#196 5 Must-Know Hiring Trends & How They Impact Your Student with Christine Rigby-Hall Transcript

THIS IS AN AUTOMATED TRANSCRIPT… PLEASE FORGIVE THE TYPOS & GRAMMAR! xo-Lisa.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 0:28
Are you concerned about how shifting employment trends will impact your young person when they go to land their first real job? Whether your child is still in high school and starting to build real world experiences is in college applying for internships, has just graduated from either or is looking for that first real role. The hiring landscape is changing in ways every family needs to understand, from longer hiring timelines to AI reshaping entry level work, the rules of the game are different from what they were even just a few years ago. That’s why I invited Christine Rigby Hall, founder of grad landing, to share her insider’s perspective from over 20 years in HR and talent acquisition. She works every day with students and early career professionals, helping them translate their skills, build networks and stand out to employers, Christine and I unpack five critical hiring trends, from which industries are growing and which are shrinking, to why networking is now non negotiable no matter where your young person is on their journey. The insights we’re covering will help you guide and encourage them as they take their next steps. I’m Lisa Marker Robbins, and I want to welcome you to College and Career Clarity a flourish coaching production. Let’s dive right into a great conversation.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 1:55
Christine, welcome to the show.

Christine Rigby-Hall 1:56
Thank you, Lisa, happy to be here.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 2:00
I feel like this is something we should have, is long overdue we should have done a long time ago, because we’ve known each other for a couple years now, and we even have shared clients. And I love working with you, and you’re so smart when it comes to landing jobs.

Christine Rigby-Hall 2:16
Likewise, thank you for for having me on and super interested to talk about some of the things that are going on in the marketplace

Lisa Marker-Robbins 2:24
today. Yeah, we our listeners should know you should they should follow you on LinkedIn, if they will put that in the show notes. Because what drove me wanting to do this episode was I was watching your LinkedIn post and I saw this trend of like, oh, this is changing in the job market. This is changing in the job market because, you know, I’m over here trying to just help people who are career confused get clarity on the job that they want to pursue and how to get credentialed for it. And then you’re taking them after I’m finished with them, and going, Okay, now you know what you’re aiming for. Let’s figure out how to land the job or the internship. And as I’m watching your feed, I’m like, oh, things are really changing a lot right now. And I’m even hearing it with our grads. They’re like, I know what I want to do. I’ve got the credentials. I’ve got a great resume. It’s taking, I think this is the first one. It’s taking longer to get a job right? Absolutely.

Christine Rigby-Hall 3:24
The average job search today is three to six months, which is interesting because employers are doing multiple rounds of interviews, they’re adding in assessments, and they’re deliberating longer before giving offers. That just means delays in the hiring process. And I think it’s happening because companies, especially after the past couple of years with covid and now the market is unstable for different reasons, employers just want to make sure they’ve got the right first, they’ve got the headcount and ginseng, that they’ve got the right fit.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 4:02
You know, it’s funny. I just this morning, I was talking to an adult, actually somebody more our age, who said I knew she was she had gone through four rounds of interviews for a job, and then the employer, I said, where are you in the process? And she said, Well, after the fourth interview, they’re like, We love you, we love you, but we don’t want to marry you. I said, do they want to marry somebody else? Do they are they offering the job to somebody else? She goes, No, they’re not calling it a hiring freeze. They’re just telling me that it’s very slushy right now. It’s like a slushie. And she said, but not a freeze. And there’s some things that have are going on different initiatives and things that they have to respond to as a company, that they’re just they’re not yet, but I’m the one, but not yet. And I guess you’re seeing that absolutely.

