Here’s how Philly-area college grads are navigating a tough job market
Students from Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Moore College of Art & Design share their experience on the job hunt.
Recent college graduates are facing one of the toughest job markets in recent years — and the Philly market is no exception.
The unemployment rate among this group is typically a little higher than the overall U.S. unemployment rate, and it’s been inching up over the past couple of years. Earlier this spring, employers said they were dialing back their plans to hire new college grads, and opportunities in certain areas like government and policy work were drying up, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“It’s certainly a bit of a mixed bag,” said Jennifer Kebea, president of Campus Philly, an economic development organization that aims to keep students of Philadelphia colleges in the area after graduation. “It is no secret right now that [getting hired] is a bit challenging, and that’s across the board. It’s not just with early-career talent.”
That’s due to uncertainty in the economy, shifting hiring practices, and reliance on AI to screen candidates, Kebea said, as well as a lack of openings in some organizations because experienced employees are staying in their jobs longer.
And for the recent grads, the goal isn’t to get just any job, but one that builds a career.
They also want flexibility in work hours and location, a positive workplace culture, fair pay, and the opportunity to grow, said Kebea.
“But also, stability,” she said. “That’s something that I think this particular group of students and recent grads haven’t experienced a lot of through their last few years of being in school and entering the workplace.”
The cohort that graduated this spring was wrapping up their high school education and choosing where to go to college amid the pandemic.
Several recent alumni of Philly-area colleges spoke with The Inquirer about their first few months postgraduation. Here’s what they’re seeing and experiencing.
She’s making her resume AI-friendly
School: Moore College of Art & Design
Studied: Animation and game arts, minor in graphic design
Goal: A job in packaging design or web development
When the University of the Arts abruptly closed last year, it was a “very stressful summer,” said Kaylei Marquez, 23, of North Philadelphia. “I was debating on dropping out or continuing getting my degree.”
She ultimately transferred to Moore College of Art & Design and graduated in May. She would love a job in packaging design or web development, she said, and has been looking generally into design positions.
In the meantime, she’s working at Trader Joe’s on Market Street.
Marquez has applied to at least 115 positions through LinkedIn alone, she said, but hasn’t gotten any interviews. It’s been “a little disheartening,” she said.
She’s learning as she goes, seeking out networking opportunities, connecting with recruiters, and adjusting her application to be better read by AI and other common screening tools.
“I went through a lot of trial and errors throughout this application process,” she said. “I originally had like a very artistic resume, and then I realized that that wouldn’t really read well with [an applicant tracking system], so then I ditched that.”
A job portal recently told her that her resume matched only about 18% of the job description because she didn’t use specific words like process or strategic, she said. Marquez tried adding in the suggested words and got a higher score around 80%.
“That’s a little crazy. It is a bit annoying,” Marquez said. ”I don’t really like the use of AI when it comes to sorting through applications, but I’m trying my best to adapt to it.”
She’s juggling freelance and part-time work while job-hunting
School: Temple University
Studied: Graphic and interactive design, entrepreneurial studies
Goal: A job in marketing, social media, or event management
Sometimes it feels like employers don’t know what they’re looking for, said Alana Palmer, 23, of Burlington County.
“They’ll have super long descriptions of what you’re going to be doing, but then it’ll be entry level,” she said. “They can’t expect every entry-level person to have like, three to five years of experience.”
Palmer is freelancing and sells Eagles merchandise part-time as she seeks work in marketing, social media, or event management. She hopes to make at least $20 an hour and have access to health benefits.
“I do have a lot of experience in my field, and I do see myself being able to grow with the company, so I feel like the pay should reflect how I see myself,” she said.
She has applied to at least 100 positions through Indeed, submitting about a job application per day.
“I’ve been applying for months now, and I haven’t really gotten any good bites,” she said, though Palmer added that she recently interviewed for a few positions.
She wasn’t expecting to land the dream job right away. During her time at Temple, she did a portfolio review with alumni, who told her they hadn’t found jobs until August, September, or October after they graduated.
“That makes you feel a little bit better,” said Palmer.
He’s at a crossroads: Accept the job offer or wait for more
School: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Studied: Finance and business analytics
Goal: Working in finance or data analytics
In late July, Jonathan Lamothe, 22, had recently wrapped up his part-time grant-funded position at the Independence Seaport Museum and was weighing a difficult decision: accept a part-time events position at Penn or hold out for a full-time job offer.
One of the positions he recently applied to was a data analytics role at Penn Medicine. He’d already interviewed and was waiting to hear back.
“The issue is that, OK, I definitely have a job that I can take right now — it’ll be part time. But now, what if an opportunity comes and I can’t, like, pivot immediately?” Lamothe said. “My mom wants me to wait, and my dad’s telling me to take it.”
Lamothe said applying to jobs is a lot of “repetition.” While some friends use ChatGPT for cover letters, he said, he takes at least 30 minutes to research the employer and write his “from scratch.”
He currently lives with his parents in Pennsauken Township and has been mostly pursuing jobs nearby so he can stay there and save money. “It’s like having roommates, but like, your roommates are real established,” Lamothe said.
Transportation is an issue, too. He’s seen a lot of job listings in the Philly suburbs, he said, but he doesn’t have a car to commute there.
“The transportation options are limited for me, especially since I’m working on getting a car,” he said. “It’s actually really annoying.”
She’s watching federal funding cuts and moving out of Philly
School: Temple University
Studied: Communication and social influence, minor in English
Goal: A career in victim advocacy
Ray Epstein, 22, who was named a Truman scholar in 2024 and graduated in the spring, started looking for jobs in September. It’s been “virtually impossible,” she said.
She wasn’t getting any response to her applications, so she called on some connections from her undergrad work to learn more about what was going on. The contacts told her “there were just so few paid opportunities right now” in victim advocacy.
They said “my best bet for the future year — if I wanted to work in this space — would be an unpaid internship," she said.
She noted that government funding cuts have caused several of the organizations she knows of to reduce staff.
“Those organizations rely deeply on grant funding from the federal government, and so what used to be paid positions now no longer exist,” she said. “They can’t even dream of hiring anyone right now.”
She then connected with the Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center in the Denver area and got an internship, which begins in September. She wasn’t “dead set” on staying in Philly for her next career move because she wants to return soon to attend law school at Penn.
She is excited for the new experience and thinks the internship will be an enriching professional opportunity, but she’s nervous about supporting herself financially. She plans on tutoring and may try dog walking and house sitting.
“It’s just upsetting and frustrating that this is kind of the economy and reality,” she said. “Working two jobs is just not ideal for anyone.”
In a tough market, job seekers will want to make an impression. Jennifer Kebea, president of Campus Philly, shares these tips for new grads:
- Build a network. “You hear so often about students and recent grads who have submitted dozens, if not hundreds, of applications. My recommendation to those students is always stop doing that,” said Kebea. “Divert your time to actually building relationships with folks in your industry — whether they are your peers, whether they are a few years ahead of you in the field — networking will always supersede the application.”
- Seek out more training. “There’s always opportunity to improve and keep developing skills within [your] industry,” she said. Internships and co-ops may also be good training ground and provide networking opportunities.
- Consider smaller companies. “We see so many students and recent grads thinking, ‘I need to work for one of these big companies that I’ve heard of here in Greater Philadelphia,’ but there are hundreds, thousands, of small and mid-sized companies that are hiring that provide incredible work-life balance, benefits, and the opportunity to really grow your career in that space,” said Kebea.
