20 Mental Models for Those Graduating This Summer
Making sense of the chaotic job market
If you are about to graduate and don’t have a job, you are far from being alone. Between 25-and 50% of people at the top business schools are still looking for employment. It is a chaotic market, and the American policies have spooked companies from investing, planning for the future, and figuring out ways to strengthen their talent pipelines.
While in the long term, all of these talented graduates will do well, the short term will be painful. It is easy to be hopeful when things are going well, but when the chips are down, we tend to imagine the worst.
This phenomenon can be referred to as negative internalization. It robs our minds of imagining different scenarios and cripples us into inaction. Most importantly, candidates get so demotivated after being ghosted by recruiters and companies pulling out their offers that the time after the graduation ceremony tends to be a pretty challenging one for most people. Here are 25 mental models/ ideas to help you navigate it.
Most unhappiness comes from wishing things were different from what they are. This is the job market. Such is life.
You will get a job, but it could take a while. Remember you went to school trying to pivot your career. The rationale still holds.
Measuring the return on investment of a degree based on the job you get after graduation is myopic.
You worked hard, got an offer to study (hopefully at a place you really wanted), and now you are graduating. Take a moment to realize and cherish this momentous occasion.
Expand your luck surface area. Meet people, connect with them, broaden your network.
But don’t spray and pray.
Approach recruitment like a sniper. The sniper approach to recruitment is a highly targeted method of identifying opportunities. Spray and pray is the opposite.
Go for big swings. Time after you graduate could be the time to go for things you may not have considered. If you have applied to 99 jobs and things haven’t worked out, the problem may not be you. It could be the industry. Tweak your approach.
Achieving mastery isn't about spending 10,000 hours on something, but rather about making 10,000 iterations.
Feel free to take up a short term assignment in an industry you want to break in. Proof of work, hunger to learn, and a good degree usually makes for a solid combination.
Pay extra emphasis on your physical and mental health.
Face the reality, celebrate in style but remember that you could develop unhealthy coping mechanisms around this time. Be careful of that.
Unfortunately, relationships could also break at this time. Emotions are high, mind is cluttered, and practical realities of making the job work might prove to be challenging. Think things through.
You could be graduating with debt, you could have had a breakup, you may not have any job interviews lined up…It is far more common than you think…DO NOT let it mess up your graduation day.
You will remember the day you graduate for the rest of your life. Make it count. Watch this talk if you want an interesting graduation story with a twist.
Try The Odyssey Plan. Imagine three completely different versions of what your next five years could look like. It forces you to break free from assumptions and rethink what’s possible.
First, imagine you stay on your current path. Same job, same city, same direction. Fast-forward five years: where are you? What does your life look like—and more importantly, how do you feel about it?
Second, design a life that looks nothing like today. What if you took a risk? Switched careers? Moved across the world? Started something completely new? There are no wrong answers here—this version is about pure exploration. Where could a different choice take you?
Third, imagine a future where money and other people’s opinions don’t matter at all. If there were no obstacles, what would you build for yourself? What dreams would you finally chase?
Most of us live on autopilot, assuming there’s only one path forward. The Odyssey Plan interrupts that pattern. It zooms you out, challenges your assumptions, and helps you choose your future deliberately, not just drift into it.
You will likely hear “Be Yourself” and “Follow Your Passion” in the graduation ceremony. They are both fabulous bits of advice but don’t feel pressured to take them literally. Here is why
Do not make recruitment a solitary activity. You need to build a team to take you to the next level. This team should include head hunters, friends (especially those you haven’t spoken to in a while — The Strength of Weak Networks”)
Don’t job hunt all day. Dedicate 4-6 hours/day of focused outreach, application and preparation. Learn, enjoy, and rest a bit.
Remember the spotlight effect, a psychological phenomenon where we overestimate how much others spend thinking about ourselves.
P.S. This is one of the most interesting graduation speeches.