Christine Rigby-Hall 4:58
I was speaking with the head of recruit. Recruiting for a beauty company in New York, and she was explaining that they are now hiring fall not just summer interns, but fall interns or spring interns to help fill that gap when they don’t have head count, and then when they are looking to hire full time. They’ll pull from either those interns, or they’re hiring temps and then hiring full time from their temp pool, because they don’t have the full time head count, but they need the work done, and it’s just, you know, do they view it as

Lisa Marker-Robbins 5:39
like a fiscally safe way to kind of go, go about this like we’re not, because we’re not, quote marrying that this is a little safer out. Yeah, well,

Christine Rigby-Hall 5:51
we need the work done so we can, this is how we can get it done when full time from

Speaker 1 5:58
there, when I

Christine Rigby-Hall 6:00
said to you, she had gone through four rounds of interviews, I saw something come across your face. So it’s suddenly listening to the podcast. We now have these episodes full length on YouTube, so go watch Christine’s face when I said four interviews, was that typical in your experience? Not surprising. Surprising. What do you see? Surprising whatsoever. I’m working with a client who wants to either go into consulting or private banking. And you know, first of all, if they get invited, they’re invited to take an online assessment, okay? Then if they pass that, then they’re invited to do a video interview, so to speak, it’s not live one on basically pre recorded, where they answer questions. Then if they pass that, then they’re invited to come in and start the face to face process. And the face to face process at that point means two to three rounds of interviews, so I am not surprised whatsoever. And I think you know, it goes back to companies are trying to be just that much more thoughtful about getting right fit

Lisa Marker-Robbins 7:15
my daughter, who’s 24 she is at a man. She’s finishing a management training program with a fortune 500 and when she was Thank you, it was, well, that’s what I was gonna say. It was hard to land that job. It was seven interviews, seven rounds of interviews, and those were actual interviews. They weren’t like the Hey, just, you know, do a little video or take an assessment. I mean, there were those things involved in it, but there were seven interviews, and what I find is that the ex, I guess there’s a manager expectations message that I I want our listeners as both parents, teens, 20 somethings, all the people we serve, because we’re serving all three of these people. Even though we’re serving the outcome of a teen or 20 something, we’re also serving you parents that are listening probably but manage your expectations so you already told us long timelines and it’s slushier. There’s some freezing out there, and lots of layers of that interview, right?

Christine Rigby-Hall 8:30
So, you know, advice I have is silence doesn’t mean rejection, patience, persistence, continue, applying for other things. And I recommend using the wait time to also build skills. You know, nobody is going to look at you building skills and say that was a waste of time. And we can get to that. That’s a whole nother.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 8:57
Well, I mean, let’s, let’s go ahead. That was a great transition into it. So one of the ones you gave me, I’m looking over here at your notes that skills first hiring is gaining traction. And I also saw a recent LinkedIn post that you put about that the interview questions are not always delving into those skills, even though the employer wants the skills, but that the the candidate. Needs to make sure that they’re planting the seeds, that they have the skills. Am I putting that right?

Christine Rigby-Hall 9:27
Or yes, you absolutely are. So hiring managers are not always the most adept at asking the question that they really to understand the outcome. You know what they really want to know from the candidate. And so that’s something that candidates need to be ready to do, is answer the question, but also plant, as you said, plant the seeds of the things that they want the hiring manager, the. Interviewer, the company, to know that they can bring to bear. So think of a question is not just one plus one equals two. You know, it’s the question which is one, and then you can add the answer which is two, then you can add the additional information, which is three, and then you get to three, whereas another candidate only got to two because they answered the exact question and left it at that.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 10:27
It’s I always tell the students in our launch Career Clarity. And by students, I mean they can be 15 to 2526 27 that don’t do yes no as an answer always provide evidence Yes, tie your yes or no to some evidence and give them a little bit more. But don’t take it too far. I mean, that’s you don’t want to monopolize the interview either, and I feel like that’s a fine line, don’t you?

Christine Rigby-Hall 10:57
Absolutely, and if, if they can not just answer the question, but tie it into a personal story. And when I mean personal story, we’re not talking about, you know, a life story, but a self story. So and employers are starting to do this themselves, where they’re shifting from evaluating, you know, just GPA and degree and the school that someone went to, but they’re starting to look at skills and competencies and, you know, potential. You know, what can this person bring to bear? Which is fantastic. And they’re also starting to write better job descriptions, meaning it’s not just listing. We want someone with a BA in computer science. We want someone with Python data visualization, whatever it is that that job needs to actually, you know, be, be great at the job.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 12:01
Yeah, we, you know, in our launch Career Clarity course, in module four, I had to think which second for a second, which module we teach real world experiences. But those real world experiences are things like it might be taking an online course to build a skill, and we investigate. I teach students how to go into LinkedIn. I keep bringing up LinkedIn, and I’ve got a LinkedIn profile builder, if people want it flourish, coaching CO, com, forward, slash LinkedIn, but build your not only have your profile there, but then use the job search tool in there to scour job postings to say, what do they value? And to your point, if it’s Python, you don’t have to take Python as a formal course. You could jump on a different platform and take an online Python course. Absolutely.

