vol 20 | April 7th, 2025

And we're back! I took a short break from this newsletter to put more effort towards the manuscript for my upcoming book. But with 39,000 words and counting, I thought it would be a good idea to bring this back, in a new, better format! Let me know what you think.

Recent study: Most companies actively avoid hiring new grads

A recent study by Hult Business School revealed that almost 90% of companies actively avoid hiring young job seekers/recent grads, and those that do hire them admitted that 78% of the time, the hire was fired within their first year of employment. That's rough.

If you're a young grad currently being squeezed by this tough job market, here's what I would do:

1. Widen the aperture: Find smaller, regional companies that can give you the skills and relationships you need to make your next move. Forget about prestige (for now).
2. Become a career creator: Share what you’re learning at work on social media to create your own opportunities in the future.
3. Network with upperclassmen: Graduating seniors become recruitment leads. Form relationships with them now and, in a few years, it's likely that these people are the ones who will return to campus to recruit.

There is no magic bullet that's going to land you an offer overnight, and the current economy and volatility in the market isn't helping. But remember that your career will be a long, winding journey, and you're on square one. So just make sure you stay in the game.

You got this.

My camera roll

Some favorites from my camera roll recently:

Career Creator Corner

Reach is the new resume

What if your next career opportunity was just one post away? I've been sharing some examples on LinkedIn of a few people who are using social media to create the next step in their own career journey.

Like Destiny Owusu, who posted her desire for a new job to her 20,000 followers on threads and, in a few hours, had at least 3 serious replies from people interested in the possibility of hiring her. The average applicant submits 20 applications before they get an interview. Destiny posted once and got 3.

Or Max Hemphill, a photographer who took his gorgeous shots of the Royal Sun Palm Springs and posted them on LinkedIn, not Instagram. Because he understands that hotel marketing teams, hospitality agencies, product photographers, and photography publications are all on LinkedIn. And his gorgeous shots immediately tell you why you should hire him.

In this new reality, the gatekeepers don't matter. If you can capture an audience by discovering your authentic advantage, where your career goes next is only limited to who sees your next post.

Reach is the new resume.

What I'm reading, watching, and listening to:

The 5 Types of Wealth, White Lotus, and Playboi Carti

I set a goal to read one book a month this year. It's now April, and I am still on book one 😬. That's okay, though, because the book is Sahil Bloom's The 5 Types of Wealth. Sahil is an investor and writer who's collected his best thoughts into this book. It's full of excellent tools to help build time, social, mental, physical, and financial wealth.

​White Lotus is that show. The Season 3 finale dropped last night and I genuinely had no idea what would happen next. It's an incredible character-driven drama that truly leaves you wanting more after every episode.

As an Atlanta native, when Carti drops, I listen. His latest album I AM MUSIC, with features from Future, Travis Scott, and The Weeknd, has been the perfect workout companion. He's also touring with The Weeknd this summer, and I cannot wait to see them perform 'Rather Lie' live!

That's all for this week! I hope you enjoyed this edition, and if you have any feedback, questions, or just want to say hey, just respond to this message!

See you soon,

Colin