Career guides for students and new grads.

Straight answers for students, new graduates and the parents behind them. Every figure has a source, and every guide ends with something you can do this week.

New guides

For parents · The first job

How many college graduates are underemployed, and why the first job matters

About half of new graduates start in a job that does not need their degree, and most of them are still there ten years later. Here is what the research says, and what a parent can do before and after graduation.

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Start with your path

Path 1 · The seller

How to get an entry-level sales job with no experience

Sales is one of the few career doors that opens wide for new graduates. Here is what the job is, what hiring managers screen for, and how to show you can do it before anyone hires you.

Read the guide Path 2 · The future leader

How to get a consulting or finance job out of college

Consulting and finance are where many future leaders start. The technical prep is well known. The part that decides close calls is how you communicate, and almost nobody trains for it.

Read the guide Path 3 · The professional

Pre-law, pre-med or engineering? The skill your profession tests that your classes don’t teach

The bar exam, medical schools and engineering accreditors all now name communication as a core skill. Here is what each one asks for, and how to build it while you are still in college.

Read the guide Path 4 · The founder

How to get your first customers as a student founder

Every startup’s first job is a sale: to a customer, an investor or a first hire. Here is how to find your first ten customers while you are still in school, without a marketing budget.

Read the guide Start early · The internship

How to get a summer internship as a sophomore or junior

Internships are now one of the surest routes to a first job, and at top firms they can be harder to win than the job itself. Here is the calendar, the outreach and the interview prep that work.