Christine Rigby-Hall 12:58
You know, things like building portfolios, doing projects, micro internships, those things all matter, and they can go into your resume. It doesn’t have to be, like you said, just a formal course that you’ve taken. It can be an online certification. Some employers are starting to value those as well. Yeah, and it’s for some jobs equally to a degree. It just depends on the job. So you just use the term there micro internship, which I think a lot of our listeners may not know what that what you mean by that. We all know what an internship is. What is a micro internship? Yeah, micro internship is an internship which is basically a short term project. So it’s often remote, not always, but often remote. And it is a very well defined project that is typically over a short period of time, think two months, three months, and a specific number of hours that the employer is expecting, and you as the micro intern, get paid at the end of it based on the number of the hours that the

Lisa Marker-Robbins 14:08
project was. So I have a question on on this whole idea of it relates to the real world experiences that it I’m using them to not only build a resume for the students, but for them to vet the different careers to see like, what is their best fit that they want to go after. You’re using these experiences to build a strong resume, to land, to actually land the plane, land the job, right? We both work with you’ll work with college students and recent grads. I’m working with 15 to 25 are internships appropriate? Are these micro internships for somebody who’s already graduated, or are you only using that as a tool for your college students?

Christine Rigby-Hall 14:51
I think they are appropriate for anyone who wants to build skills, because that’s the name of the game. You’re looking to build your skills so that you. Have more to bring to your next employer. So I think anyone, whether you’ve graduated or whether you’re still in college, anyone, it’s about learning skills.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 15:13
I thought that’s what you’re gonna say. And I think for many of our listeners, that’s gonna take a bit of a mindset shift. Because I think we we hear the word internship, we go, oh, actually, the mistake I think people make is they go, Oh, that’s just for college students, when I know there are opportunities, not as many. There are opportunities for high school students to get internships. If you are a good candidate, you know where to look, and the door doesn’t close on internships, or these micro internships, which really are like contract work, is what I’m hearing even after you’ve graduated, if you haven’t landed the job yet. Okay, we’re talking about skills. I have a

Christine Rigby-Hall 15:55
question.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 15:56
The one skill that’s always in the news right now, AI. So AI is a skill, and I know that you identified it as one of your five impacts of what’s going on with employment right now. So talk to us a little bit about how we should be thinking about AI.

Christine Rigby-Hall 16:17
Yeah, so there’s a lot of fear mongering out there right now, which, you know, okay, it’s new, I get it, but it is changing the way that entry level work is happening and how new employees are doing their jobs. Think about if, if jobs are very repetitive tasks, then they risk being trimmed or redefined. So tasks that can be automated, like data entry, basic research, simple coding, scheduling, things like that. You know a we’re often on line with AI chat bots answering customer questions. So we’re each experiencing it every day. So here I will tell you, this is a real world shift that’s happening, and it is impacting employees. Today, I have a friend who is a partner with the venture capital firm that invests in startups, and she recently told me about one of the startups that they’ve invested in. They went from 25 employees to 10 because they’re Wow, because they’re leveraging AI. And what jobs did they reduce? It’s it’s in the entry level roles. 78% of hiring managers expect AI driven entry level layoffs. But good news is it doesn’t mean that there are going to be no more entry level jobs. It just means that new hires are increasingly expect it to work with AI to boost productivity. Okay, so it’s AI is creating the need for new roles as well. So things like data analysis, AI integration, these are going to be things that are emerging that candidates can start getting ready for. And many companies are seeing AI as an opportunity not to eliminate entry level roles or eliminate roles outright, but to redefine jobs. And that’s how I think that it’s probably the most productive way for us to go into this shift to learn how to work with AI, not against it, and not bury our head in the sand, either.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 18:48
So our listeners are going to be a teen, a 20 something, or their parents, or we have people that are working with that population right to build those skills that are going to be those AI skills. So we take our head out of the sand. I go, I have to demonstrate. So we’re leaning back over to the skills I want to demonstrate that I am AI adept. What? What do you think people should be doing? Like, do they take a course in it, do they how do you demonstrate that, and how do you get some of the skills?

