The University of Oregon class of 2025 are soon-to-be graduates who will be setting off and looking for careers in their field of study. However, it seems like a lot of college graduates, not just us Ducks, have been having a hard time securing a job after college.

I have had conversations with seniors, not just from our campus, about their experience job hunting. Some said they were able to find something because of networking, while a vast majority of the people I talked to said it took months.

I believe that it has become increasingly harder for younger individuals to find a job because of the increasingly high expectations for job applicants, the state of the current economy, AI and the high volume of applications. It may be hard, but it can’t be impossible.

At the moment, the job market is very competitive, especially since more Americans are obtaining college degrees. Employers are requiring rather unrealistic professional experience, even for entry-level positions. Because of this, it’s making it much more difficult for recent and upcoming graduates to find careers in their field of study.

Emily Mourning, a UO senior, explained her frustration with experience requirements that are pretty typical on job applications nowadays.

“I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how entry-level professional jobs require a minimum of two years’ experience in the job that is being advertised, which is a very frustrating thing to deal with. I think that, beyond traditional job experience, a lot goes into getting a job. Job experience isn’t the only experience we have: clubs, Greek life, sports, class projects (and more). These all give you experience,” Mourning said.

Jack Kelly, a senior contributor for Forbes, wrote an article called “Why Is It So Hard For Recent College Graduates To Find A Decent Job?” He dives into the reasoning behind this crisis and possible solutions. “If you conduct a search for ‘entry-level’ jobs on LinkedIn, you’ll see job listings requiring three to five or more years of relevant experience,” Kelly wrote.

Yogi Khor, a UO senior who is also an international student, expressed feeling overwhelmed trying to find a job in the United States. The process has been going on longer than Khor expected.

“It’s been really stressful, especially as an international student. I have to apply for Optional Practical Training and go through a lot of extra steps and paperwork just to stay in the U.S. and work legally. I’m lucky to have some connections; I’ve been reaching out, sending emails and my CV to different supervisors and people I know in the field, asking if they can help me find a job related to my major,” Khor said.

Khor continued on about how many of the jobs in the education system require a certain amount of previous experience, which has been hard for many UO seniors who haven’t had the chance to work in that type of setting before.

Kelly discussed this issue with Diane Gayeski, Ph.D., professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College. Her response was interesting.

“Employers need to recognize that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people graduating from college had more than two years of disruption in their education as well as their social and professional development,” Gayeski said.

When I questioned the reasons why the job market is so frustrating for graduates, I figured it was because of the economy. The other main issue, on top of our economic problems, is that job applications outweigh the jobs open to hire. U.S. Wealth Management, or U.S. Bank, published an article on their site about the current job market. In the article, there was an interview done with Rob Haworth, senior investment strategist for U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

“The unemployment rate moved modestly higher, from 4.1% in February to 4.2% in March. When taking a more historical view of the unemployment rate, a number in the low 4% range is quite favorable,” Haworth said.

This shows us a small sliver of hope for college graduates.

Job openings data shows 7.6 million open positions as of the end of February 2025. As has been the case since 2020, the number of job openings outnumber the number of unemployed workers. 

“The job openings report indicates that employers are still looking to hire people,” Haworth said.

Thankfully, there are some good tips for college graduates or students wanting to prepare for job hunting before graduation on how to help them secure a job. Ryan McGonagill, senior advisor for Business.com, had some good input on the subject. You can also find tips for job searching on LinkedIn.

Adding endorsements to resumes, possibly from professors or managers at your current job, is helpful. Other tips are investing in a personal brand online through LinkedIn, and adding specific skills for specific jobs — not just generic expertise. 

Another thing to remember is don’t aim low. You should still apply to jobs that might have a lower hiring rate. In this day and age, learning tech skills is very valuable, and networking as much as possible through platforms like LinkedIn is key.

Personally, I am currently finding a lot of good job opportunities and networks through internships. This could be important information for other undergraduates who aren’t graduating this year. For those who are, even if it is hard, it’s not impossible.

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