It seems that the claim that it's hard to get a job even after graduating from Ivy League Harvard is not an exaggeration.

The job atmosphere in 2025 is definitely tough, even with an Ivy League degree.

Every time a generation changes, there has always been a job crisis, but what the MZ generation is facing now is a structural and long-term employment cliff.

Companies are shrinking back due to uncertainty, and as variables like tariffs and inflation cloud revenue forecasts, they delay hiring.

Moreover, with automation and AI feeling faster and cheaper than hiring a single person, the sentiment of "not firing but also not hiring" has become widespread.

In July, there were 7.18 million job openings, the lowest in 10 months. The new hiring rate is lower than before the pandemic, and the layoff rate is close to the bottom. In other words, the number of positions is decreasing, and even existing positions are not opening up in the market.

This is why Korean graduates from American universities say, "There are no jobs."

The feeling that one must lower their salary expectations is the face of the employment cliff. The problem is that the law of qualifications has been broken.

In the past, a combination of school, grades, and internship experience would open doors, but now the ability to generate revenue and efficiency in practice, as well as skills in collaborating with AI, are required.

Being able to produce a prototype with a single line of a prompt, validate hypotheses, and connect automation pipelines to increase team speed and revenue... it's tough even to write this, haha... such people are the ones who will get opportunities.

To put it simply:

First, don't obsess too much over titles or positions. What's important is 'what I have actually accomplished.' How much time you saved through automation, what results you achieved, and if you have ever increased revenue, organizing those as examples to show in your portfolio is much more powerful.

Second, don't stop studying at just getting certifications; hands-on experience from start to finish is important. For example, collecting, organizing, analyzing data, automating, and distributing results all by yourself. That is the most convincing in interviews.

Third, don't just cling to starting salaries or conditions; you need to look at 'growth speed.' In the first six months, show your ability to quickly understand and solve problems, and in the next six months, prove how your results impacted the team. As that process accumulates, recommendations and reviews will naturally follow.

Fourth, networking is not the last step in getting a job but the starting point. Instead of just handing out business cards, leave a mark by commenting on open-source projects, contributing to tutorials, or working on small projects together. This way, you might receive offers before job postings go up.

Fifth, don't just look at large companies or big cities; also consider local opportunities. Fields like healthcare, welfare, and leisure still have plenty of room for automation or data organization. Even a simple Excel organization system can be a great help on-site, and that could be your first job.

Lastly, it's about mental resilience. When the market freezes, the pace slows down and conditions become stricter. That doesn't mean your value has decreased. Even Harvard graduates can wait, and graduates from state universities might get hired first.

Ultimately, what's important is to consistently show that 'I am a problem solver.'

The lower the perceived temperature of the job market, the simpler the task at hand. It's about raising my own temperature.

Trying once more today and producing one more result tomorrow. That consistency is ultimately the most realistic way to overcome this employment cliff.