Did Your New Job Or Internship Disappear? 5 Job Search Moves For Students And New Grads

Recent job search news has been particularly unfriendly to students and new grads. A survey of 804 hiring managers by Intelligent.com shows that 8 in 10 companies plan to lay off recent college graduates due to AI. Zety’s AI in the Workplace Survey, sampling 1,150 workers, showed that 25% of workers had already lost a job to AI, with a higher proportion (43%) of people 25 or younger impacted. Among a wave of layoffs, Tesla is also rescinding internship offers.

If you’re a new graduate, it can be especially jarring to lose a job because you haven’t had much time to build emergency reserves or to grow your professional network. If you’re still in school, losing a summer internship offer is especially tough because you have limited time to land an alternative. Therefore, your job search needs to be tailored for the urgency of your situation. Here are five job search moves to make if your new job or internship disappears:

1 — Start a hands-on project that isn’t your job search

Yes, you’ll need to dedicate significant time to your job search (until you land, your job search is your primary job!). However, pick something concrete outside of your job search to focus on, such as a money job (e.g., retail, tutoring, babysitting), professional training (see 10 low-cost leadership development options) or a side hustle (see ideas for college students). Doing something hands-on but unrelated to your job search gives you results and activities to report while you’re interviewing for your next job.

The money job takes away some of the financial pressure to cover your summer living or post-graduate expenses. It’s critical to continue your professional training during this gap, especially if you’re a student needing to show that your summer months were productive.

2 — Revisit previous employers

It’s good practice to stay in touch with previous employers, including prospective employers whose offers you turned down. If you haven’t been doing that already, start now by getting back in touch (see sample email templates for reconnecting). Mention that you’re available for the summer (or longer if you’ve already graduated), and ask about openings, including part-time or short-term. If they happen to have needs to fill, the hiring process should be faster with people who already know, like and trust your work.

3 – Tell everyone you know about your job search, even if you don’t think they can help

You don’t know who or what people know, so a seemingly irrelevant connection (e.g., someone who doesn’t work in your field of interest or even someone who isn’t working) may still have relevant leads or information for your job search. This includes classmates – they may have landed a job or internship at a company that needs more people. This includes professors, even if you aren’t interested in working at a university — a recent student that I coached landed her internship from a professor for one of their side projects (many professors conduct work outside of their academic job). Family and friends already know and like you personally and may have professional connections you don’t realize because you interact with them outside of work.

4 — Target fast-growing job markets

AI may be eliminating some jobs but also creating new jobs, so consider dedicating a portion of your job search or that side hands-on project to AI or another growth market that interests you (e.g., cybersecurity, climate sustainability). In a fast-growing market, employers will have to take hiring chances as the newness of the roles means there are fewer people with the required experience. The fast pace of hiring also might mean less organization (i.e., less gatekeeping), enabling you to parachute in and land a job by virtue of identifying a frenzied employer with no time to consider other candidates.

5 – Target smaller companies

Similar to targeting fast-growth areas because the chaotic hiring process gives you an opening, targeting smaller companies may also give you more opportunity because they won’t have dedicated recruiting resources to attract lots of competing candidates. Smaller companies may not even post jobs due to lack of time or budget, so other candidates who are only looking at posted jobs miss these potential employers entirely. You, on the other hand, will uncover these hidden jobs by proactively making a list of employers in your area of interest and ideal geography, and then you’ll contact them directly, regardless of whether they have posted a need for interns or recent graduates.

When you do land build a buffer in anticipation of the next job market shock

By casting a wider net, including smaller companies that other candidates overlook, fast-growth trends, and all your connections (not just the obvious ones), you give yourself many more opportunities to land your next job faster. Once you do land, remember this setback will not be the only one in your career. Start building a buffer now – grow your passive income, curate a strong network, nurture your personal brand outside of your employer’s brand.