My Daughters Story to Her First Professional Career

If any parent is watching the news in the US about the job market for new graduates, you see nonstop how tough it is for new professionals.  I’m in numerous “Mom” groups within social media and it’s absolutely heartbreaking hearing how their children are unable to parlay into their first job.  No matter what the industry, they are struggling.

My oldest daughter graduated from college during COVID with her MBA.  She struggled.  My youngest graduated May ‘25 and I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it was tough.  With all the families and young adults I work with, I felt it was important to share her story and mine as her mom, not to mention…can you imagine having me as a mother with my background!?

She graduated with an Environmental Science degree with some very impressive experience in college, including an internship but even more importantly, participation in a program called The Gulf Scholars which was a 2-year, for credit course, ultimately funded by an oil and gas company during a Gulf spill.  20 kids began the program, only 3 finished.  It was the hardest thing she did during her 4 years of college but was the most rewarding.

She began applying for jobs and networking in January before she graduated.  As parents (and a very involved sister) a plan was created.  I know that 90% of all jobs are obtained through someone you know.  Unfortunately, this generation really struggles to understand and almost all posts I see online include, “My child has X degree, did an intern, studied abroad, went to a great college and has applied to over 100 jobs with no response.” When I say, I see these posts all the time…I literally mean at least once a day. 

When the market is challenging, I talk about, “How are you different”?  When you are being measured up against every other graduate trying to get their first professional job, what is making you stand out.

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’ve said for years, “We’ve taken the Human out of Human Resource” which is what is frustrating this generation.  The belief that the ATS system is keeping resumes from getting into the right hands is now forcing young adults to mail their resumes.  I’m not going to lie…I kind of like the grit and thinking outside of the box.

After 6 months of very little traction for my daughter, frustration from both her, me and my husband, I wasn’t sure any of us were going to survive the stress.  She wasn’t moving at the pace we felt she should…we were driving her crazy with the questions of her progress.

Here’s where a career transition theory came into play.  There’s a thing called, The 2.6 Degrees of Separation.  Hiring data and network analysis show that your next job is most often found at about 2.6 degrees of separation — meaning it’s not through your closest friends (1st degree) or random strangers (4+ degrees), but through a colleague’s former teammate, a friend’s current coworker, or a neighbor’s business partner.  More can be read about this theory at blog.theinterviewguys.com. This “sweet spot” is where referral hires are most common, with 30–50% of all jobs coming from referrals despite only 7% of total applications being referrals.  This is exactly how my daughter got her first professional job.

There is a professional woman in the manufacturing world that I served on a Career & Technical Advisor Board for a local school district years ago.  I mean like 10 years ago.  I was always fascinated by her because we know manufacturing is a male-dominated industry and she was highly respected. On LinkedIn she has continued to champion young adults gaining exposure to her company’s world.  She is truly a thought-leader in the space.

One day I saw a post she made, and I messaged her privately and told her how impressed I continue to be with her work and impact.  I mentioned my daughter was looking, without success, for a job in the environmental field and if she heard of anything, I’d greatly appreciate it if she’d let me know. 

What she did next blew my hair back.  She asked for my daughter’s resume and forwarded it to her HR department.  I had never considered 1) this field for my daughter, 2) that SHE would forward it on.  Most people would say, “Keep an eye out for any positions on our website”, “We don’t have anything right now but thanks for reaching out”, “I don’t know of anything but good luck”. 

Quick story shorter, within a month she was hired in a position that has stretched her in ways she never, ever thought she could do.  She has cleaned up oil spills and LOVED IT…think it was her favorite day so far.  Has a boss who is such an expert that she lives in constant awe of him and many times feels she’ll never measure up.  She works days one month, nights the next.  She is doing things that professionals 20 years older aren’t.  But the most important thing…she got her first job. 

It’s been a year now and she continues to thrive.  Did she see herself in this role?  Nope! But she tells us almost weekly she is learning so much each day she never feels as if she’s going to be an expert.  That is called “learning”. And the goal is to get your foot in the door then work HARD!

I share this story because I think it’s important to keep it real.  With my background and profession, it’s critical to work “smarter, not harder” and the degree of separation could be the key to gaining a first professional career role.  Don’t forget to be strategic and let others know your young adult needs help.  A person can get a position through a contact but ultimately, it’s up to them to show they deserved it…then Proceed with Confidence!

Reeder Consulting: College and Career Paths is a specialist in the career development field and the number one career counseling company in San Antonio, TX working with clients in all 50 states. We help individuals engage in career and aptitude testing to process information through meaningful conversations and give clarity to the stress of career decisions to Proceed with Confidence. www.reederconsulting.com