Graduate Job Search 2025: Confidence Crisis Hits New Grads

According to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal, which cited data from the Department of Labor, it’s estimated that graduates have an unemployment rate of 6.6% in 2025 - the highest level in a decade, with the exception of the pandemic. One report from Oxford Economics cites that people who have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher now have a higher unemployment rate than the national average. 

With the odds stacked against them, such as shrinking entry-level opportunities and widespread economic uncertainty, how are graduates navigating the search for their first role?

What we did

In June 2025, we will survey 1,000 students graduating that year with a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD to gauge how various economic pressures are shaping their confidence and readiness for job-seeking.

Key findings: 

• Over half (52%) of grads don’t think their degree will land them a job in the next 12 months.

• 56% of grads don’t feel equipped to navigate today’s job market. 

• 1 in 3 (28.5%) grads apply to more than twenty roles and get less than 2 responses.

• Nearly 1 in 4 grads are delaying job hunting until it’s too late — 24% wait until after graduation to begin searching.

From Caps to Careers: How Ready for Work are 2025 Grads?

Despite years of preparation for life after university, many graduates still feel uncertain about entering the workforce in 2025. Among Gen Zers who graduate in 2025, 56.5% say they’re feeling optimistic despite current economic pressures, whereas over two in five (43.4%) express concerns about navigating the job market in 2025.

Confidence levels vary depending on qualification, but even advanced degrees don’t guarantee a sense of readiness:

• Master’s students are the most self-assured, yet 35% feel concerned about applying for jobs in today’s market. 

• Among PhD students, doubt about landing a job in the current market is even more pronounced: 58.9% believe they have the skills to enter the workforce, whereas 41% doubt they’re ready for the working world because of the current market. 

• Undergraduate students report the lowest confidence of all - over half (56%) say they don’t feel ready or equipped for the job market in 2025. 

Half of Bachelor’s Grads Doubt They’ll Land a Job Within a Year

Earlier this year, Victoria Etherton, the Global Head of Strategy and President of career.io shared an eye-opening statistic on LinkedIn: one in four job-seeking Harvard MBA graduates were still unemployed three months after graduating in 2024. If this is the situation for some of the world's most prestigious business graduates, the prospects for the Class of 2025 look even more uncertain.

Given the current market, 52% of 2025 graduates aren’t confident that they’ll get a job related to their field of study in the next year. While those with higher-level degrees like Master’s or PhDs may be more experienced, the data shows that confidence in getting a job doesn’t scale with your education level:

• 50.82% of Bachelor’s graduates feel that a job related to their degree is out of reach within the next twelve months.

• 46.8% of Master’s students have doubts that they’ll be working in a job they’ve studied for.

• Even 53% of PhD students, who have spent 6 years studying in their desired field of work, doubt they’ll be in a related role in the next year.

Despite their education, many graduates at every level are heading into the market with serious doubts about whether their degree will lead to meaningful employment in their chosen field. 

Instead, a 2024 report from the Burning Glass Institute found that 52% of college graduates are working in jobs that don’t require a degree at all, such as retail, food service or administrative support. Our survey findings depict that perhaps this isn't due to a shortage of ambition among graduates, but rather a lack of opportunities in 2025.

Over a Third of Grads are Chasing Dream Roles Without a Plan

Approaching the U.S. job market without a clear strategy can lead to wasted time, decreased confidence and missed opportunities for graduates. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it takes job seekers an average of 20.6 weeks to find a job, highlighting the importance of being intentional with every job application. Without a defined plan and relying on a "spray and pray" approach, graduates risk spending months without seeing any results from their efforts.

When asked if they have a clear plan for both securing a job and pursuing their careers, the majority of 2025 graduates (59.8%) felt confident in their career plans. However, 36.3% reported knowing the job they’re looking for, but are unsure of how to navigate the current market to secure it. 3.9% of graduates admitted to still being unsure of their career path.

When asked whether they have a plan for achieving their dream careers following graduation, many undergraduate students express uncertainty regarding both their direction and job search strategies:  

• Over 2 in 5 (43.7%) Bachelor’s graduates have chosen a career path, but feel uncertain about how to navigate the current job market to secure a position. 

• 31.3% of Master's graduates are currently job seeking without a plan of how to stand out in the market. 

• Despite their advanced qualifications, 35% of PhD graduates are entering the job market without a clear job search strategy.

Despite years of education and preparation, confidence among 2025 graduates remains fragile across all degree levels. While more than half (56.5%) of graduates report feeling optimistic, a significant portion are entering the job market with hesitation. Undergraduates, 56% of whom say they don’t feel ready to launch their careers, given the current job market. Even among those holding advanced degrees, uncertainty is widespread: 46.8% of Master’s graduates and 53% of PhD graduates doubt they’ll secure a role related to their field within a year. 