Christine Rigby-Hall 19:25
Yeah, I think it’s a very, very first step. Don’t fear it, leverage it. Get curious and take a course there. You know, there are free courses out there. What I’m experiencing is, I’m trying to, you know, continue to learn myself is that a lot of free courses are end up being basically advertisements, so you don’t get as much out of it as you might want. I’ve even looked at signing up for a course myself and I had a call with the organization. In advance. And I said, Okay, here’s how I’m already using it. Are you going to help me move forward? And they said, this course is not for you. And I was like, Oh, what do you mean? And they said, because you’re already doing all the things that we would teach you. So, you know, be cautious about what you’re buying as well.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 20:18
I mean, ask questions. We I always say you wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it. You wouldn’t, you know, go to a college without getting on campus and visiting it.

Christine Rigby-Hall 20:28
So, right? Ask the questions first. Yeah, absolutely. Ask the questions. You know, there are some employers out there who are happy to hear new potential new hire. Say, I’ve used AI to expedite ask XYZ task, even if it’s something personal, and that allowed me to free up my time so that I could focus on ABC, higher level work, and you raised something earlier. It was about, Show, don’t tell, yeah, and proof beats promises,

Lisa Marker-Robbins 21:07
say that again. That we all need. We need to, like, tattoo that on our forehead or put it on a post it note on our desk. Go ahead, say it again.

Christine Rigby-Hall 21:15
Yeah. Proof beats promises, Show, don’t tell, yeah. So what that means is show that you use an AI in a portfolio. I was working with one client who wanted to switch from sales into marketing. And I said, Okay, how can we get you some experience? And he said, Well, I have no idea. And we brainstorm and brainstormed. And he said, Well, I have a friend who has, you know, his own small startup business. And I said, have a call with him and ask, you know, can you, you know, draft a social media campaign or a couple social media posts for them, and if you want leverage AI, you know, please use all the tools that are at your at your

Lisa Marker-Robbins 22:04
disposal. I love that idea. I mean, that is like a create your own, right. Yeah, I it made me think about one of my favorite stories. One of my students spawned it. She went on to Georgia Tech, and she’s graduated now and in graduate school for architecture, but when she was in high school in 2020, she had a great summer internship lined up, and that went away. She was very sad and and those everybody was feeling the pressure to, like, create awesome experiences with no opportunities. Yeah, well, she was still she had always been volunteering at a food pantry, and she was like continuing to do that in whatever capacity they were able to do it, people still needed food, actually more people, because people were out of jobs, needed food from the food pantry where she had been volunteering, and she actually was test driving, marketing, social media, things like that as a possible career, which she ultimately ended up ruling out because of her real world experiences. Yes, that’s a win. We teach people how to do that, of course. And so I said, Well, do they have a newsletter? Do they have a social media fee? Like, why don’t you go investigate that? And she took some time, and she’s like, there’s no newsletter, or it’s very sporadic. It’s not regular. It’s not, you know, it’s not formulated. They have zero social media presence. And I said, go pitch them. And it doesn’t even matter if you’re getting paid for it, because you’re getting the experience to test drive a career and help build your resume. She did just that, and she they ended up actually paying her some money for it as well. But she and then she realized this is not the job that I want to do, and now she’s an architect. So good examples, right? Well, I’m showing examples of how this can work, right? Yep, absolutely. So you’re, I have a question for you. So you’re talking about, like, AI is not necessarily eliminating, it’s very much changing the entry level jobs, right? We know that it’s impacting jobs, period. And one of your, one of your trends that you saw is industry demand is uneven. And I want to talk more about that trend of industry demand is uneven. I’m guessing that’s in part related to AI, but not fully. Would that be, am I making it too big of a leap there?

