Welcome to our June series "You Graduated. Now What? Career Confidence for Gen Z."
This month, we are breaking down the big questions that come after graduation, from starting your job search to finding a workplace where you can grow, belong, and be yourself.
First up: where do you begin?
Graduation is a huge accomplishment. You made it through classes, deadlines, exams, group projects, internships, part-time jobs, and everything else that came with earning your degree. But once the celebration slows down, one question can start to feel very loud:
Now what?
For many Gen Z graduates, starting a career can feel exciting, confusing, and overwhelming all at once. Maybe you have a job lined up. Maybe you are still applying. Maybe you are not sure what kind of job you want yet.
That is normal.
You do not need to have your whole future figured out right now. You just need to start taking the next right steps.
Start With a Simple Plan
The job search feels less overwhelming when you turn it into a routine.
Update your resume and LinkedIn. Apply to a realistic number of jobs each week. Save roles that interest you. Track where you applied and when you followed up.
A simple spreadsheet with the company name, job title, date applied, and status can help you stay organized and feel more in control.
Refresh Your Resume
As a new graduate, you may not have years of full-time experience yet, and that is okay. Your resume can include internships, part-time jobs, campus jobs, volunteer work, class projects, leadership roles, certifications, customer service experience, and freelance work.
Do not downplay experience just because it was not a traditional office job. Retail, food service, tutoring, childcare, campus support, and other roles can show communication, teamwork, reliability, problem-solving, and time management.
Those skills matter.
Strengthen Your LinkedIn
LinkedIn is not just for people with established careers. It can help new grads get noticed by recruiters, hiring managers, and people in their network.
Start with the basics: a clear photo, your education, relevant experience, skills, projects, and a short “About” section.
Your headline can be simple:
Recent Marketing Graduate | Interested in Social Media, Brand Strategy, and Content Creation
Or:
Recent Business Graduate | Entry-Level Operations, Project Coordination, and Customer Success
Make it easy for people to understand what kind of opportunities fit you.
Apply With Intention
When you are nervous about finding a job, it is tempting to apply to anything and everything. But a focused approach usually works better.
Look for roles that match some of your skills, interests, and goals. You do not need to meet every requirement in a job posting. If you meet a good portion of the qualifications and can explain why you are interested, it may be worth applying.
Your first job does not have to be perfect, but it should help you move forward.
Give Yourself Permission to Start Somewhere
Your first job after graduation does not have to define your entire career.
It can help you learn what you like, what you do not like, what you are good at, and what kind of workplace fits you best. Maybe your first role leads somewhere unexpected. Maybe it teaches you what you want next.
That is not failure. That is growth.
Just remember:
Graduating is a major milestone, but it is not the moment where you need to have everything figured out.
Start small. Update your resume. Build your LinkedIn. Apply with intention. Stay open to learning.
You graduated. That matters.
Now you get to build what comes next, one step at a time.