Combined with the fact that over a third of graduates are job hunting without a clear search strategy, it’s clear that education alone isn’t translating to confidence. As economic pressures and hiring competition grow, many graduates are stepping into the workforce feeling underprepared, under-supported, and unsure of how to leverage their qualifications effectively.

Application Fatigue: How 2025 Graduates Are Tackling the Job Hunt

After graduation caps hit the ground, the job search begins, but how quickly are graduates getting started, and are their efforts paying off? We explored the realities of job searching among the Class of 2025 by asking when they started applying, what return on investment graduates see on average and which parts of the process have proven the most challenging as they navigate one of the toughest job markets. 

24% of Graduates Wait Until After Graduation to Start Job Seeking

With fewer entry-level roles available to graduates in 2025, competition intensifies every day, making timing crucial for job-seeking graduates. The majority of 2025 graduates begin their job search during the final stages of their studies, with 41.5% starting to apply during their final semester. Another 14.4% take an even earlier approach, beginning job hunting at the start of their final year. However, nearly a quarter (24%) wait until after graduation to start looking, and 10.9% have graduated but have yet to begin their job search. A smaller group, about 9%, have been applying for roles consistently throughout their degree.

But does your level of education influence when you begin your job search? 

• Among master’s students, 28% delay their job search until after graduation, while 10.6% have graduated but still haven’t started applying. 

• PhD students tend to begin earlier: 40.1% start applying during their final semester, yet 15.3% have graduated and are not yet searching, and 20.5% wait until after graduation to begin. 

• Undergraduate students closely mirror the overall trend, with most 41.5% starting their search in the final semester. 

Grads Receive 1 Response for Every 10+ Jobs They Apply To

Early job search efforts among 2025 graduates reveal a cautious approach: 40% of graduates apply to only 1-5 roles in the months following their graduation. Among those applying, nearly 60% receive just one or two responses, highlighting the challenging nature of gaining traction in a competitive market. 

Even graduates who apply more broadly face limited success, as almost one in three (28.5%) of those submitting 20 or more applications report receiving only one or two replies. 

• Most graduates (40%) are only applying to 1-5 jobs on average in the few months following their graduation, 59.7% of whom received just 1-2 responses.

• Graduates are only applying to fewer than five jobs following graduation.

• 1 in 3 (28.5%) of Graduates who apply to 20+ roles following graduation receive 1-2 responses.

So why aren’t more graduates applying for jobs right after they graduate? A few factors may be at play. As shown earlier in our research, confidence among 2025 graduates is low, with over half of undergraduates and many Master’s and PhD students doubting their ability to secure a job in the current climate. This hesitation may be causing graduates to delay or limit their applications.

Alternatively, Handshake 2025 highlighted in their Class of 2025 ‘State of the Graduate’ report that graduate opportunities available have decreased by 15%, while applications per role have increased by 30%, meaning there are simply fewer roles available to apply for. Faced with a tough market, many graduates may be unsure where to begin or feel discouraged before they’ve even started. 

Interview Prep Named the Most Challenging Part of the Graduate Job Search

Despite so few roles applied for by 2025 graduates, the toughest part isn’t finding roles available to graduates; it’s preparing for interviews. Almost 1 in 4 (23.9%) of graduates shared that preparing for interviews is the toughest part of the job search. This aligns with sentiment shared in a Reddit forum, in which graduates admit that they’re actively not applying for roles due to the pressure of technical assessments and the overall stress of interview performance. 

Writing resumes also proves challenging for 15.7% of graduates, as they struggle to tailor limited experience to meet employer expectations. 10.2% cite building a network or securing job referrals as their biggest obstacle. Lastly, staying motivated through a slow and discouraging market is the biggest challenge for 9.2% of graduates, reflecting the emotional toll job searching can take when responses are limited.

The Support Graduates Need to Land Their First Role

With rising competition, shrinking entry-level roles, and growing uncertainty among graduates, it’s clear the Class of 2025 is entering one of the most challenging job markets in recent years. From struggling with interview prep to not knowing where to apply or how to stand out, our research shows that many grads are facing the job hunt without a clear strategy or support.  That’s where TopResume’s Job Placement Service, #GetHiredNow comes in. Designed specifically for new grads, it offers personalized job-matching, resume support, interview coaching, and direct access to open roles, helping graduates go from overwhelmed to employed faster.

Methodology

This research was conducted via an online survey of 1,000 U.S.-based graduates using Pollfish on June 19, 2025. Respondents were screened to ensure they were graduating in 2025 with either a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree. The survey included a mix of multiple-choice questions to assess graduates’ confidence, job search strategies, and perceived challenges in entering the workforce.