Christine Rigby-Hall 24:36
No, you’re spot on. In part related to AI, and in part, you know just where, where our economy is going. So said a different way. You know, the strength of the job market depends upon the industry, and it’s a very mixed picture. So for example, health care, education, some. STEM fields like cyber security and data science, in July 2025 saw plus 79,000 jobs. That’s huge. Yeah, so cyber security openings up by like 12% amazing. Manufacturing lost jobs. Tech hiring has been down 50% since 2019 so if you want to go into tech, be very thoughtful, for example. So this is not to say don’t do this. Do that. It’s to say, be thoughtful about the direction that you want to go. And, you know, think about adjacent fields.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 25:46
Perhaps I have a great story on that right now, if I can interact to share it. It’s a student that we’re working with. So first of all, I find it fascinating that, still, computer science is the most in demand degree, but yet the jobs, especially at the entry level, have been shrinking, and it is all over the news students with computer science degrees who cannot get jobs in their field, but yet it is the degree that still adds in demand. So I love what you said about like, manage your expectations around this, like, really think about what you’re if you’re heading to college or you’re aiming for a particular job, like you really got to think about this. So one of the students that’s in our course right now, he’s 25 he earned a computer science degree several years back, was never able to really land a degree or a job in his field that he thought he wanted to go into. So he has had jobs, part time, jobs, and I always say jobs pay bills, but careers have purpose. So he’s had a job, not a career, and he is very interested and now transitioning out of hourly work in a job and to really nail down a career. So we’ve started this process, and we’re looking at, you know, all kinds of different really cool options, and he’s ruling some out as we go through the process. He’s in the course, and he’s come into our coaching calls, and he recently said, I’m thinking about being an electrician. And his mom was like, what? And when we started talking about I said, That doesn’t surprise me. If you look at the if you go on a college website and you look at the classes that you take in computer science, there’s a strong overlap with electrical engineering, which has a strong overlap with being an electrician. And then we talked about how, you know, AI impact. And I said, while computer science is losing jobs to AI, right, computer a robot, is not going to come into your house yet and do all the wiring that you need. You still need an electrician to do it, but you always

Christine Rigby-Hall 28:09
have to have the wiring

Lisa Marker-Robbins 28:10
that’s right. And so it was just the most fascinating coaching conversation, right? We were able to find through lines. I always say the through lines exist? We got to find them. Yeah, but it’s another example of people with this computer science degree that they just can’t find jobs. But he found a through line of something that now he’s going to go get some real world experiences, informational interviews and job shadows to see if he wants to continue heading down this but once we started making the connections to what he had studied, he’s like, my favorite classes were, like on circuitry and things like that. So there’s possibilities out there.

Christine Rigby-Hall 28:48
There are the two points that you’ve made me think of. One is trades have increased in terms of job postings 20% since 2020 so those jobs are not going away. They’re increasing. Well, first of all, they’re just not going at full stop. We all need the trade roles. I also loved the switch. So I have a friend who got a degree in languages, and then was working in finance, but it just wasn’t, you know the right spot. Ended up going to a boot camp, a coding boot camp, and getting a certification, a seven month certification. And now he’s back in finance, but he’s doing like data analysis and a different role be. And you talked about through lines, and something that is interesting is the languages and the finance Well, now he’s doing coding, but he’s probably one of the reasons he got his job. Was because he can speak technical in a non technical way. He can have those kind of conversions that, you know, those who are just, you know, really Uber techie struggle with more.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 30:13
I love that as fantastic example. Yeah, the trade thing, I think for you and I, we throw out, like, gross statistics. What was the job that you said? I’m sorry. It was like two seconds ago, just showing my age, that that it was up like 20% or what was it in July that you said was up, rates, trades, so when we were, when I was working with this student, to talk through this electrician piece. I said, Well, let’s look at the stats, and the demand is projected. These projections are not perfect, but the Department of Labor projects that electrician is going to grow by 11% and then he said, My dad mentioned that he would like me to talk to somebody my age, who we know that just became a plumber, and so we looked at like Plumbing and pipe fitting and and welding and those also, I think that was like 12% to put it in perspective, because our listeners probably wouldn’t know this, the average growth rate of all industries for projected growth rate for jobs is 3% that’s the average, wow. So when we hear 11% growth, 12 like, that is above average growth. When you get up to 20% or higher cyber security, I think you mentioned that one super high. Like, okay, then that’s like, amazing growth, right? So that’s something to keep your eye on,

