Class of 2025: Five Potential Challenges Facing New Professionals--and How to Overcome Them

• Survey explores obstacles early-career workers face, and how these professionals can contribute to businesses

TORONTO, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the class of 2025 prepares to enter the workforce, new research from talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half highlights the top challenges early-career professionals may face – along with practical steps to overcome them. It also examines the benefits to organizations who hire this talent, and what they're doing to help attract them.

Early-career professionals' top challenges

According to a survey of 835 Canadian workers, respondents revealed the top five challenges they encountered early in their careers:

1. Limited mentorship opportunities: 47 per cent said they lacked a mentor or workplace peer to help guide them.
   
   
2. Insufficient onboarding: 37 per cent felt unprepared due to inadequate employer training.
   
   
3. Lack of internship experience: 34 per cent entered the workforce without internships or relevant work experience.
   
   
4. Managing workloads: 33 per cent struggled with the volume and prioritization of tasks.
   
   
5. Skills gaps: 32 per cent felt that they couldn't make an immediate impact with the skills they possessed.

How to thrive in your early career

To overcome these common challenges, these are the steps first-time professionals report taking to set themselves up for success.

• Researching companies to determine fit (56%)
  
  
• Connecting with current and former employees of prospective employers to ask questions (31%)
  
  
• Attending networking events to connect with businesses and individuals working in their desired industry (25%)
  
  
• Seeking out a mentor to help guide them through the application process (20%)

"Beginning your career can be a daunting time, but there are many steps early-career professionals can take to set themselves up for success," said Koula Vasilopoulos, Senior Managing Director, Robert Half, Canada. "It starts with building a strong foundation of communication that includes networking, connecting with other professionals who can help you learn, and being vocal about what you need from your employer to ensure you have the adequate tools and training to succeed. Approaching early roles with an open and inquisitive mind and a commitment to learning helps set the stage for long-term confidence and growth."

What early-career professionals can bring to the table

Businesses are also taking steps to recruit new talent and invest in their long-term career growth. In a separate Robert Half survey of more than 1,050 hiring managers across Canada, 34 per cent said they are offering paid internships for current students or recent graduates, while 32 per cent are directly recruiting at colleges and universities.

As organizations strive to build future-forward teams that are ready to tackle challenges and take on new initiatives, the following are the top benefits they report experiencing from onboarding early-career professionals:

• Receiving a fresh lens for problem-solving (87%)
  
  
• Gaining team members familiar and experienced with new technologies (84%)
  
  
• Building up internal talent pools (84%)

About the Research
The online surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm in March 2025 and December 2024 respectively. They include responses from 835 workers 18 years and older, and 1,056 hiring managers at companies with 20 or more employees across Canada.

About Robert Half
Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Offering contract and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support, Robert Half has more than 300 locations worldwide. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti^®, a global consulting firm that provides internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been named to the Fortune^® Most Admired Companies^™. Explore our comprehensive solutions, research and insights at RobertHalf.ca.  

SOURCE Robert Half Canada Inc.

Jillian Levick, 647-288-4887, [email protected]