A growing number of young graduates are leaving school only to discover that getting the first real job may now be harder than getting the degree itself. And frustration around that reality is building fast online.
Brendan Foody, the 20 year old CEO of hiring startup Mercor, is drawing attention after speaking about the difficult situation many Gen Z job seekers now face, arguing that companies increasingly expect experience from candidates applying for even basic entry level positions.
The comments touched a nerve partly because many younger workers say they are running into the same problem repeatedly during job applications.
Employers ask for experience.
But entry level roles were traditionally where people gained that experience in the first place.
That contradiction has become one of the biggest frustrations among recent graduates trying to enter the workforce.
According to the report, Foody said many companies are becoming more selective partly because automation tools now allow smaller teams to handle workloads that previously required more junior employees.
As a result, some businesses appear less willing to spend time training inexperienced workers from scratch.
That shift is creating pressure on younger applicants who may have degrees, certifications, or internships but still struggle to meet increasingly aggressive hiring expectations.
The issue extends far beyond technology companies alone.
Across several industries, younger applicants have reported seeing “entry level” job listings requiring:
– multiple years of experience
– advanced software knowledge
– portfolio work
– specialized certifications
– or previous industry exposure
For many graduates, the requirements feel disconnected from reality.
Some recruiters argue companies are simply overwhelmed with applications and using stricter filters to narrow candidates quickly.
Others say businesses have become more cautious about hiring altogether after years of layoffs, economic uncertainty, and cost cutting.
But the emotional effect on younger workers is becoming harder to ignore.
Many Gen Z graduates entered adulthood during periods shaped by pandemic disruption, inflation pressures, rising living costs, student debt concerns, and an increasingly competitive digital economy.
Now they are also entering a job market where traditional career paths appear less predictable than they once did.
Foody’s comments spread widely online because they reflected a growing fear among young workers:
That the ladder into professional careers may be getting steeper at the exact moment they are trying to climb onto it.
At the same time, some executives argue younger workers still have opportunities if they adapt quickly, build practical skills, and learn how to work alongside new technology rather than compete against it.
That argument is becoming increasingly common in hiring discussions.
Especially as businesses place more value on flexibility, speed, and technical adaptability.
Still, many graduates say the issue is not unwillingness to learn. It is access.
Without companies willing to hire and train inexperienced workers, breaking into industries becomes significantly harder no matter how motivated candidates may be.
And underneath the entire conversation is a larger question businesses themselves may eventually have to confront:
If companies stop investing in early career talent pipelines, where exactly will experienced workers come from in the future?