Christine Rigby-Hall 31:42
yeah, for sure. So it’s interesting to think about, you know, some some industries are, you know, not hiring as much. Some are hiring more. So if you’re a student or a parent, how do you think about that? It’s think about having a plan A, plan B and Plan C, for example, you know, broaden your applications, whether it’s geographically or into adjacent industries. If you’re a parent, my encouragement is, have the plan B conversations. Think of it if, if you’re if your student went to college, think of it as, you know, you have your reach schools, your safety schools, and then you’re happy to go to, you know, and be really happy there schools so that, Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. And, you know, feel free to leverage, if you’re a parent again, leverage your network. And as you talked about, help your child have conversation so they can learn more about these different industries. It’s, it’s networking, it’s learning, it’s, it’s all positive.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 32:51
Well, you said the N word networking, and that was your fifth trend. I know that I’ve seen with Gen Z that the term networking feels dirty or salesy or uncomfortable to them. So I always try to say like you’re just connecting, just like if you went out with your friends and you entered and you met their friends and you made a new connection, you made a new friend. So if you don’t like that word, whatever connecting or networking,

Christine Rigby-Hall 33:21
Coffee Chat, Coffee Chat,

Lisa Marker-Robbins 33:25
exactly so networking still works.

Christine Rigby-Hall 33:30
Yes, more than ever, it is about who you know. It’s just as important as what you know. They’re humongous applicant pools for every application out there. And the other interesting thing is 70 plus percent, using the low number, it’s projected, you know, up as high as like 85% of jobs are never even posted. And why aren’t they posted? One reason. There’s multiple reasons. One reason is because recruiters are overwhelmed, and their applicant tracking systems and whatever AI tools that they’re using are not, you know, good enough to get the candidate pool down to, you know, one that then the recruiter can actually take their time to go through. So this, you know, jobs in our post, and it’s called the hidden job market. And how are those jobs filled? Well, they’re filled either internally or via networking slash referrals. And I think of networking referrals as hand in hand, because you have to have networked with someone to be referred and like you said, networking is just about connecting, and it’s about connecting with a peer, an alum, a professor, a family friend. You know, I think of that as, like, one of the easiest ways to start is with family friends. You know, LinkedIn data shows. Shows that employee referrals or connections. Most, 70% of people hired in companies had a connection

Lisa Marker-Robbins 35:10
with that company. I actually saw a study that showed that you know how LinkedIn does your first or people that you’re directly connected with, and then your seconds would be like Christine’s connected you. And I know this. I’m saying it for our watchers and our listeners. A second would be somebody that Christine’s connected with. But I’m not that’s my second. And I saw a recent study that said you have a higher chance, an increased chance, actually, of getting landing a job or an internship, or whatever it might be, an opportunity through your seconds better than even your firsts. Oh, that’s super interesting. So, like, if I were going after something, then I would say, like, hey Christine, can you introduce me to anybody I’m targeting either these companies or I want to stay in the Greater Cincinnati area. And then she would look through her connections and make an introduction. And so that wasn’t my first, that I was connected that now they’re going to become my first, but they really were an original second, and that can be so effective.

Christine Rigby-Hall 36:18
Explain that way. It makes so much sense. Yeah, I

Lisa Marker-Robbins 36:21
mean that, yeah. When you look at the data point, it’s like, Well, wait, that doesn’t make sense. But you know, one of the things that we work on is you build the LinkedIn profile again, force coaching code Comm, forward slash LinkedIn to get my profile builder. But then we give the students inside the course email templates to make those things feel more natural, because it’s hard when you first do it. And I know, you know, I agree with you. Parents, introduce your kiddo to your network. There is a difference that is not being a helicopter or snowplow parent. So Don’t, don’t push so far back against being a helicopter parent that you’ve gone all the way the other direction, you’re not even willing to make introductions. That’s completely appropriate. Going to their job interview is not appropriate.

