? Are their clients in industries and areas that have momentum because if there’s momentum there, then there’s going to be growth.”
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