AI, Networking, and Soft Skills: Gen Z’s Secrets to Landing a Tech Job

Kanika Mohan thought she’d have a job after graduation — and hopefully it would come with three meals and laundry service.

The 21-year-old studied computer science, had a slate of summer internships at top tech companies, and regularly attended campus career fairs. A first-generation college student, the 2025 grad felt STEM was the surefire path to corporate success.

“I love building things and computer science was a pretty hot topic over social media,” Mohan said. The jobs were cushy, with all kinds of perks. “It was just insane to think about,” she added. “I never saw my parents have any of those jobs. My parents worked regular, non-corporate, blue-collar jobs.”

Frustrated by a monthslong job hunt, Mohan began looking outside Big Tech. She said she applied for business analyst and marketing roles at airlines, banks, and consumer companies, and any other opportunity she could find in her skillset. She was eventually hired by a major tech company, but she’s glad that she broadened her search.

Mohan’s experience is increasingly common. Jobs in computer science and tech have long been advertised as a path to lucrative salaries and luxurious office perks. But, with AI and widespread corporate cost-cutting contributing to a white-collar hiring slowdown, the industry is hemorrhaging entry-level opportunities.

The tech job market is not just rough for newcomers. Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor, wrote in a new blog post that the US tech industry seems to be in an employment recession because it mirrors the Great Recession. US job postings for tech workers on job-search platform Indeed have cooled more than overall postings from Great Resignation peaks. However, some more experienced job seekers may fare better if they have the skills needed in the growing AI talent war.

As doors close across the industry, tech grads are having to rethink their dream roles. BI spoke with Gen Zers and labor market experts to understand the challenges young tech aspirants are facing — and potential solutions.

Business Insider is reporting on how each generation is experiencing the job market. If you’re open to sharing your experience, reach out to one of these reporters at allisonkelly@businessinsider.com, jkaplan@businessinsider.com, and mhoff@businessinsider.com.

And read our coverage:

‘Chances are you won’t get a job at Microsoft’

After landing her role, Mohan now teaches other 20-somethings on TikTok about how to break into the tech industry.

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“One thing I realized is that a lot of people have a dream company or a dream role,” she said. “But it’s really tough to do that anymore. You can’t just be like, ‘I want to work at Microsoft, so I’m only going to apply to Microsoft.’ Chances are you won’t get a job at Microsoft.”

Economists said this is a smart strategy. The number of computer and information sciences grads has increased in recent years, so holders of those degrees face more competition for a shrinking number of openings. AI is also shifting what entry-level work looks like in those fields, and companies are looking for ways to cut costs and streamline their workforce.

Zhao, the Glassdoor economist, told Business Insider that many tech employers have been slow to hire entry-level workers. A Burning Glass Institute report showed that the unemployment rate for Gen Zers and younger millennials in computer and math occupations has recently increased from before the pandemic, meaning recent graduates could be up against others competing for similar roles.

“It’s no surprise that new graduates in computer science and engineering have had a tough time getting their foot in the door,” Zhao said.

It’s part of why Gen Zers like Timothy Innamorato are considering pivoting. He wanted to work in tech, but he’s also been applying for grocery store and janitorial jobs.

Since completing a certification program in computer science and information technology last year, 27-year-old Innamorato has sent out a few hundred job applications, he said, and has landed around eight interviews in his field.

“I’ve been shifting my views on whether or not I even want to continue looking at the moment, especially with the AI thing that’s happening now,” he said.

He’s also gotten a few interviews for grocery store jobs, which he’s been applying to because he needs something to keep him afloat. He’s had some success getting callbacks when he applies to custodial positions in his local school district.

“Everybody now is shifting over to the idea of going to do trades, so being a plumber or doing HVAC or being an electrician. Honestly, that doesn’t sound like a bad thing, it’s just that you got to be on your feet a lot more and you got to go to people’s houses and crawl in attics,” he said. “It’s not the same as IT. But I mean, I don’t know.”

How to stand out in the application ‘numbers game’

Charley Kim, 23, recently landed a software engineering role at a Big Tech company. He said he’s lucky — he graduated in 2024 with a computer science degree and knows several friends who are still looking for work.

“There are just so many people applying to the jobs, and there’s only a limited number of jobs out there,” Kim said, adding, “Getting an interview is probably harder than the interviews themselves.”

Though Kim said that the job hunt can feel like a random “numbers game,” he thinks the effort he put into networking paid off. Not only did talking to people already in the tech industry help him hone his application, he said it allowed him to get the referrals he needed to make his résumé stand out from the pile.

Christine Cruzvergara, chief education strategy officer at Handshake, said it’s important to build a community because job searching can be time-consuming and emotionally taxing. As Mohan put it, the post-grad job search can feel “really scary, really harsh, and really painful.”

Cruzvergara said your community can include friends, advisors, or whoever can help you feel better and give you real feedback during job hunting.

Cruzvergara also suggested not filling out hundreds of applications and instead making sure you’re putting enough time into checking out the company, including whether it seems like a good fit.

“Mass applying is actually hurting people because they’re putting in lower-quality applications that aren’t going to stand up in a competitive applicant pool,” Bonnie Dilber, a recruiter at a software company, previously told Business Insider.

Natasha Pillay-Bemath, vice president of global talent acquisition and executive search at IBM, said there will continue to be demand for entry-level talent, especially in “more critical, complex spaces of tech like AI and cloud.” Strong applicants should show that they can both master using AI and also lean on soft skills like creativity and effective communication, she said, as AI takes away the “rote work” of an entry-level hire.

Mohan said she had a few different versions of her résumé and cover letter depending on the types of roles she was applying for. Putting her experience and interests on paper — and occasionally using AI to optimize for specific positions — helped her build confidence.

“Building my résumé early on helped me also realize that I know I can switch industries,” she said. “I realized what industry I like and what roles I like because there’s so, so many different things you can do. You won’t know that unless you actually try.”