Christine Rigby-Hall 37:14
Yeah, and the nuance there is, facilitate the introduction. But then let your student, recent grad child, let them lead, let them feel like they have ownership over it. And another piece of advice is to normalize networking by sharing your own story. You know, when I when I think about that, I reflect on my own journey into the corporate world after college and graduate school, my first two jobs were from networking. Yeah. And when I think about my client base, I could just rattle off, you know, the number of my clients that get jobs through networking. One got his job with a private equity firm from a fraternity brother. Another got their job with a CPG company, consumer products through a family friend. Another got her job in finance in New York City with a hedge fund through a family friend. So these things happen. It’s not bad. It’s not dirty. I think Gen Z sometimes feels like

Lisa Marker-Robbins 38:26
I just, I want to get it on my own two feet. My daughter actually said that to me through the process. The company that she’s at, one of my childhood friends, is very high in HR, and I kept saying, Sydney, why don’t you just talk to her? Nope, I want to get it on my own. And she did. She did end up landing the job on her own, but, you know, I Jenny knew that she was applying, so I don’t know if there was anything that happened there, but my daughter would not have felt too salesy or whatever to try to connect with the natural connection she had it all worked out in the end, but there was no convincing her that it was okay.

Christine Rigby-Hall 39:07
They are still getting it on their own. No one, yeah, hire someone that is not capable, not qualified, just because you talk to somebody that you know. No, absolutely not. They’re still getting it on their own, right, you know, and if you’re a student listening, I would encourage you, you know, start small, you know, set yourself a goal, one new coffee, chat a month or a week, whatever it is, maybe go to Atlanta, preach

Lisa Marker-Robbins 39:37
a week. If you’re already in college or a recent grad,

Christine Rigby-Hall 39:41
agreed. Just try to say, I, you know,

Lisa Marker-Robbins 39:45
I always say, when you build your LinkedIn profile, connect with me. And then when I for and then when I look, if you’re a student and any of our listeners can do this, connect with me. And then when I look, I want to see that you have five connections. Your first goal is just. Five connections, and you can start with me and family friends, and that gets you over the hump, and then gets you a little momentum, and then the next five will be easier for you to do the Ask Absolutely.

Christine Rigby-Hall 40:14
And you know, there are times when, sometimes, when we’re further along in our career, we have a lot of connections. And do we personally know everyone now? However, for me, if someone says, Hey, Christine, I see you’re connected to so and so. Would you? Would you mind making an introduction, even if I don’t know that person, if I know the person as I’m happy to make that introduction, because I’m willing to use my personal, you know, credibility, to get you an introduction. You have to take it from there, right? I’m not giving you anything other than introduction at

Lisa Marker-Robbins 40:59
all. This has been fantastic. So yeah, you every I’m sure everybody can see at this point that we have a natural fit. So I’m taking those career confused. Let’s figure out what career you want to do, and then Christine loves to take them from there and say, Okay, now let’s go land that job strategically. So Christine, I know you’re doing something special. If any of our listeners want to explore working with you, you’re willing to give them a 30 minute conversation. If they connect with you and say that they they heard about you from me or on the podcast, how do they get in

Christine Rigby-Hall 41:36
touch to request that? Yeah, they can either connect with me on LinkedIn, Christine Rigby Hall, or go to my website, grad landing.com and I’d be happy to have a conversation with anybody. You know, the job market is shifting, but I encourage students to stay proactive, build skills, nurture relationships, and those that do will be in a really strong position, and parents play a really huge role, not by doing the search for their child, but cheering them on and opening doors, when possible,

Lisa Marker-Robbins 42:12
resourcing them. Well, this is great. We will put all of your connection information, your website, your social media links, in the show notes, and I know we’re going to be doing this again. Christine, thanks for coming on. Thank you, Lisa.

Lisa Marker-Robbins 42:30
If you’re walking alongside your student in the job or internship search, I hope our conversation gave you clarity on what’s really happening in the hiring landscape. The good news with preparation, persistence and the right strategy, your student can thrive no matter how much the rules change. If you’d like to connect with Christine, she’s offering a complimentary 30 minute call when you mention you heard her on the podcast, you’ll find the link to our website and LinkedIn profile in the show notes, and don’t forget, you can grab my free LinkedIn profile builder at flourish, coachingco.com forward slash LinkedIn, after your young person creates their profile, have them connect with me and at least four others, remember you can be the bridge that helps them start building their network. As always, my goal is to help your student launch into a career they’ll love with clarity and confidence.