It’s a tough market for young professionals.
The joblessness rate for people with college degrees aged 22-27 just hit 5.8%. It’s the highest level in over a decade and meaningfully higher than the national average of 4.2%.
The cause? Some point to AI.
“There are growing signs that artificial intelligence poses a real threat to a substantial number of the jobs that normally serve as the first step for each new generation of young workers,” wrote Aneesh Raman, chief economic opportunity officer at LinkedIn, in The New York Times.
There might be other factors, too. Uncertainty from a changing geopolitical landscape means business leaders are pausing investments and slowing hiring.
Those explanations don’t offer much to young college graduates trying to find their next role. Instead, young professionals should consider these tips — career advice shared by leaders who have not only reached the corner office, but helped to build some of the best workplaces in the country.
Where young pros should focus, according to leaders at Accenture, Delta Air Lines, Synchrony, Marriott and more
Here’s what leaders like Ed Bastian at Delta Air Lines, Julie Sweet at Accenture, and others recommend doing to start a meaningful and rewarding career in uncertain times:
1. Embrace change as an opportunity.
“Don’t allow the news of the moment to start to get inside you,” shared Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines on a recent roundtable with Fortune. “The next 10 to 20 years is going to [offer] the biggest opportunities to influence our markets and our world that we've ever seen.”
Change and uncertainty can be unnerving, but they also present opportunity. To navigate increasing uncertainty, Bastian recommends doubling down on a personal creed or mission.
“Never lose sight of why you do what you do and never lose faith that you're going to get through this,” he says. “Understand that what's going on in the world around you doesn't define who you are. It's your response to what's going on around you that defines who you are.”
2. Build your skills as a listener.
Speaking on the “Better” podcast, Synchrony CEO Brian Doubles shared his advice to young professionals: “Listen more”
That might be counterintuitive to someone trying to build influence and a personal brand, but it can be powerful. “When I was early in my career … I felt like I was always waiting to talk,” Doubles says. “I was always preparing what I was going to say and not doing a good enough job listening, and that's something that I've really tried to hone over the last five, 10 years.”
3. Become an expert at learning, and practice talking about learning experiences.
When joining Accenture, every person regardless of job level gets asked this question: “What have you learned in the last six months?” People with the experience to both add new skills and talk about learning as a practice are more likely to succeed in the global consulting firm.
“We've been doing that now for years because we see … how flexible our people need to be as you see the impact of technology and new opportunities,” said Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture. “We believe that you need to have that innate learning desire to learn.”
4. Don’t play it too safe; take a reasonable risk.
When you’re starting out on your career, you should make room for experimentation and accept you will make mistakes. Leaders like Laura Fuentes, chief human resources officer at Hilton, share that she wished she’d been a little bolder and braver in her early career.
“I always felt like, well, who am I to reach out to so-and-so, or who am I to speak up now?” Fuentes shared on the “Better” podcast. “I would seek to have all my action and knowledge really buttoned up before I would lean into something.”
Her advice to young pros? “When you're thinking about it and you're feeling like, I don't know if I can do that, that doesn't mean you can't do it.”
Accenture’s Sweet puts it another way: “If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough.”
5. Find the lesson in every setback.
The uncertain job market and changing work landscape might be unsettling for young pros. But sometimes not getting a job or facing a personal crisis can reveal new talents and open doors that were previously hidden.
“I would tell my younger self to look at everything as a learning opportunity that's preparing me for my next steps,” shared Yolanda Friend on the “Better” podcast. “Even when I thought, why is this happening? This doesn't make any sense, this is terrible.”
Eventually the lesson would become apparent. “You may not have clarity in the moment as to why something's happening, but all of it works together to shape and mold you into the best version of yourself,” Friend says.
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