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If you’ve been doomscrolling through internship rejections or staring into the LinkedIn void wondering if anyone’s hiring — you’re not alone.
The job market is tough right now. The unemployment rate for 20-24 year olds climbed to 8.3% in early 2025, up significantly from last year. Headlines scream things like “Gen Z Faces Career Apocalypse” and “Youth Worklessness Hits 10-Year High.” Not exactly encouraging.
But there are ways to play it smart — and win. From creative career moves to smart resume stacking, here’s how other Gen Z-ers are outwitting the job slump, and how you can too!
💻 1. Gain Real Work Experience Without Waiting for an Internship
Internships are down. Competition is up. And a lot of companies won’t even look at you without “experience” — before they’ll give you experience.
That’s where Extern comes in.
Externships are short, flexible, and 100% remote projects with real companies like Expedia, Beats by Dre, HP Tech Ventures, and more. Students join 5-14 week experiences where they get hands-on with real business problems — from marketing to data to finance — with mentorship and project feedback built in.
🔁 No GPA requirements. No major restrictions. No long applications.
“Extern completely changed my resume — and my confidence. After doing externships in data analytics and marketing, I landed a Global Tech internship with McDonald’s.”
— Sabine Kabuika, senior at Penn State
🎯 Want to level up? Apply to Extern to explore current externships →
📈 2. Use Career-Building Resources That Are Actually Designed for You
Sabine didn’t just stop with externships. She also scored a scholarship through Mentor Me Collective to access a Google Data Analytics Certificate — for free.
🎓 Pro Tip: This program usually costs $49/month — but Mentor Me partners with students from underrepresented backgrounds to cover the cost and offer community mentorship along the way.
Pairing this certification with her externship helped Sabine prepare ahead of time for her McDonald’s role and build real-world skills she could talk about in interviews.
Similarly, Rajat Sood did several externships that ultimately helped him land an internship with Pfizer. He shares how he plans on doing another externship before the summer to boost his experience in healthcare and stand out among the other interns.
“I feel like Extern has really helped me showcase my skills, whether that’s through interviews or just having something solid on my resume. I’m really thankful for my externships because it’s hard to find real experience. This actually led to me interning at Sutter Health. Now, I realize that I want to go into healthcare so the Stanford Medicine externship that's on Extern right now would be a great place to continue building experience, so I can bring that with me to Pfizer this summer.”
— Rajat Sood, San Jose State University Business major
🎥 3. Use TikTok (Yes, Really) to Build Your Personal Brand
A growing number of Gen Zers are ditching boring PDFs and making video resumes on TikTok. In a world where personality and creativity matter more than ever, this can help you stand out.
Not into filming yourself? No pressure. You can still use social to:
- Show off projects (like a mini case study)
- Share lessons from externships
- Network with peers and hiring managers
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🤖 4. Make AI Your Job-Search Wingman
Hiring managers are using AI. So should you.
Use tools like:
- Teal HQ: to manage job applications & auto-tailor resumes
- Rezi or Kickresume: to AI-optimize your resume for ATS bots
- ChatGPT (yes, we know!): to prep for interviews, write cold emails, or summarize job descriptions
Use tech to work smarter, not harder.
🔮 5. Build AI Skills — It’s Your Gen Z Superpower
If there's one skillset that truly sets Gen Z apart in the job market, it’s this: you grew up with tech. You're not afraid of it — you get it.
Learning how to leverage AI isn’t just useful — it’s your competitive advantage over other generations in the workforce. While many mid-career professionals are still figuring out how to use ChatGPT, you can be the person in the room already using AI to build no-code tools, automate workflows, generate creative assets, or streamline data analysis. Learning how to leverage the latest and greatest in AI to create presentations, build a web page or app with non code experience, make an impressive video or any number of other tasks is what will set you apart.
Even better? You don’t need to wait for a job to get started. You can build AI skills right now through externships and portfolio projects.
“Before the Beats by Dre Externship, I was only using ChatGPT occasionally. Now I’ve learned how to build a chatbot and use AI for complex tasks — and I’m way more confident bringing that to future roles.”
— Vishakha Gupta, Computer Science grad student at University of Kansas
Whether it’s content, code, or customer insights — AI isn’t replacing you. It’s empowering you. The question is: are you using it?
📅 6. Go to Events. Yes, Even the Free Online Ones.
Sabine landed her internship because she uploaded her resume to the Grace Hopper Conference database. She didn’t even apply — a recruiter found her because she showed up.
Other great options to try:
- NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers) conference
- AfroTech
- Handshake Virtual Career Fairs
- National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Events
- Extern's industry webinars (free for all members) where you can network with professionals
It’s Not About Waiting — It’s About Moving Smart
This market might be tough, but you're tougher. You don’t need a perfect GPA or the “right” connections to build a standout resume — you need momentum, strategy, and access to the right tools.
Whether it’s joining an externship, applying for a free certification, or showing up to your first virtual career fair — your next move doesn’t have to be huge. It just has to be intentional. Work smarter!
And the best part? You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
Start with one thing: Apply to Extern and reserve a project this month. Experience beats luck — and you’re just one project away from your glow-up.
