Young Professional Job Market
My practice has traditionally focused on the career of middle-aged and older professionals, but the fastest growing segment of my business is from younger professionals, age 25-34. This segment faces daunting challenges, unlike any that we’ve experienced before.
In this column, I will provide a Young Professional market overview, then give some specific action steps that those in their early careers can take. By the way, this advice also holds for mid- and late- career professionals, so pay attention, Boomers and GenX’s!
What the Market Wants.
The 2026 job market for young professionals has been characterized by some as “low hire, low fire.” Economists report that employers are making fewer “growth” hires and focusing instead on mission-critical roles. This is quite different from the more senior market, where mental agility, leadership, and an understanding of business strategies are important, whether you are the company lawyer, operations executive or accountant.
For those who are now saddled with college loan debt, I hate to report that employers are lessening their requirements for college degrees; instead, their focus is on specific skills. Even non-tekkies need to have computer skills, most especially with AI. I think that corporate America is being short-sighted here (so, new?) because for a business to be successful, it needs to have managers who know how to think critically and not just know SQL. But I digress.
What You Need to Do.
1) Do a Skill Set Audit of Your Resume. Where you worked is less important than listing your skills and how you used them to produce results. Be specific. Give numbers when you can. Instead of saying, “Managed a project that was completed ahead of schedule and under budget,” say “Using automated workflow tools, led a cross-functional team of five engineers, researchers and marketers on a new consumer product evaluation that resulted in a 17% increase in throughput.” (It’s even better to lead with the results, as we discuss in section 3 of this article). It is also important in your resume to show your soft skills, like the ability to communicate across various departments, your skills in working with a team, and your EQ, or emotional intelligence. Lastly, there are tools like Jobscan and Teal that you should use to match your resume against specific job listings.
2) The new Speed Dating: Micro Networking. As a job search coach, I have long been a believer that “it’s not who you know, it’s who you get to know” that is a key to success. LinkedIn has made this much easier than in the past. Low volume coffee talks are being replaced by high volume digital interactions. But when reaching out to someone on LinkedIn, make your request for a 10–15-minute chat, not a 30-45 minute one. Be sure to engage with your network target before you ask for a call; follow your targeted decision-makers and comment on their posts for a few weeks before even making a connection request. You are pre-selling this way! Finally, reach out to alumni from your university and/or grad school, especially those 2-3 years your senior. I have been giving this advice to my mid-career and older clients since people were buying DVDs, but without the 2-3 years senior provision.
3) Build a Digital Work Portfolio. Include 2 or 3 case studies as a 1-page addendum to your resume highlighting problems you solved, contributions you made, and so on. Provide details. Most career coaches suggest using PAR stories – Problem, Action, Result. I think they are wrong. I recommend RAP stories: Result, Action, Problem. Grab them with the Result first, since they may not get to the good part in your PAR story. Example: “Brought a new $200k client to the firm by applying my marketing and client service experience, thereby turning around a practice group that was losing money” is a much stronger statement than “When a practice group was losing money, used my marketing and client service experience to bring a new $200,000 client to the firm.” Don’t save the good stuff to the end.
4) Practice AI Interview Skills. I believe that if you land an interview, the job is yours to lose. In other words, they already know all about you from your resume and LinkedIn information, and they want to talk with you about joining their firm. If you present well, you win. If you don’t, you lose. Practice makes perfect. I have prepped clients for about 6,000 interviews. While the basics remain the same, prepping for a video interview with a person is different from an in-person interview. Preparing for an AI interview is even more different, because you can’t get visceral cues from an avatar. Preparing for an interview with a coach is extremely important, but you can (and should) practice AI interviews on your own with tools like Teal, Verve AI and Google Interview Warmup. In addition to all the other questions you need to prepare for, be sure to have an answer to “how do you use AI?”
These are challenging times for young professionals looking to build their careers. But there are opportunities if you know how to play the game in 2026. The rules have changed, but with a properly prepared and mounted campaign strategy, you can win. ______________________________
Bruce Blackwell has been called a Dean of Career Counselors by the New York State Bar Association. His specialties are Job Search Coaching and Alternative Careers.
If you are an attorney, senior executive or young professional and you have been thinking about “what else is out there?” get in touch with Bruce for a virtual cup of coffee. In a confidential, no-cost call, you can discuss your situation and get expert career advice. To schedule a call with him, click here: https://live.vcita.com/site/bruce.blackwell
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