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- 🍿 Imagine losing your only job offer
🍿 Imagine losing your only job offer
That’s what happened to this grad. Here’s the exact strategy we’d use to bounce back.
CareerSnacks Team
June 11, 2025
🥒 Today’s pickle
I just graduated with a social science degree and found out the job I was supposed to start in September got rescinded. It was because of government budget cuts. I got the offer a year ago, so it’s been a while since I’ve applied to jobs, networked, or interviewed. Now I don’t know what to do. The job market is rough, and most roles for new grads get filled during the school year, not after.
I think the best thing I have going for me are my communication and organization skills. I did a lot of extracurriculars, leadership, and research assistant work in college. I’ve also done data science work using R and Python, but I don’t have any clear career path in mind. I don’t know if I should apply to a bunch of jobs with generic resumes, or apply to fewer jobs and put more effort into each application. I want to be efficient and strategic, but I’m scared I’ll do it wrong and waste months getting nowhere. [Link to original post]
🧀 Here’s the cheese
1. Trying to mass apply and customize is a one-way ticket to burnout.
Choose one side. Either you’re going for volume (and sacrificing personalization) or you’re going for fit (and sacrificing speed).
With your skill set and no clear target yet, you’re better off picking 2–3 career directions and tailoring your apps hard toward those. That way you’re not winging it for 50 random roles, you’re getting sharp at selling yourself for a small cluster of jobs that share a skill profile.
2. Start with paths, not jobs.
You’re trying to job hunt without knowing what types of roles are even viable. That’s like grocery shopping without a list or a budget. Use filters like: (a) what skills do I already have, (b) what work environments energize me, and (c) what pays enough to live.
Based on your background, dig into: user research, project coordination, policy analyst roles, research assistantships at think tanks, or data associate roles at nonprofits. These are adjacent to your skills and often open to new grads.
3. Use your research skills to stalk real people, not just roles.
Hop on LinkedIn and find 10 people with your major or similar experience. Check what job titles they have now. Reverse-engineer their paths.
Even better: DM them with a non-cringe message like, “Hey, I just graduated with a similar background. Curious how you found your first role. Do you mind if I ask a quick Q or two?” That alone can land you leads that skip the AI filters altogether.
4. Treat your first role as a stepping stone, not your soulmate.
You’re not picking a forever path, you’re picking a job that pays you to learn. In a crap market, the win is momentum. So prioritize: Do I get to use at least one core skill? Do I get a manager who seems decent? Do I leave this role with more leverage than I came in with? That’s it.
5. You need a system.
Set up a weekly routine: e.g. 10 job apps, 2 cold DMs, 1 mock interview, 1 coffee chat. Track it like reps. You’ll feel way less lost when progress is measured in actions, not outcomes.
User Research Coordinator
What it is: You help companies understand real people by organizing surveys, interviews, and usability tests.
Pay range: $55K–$85K (US)
Good for: Curious people who love observing behavior and spotting patterns
What you need: Bachelor’s in psych, sociology, comms, or related. No master’s required
Skills: Interviewing, organization, note-taking, empathy, basic data analysis
AI Resilience Score: 4.2/5 – Hard to automate because real human feedback needs real human context.
🥣 Quick Dip
Apply on the company’s website and LinkedIn. Sometimes internal systems don’t sync, and you double your visibility.
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