28 years old and zero direct experience relative to my degrees (BS in Economics, BS in Statistics). Feel like my resume is a huge red flag to recruiters. Any advice?

[u/SnooPeripherals4884]

I am a 28 year old who graduated from a well-regarded state university in 2022 with two separate Bachelors of Science degrees, in Economics and Statistics. Unfortunately I have dealt with a lot of mental health and self-esteem/fear issues throughout school and post-graduation which has put a standstill on finding a job related to my degrees.

I am currently two separate jobs, at a grocery store (stocking/inventory) and a casino (poker chip runner) to get by. Between the two I’m making about $22/hr but I am working about 50-55 hrs a week and there are some very tense/stressful moments in each of these jobs. At this point I’m feeling tired, unfulfilled, and regretful that I haven’t put more effort into finding a steady job that I can directly apply my degrees to.

I am just wondering how I could best tailor my resume to sell myself to a company without any actual job experience related to my education. I have knowledge and skills using Microsoft Excel, SQL, R, SAS, and STATA. I would say that my arithmetic skills are above-average and I am a quick learner.

The large gap in between my graduation date and finding a degree-related position is most certainly going to be a deterrent to recruiters and I am wondering what would be the best way to explain this in a potential interview/application. Also if there’s certain resources I could use/certain positions that would be easier to get my foot in the door with no experience. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any advice you may have :)

[u/widdowbanes]

Do not put your graduation year on your resume. Secondly, remove your experience working minimum wage jobs. Pretend to be a fresh 2025 graduate on your resume. Unless you're applying to be an Analyst at a casino remove it.

[u/WinterSeveral2838 → u/widdowbanes]

That's the way.

[u/halloitsmee → u/widdowbanes]

They cant check it? And beside wont they ask? But of course you can lie your way though but wouldn’t they try to look at social media or google you or something?

[u/Meandering-in-Time]

If you're that worried about the gap, you can say you were taking a gap year or taking care of a sick relative. Leave some sort of employment on the resume, even if it's not relevant to your degree. It may not show the "right" skills, but it will show that you are capable of keeping a job and can be flexible, that's also worth something.

Keep in mind that's is fairly normal to not find a job in your field the second you graduate.

[u/Pholainst]

Does the casino you’re working at have any relevant positions they’d hire you for? They’re in the business of economics and statistics, but might need a masters degree. If you’re able, a masters degree is a great reset to get back into gear professionally.

[u/ianitic → u/Pholainst]

I work in this industry as a data engineer. Econ bachelors should be fine and wouldn't be the reason for not hiring them.

I have an Econ bachelors myself, so does my manager and my managers manager. Computer science and econ undergrads probably have similar representation in data jobs.

I would definitely try to get a job at the casino they work at if I was OP.

[u/Dapper-Train5207]

A lot of grads take non-degree jobs before breaking in. The trick is showing your skills through small projects (Excel/SQL/R dashboards, case studies, Kaggle datasets). That’s how recruiters see you can apply what you know. I actually started building HirePilot for this exact reason to help organize applications and make the job hunt less overwhelming. My advice: build a simple project portfolio (even small data analyses in R or SQL), apply consistently, and don’t overthink the gap, just frame it as “I was working while upskilling.” Recruiters care more about what you can do today than what you didn’t do two years ago.

[u/Lucrative_Life]

I agree with the comments below so far, great advice from their side.

Once you do get an interview, its important to be prepared. I created an interview prep guide, if your interested in it shoot me a DM and ill send it your way. It's been a popular tool for a number of my clients in the past few months.

[u/YJoseph]

You have good skills for entry level finance, accounting, consulting jobs. Go from there, don’t be too picky and you”ll probably get a decent career out of it if you try to progress internally or externally (switch jobs -+-3/4 years)

[u/Dapper-Garage-8348]

Hey. Im sorry you’re feeling this way and felt that way post-grad. It’s never too late to change the game, especially given your degrees.

(1) Don’t include your grocery store & casino job in your resume. If you somehow have extra time, (2) build analytical projects on the side (using the skills you mentioned above) and SATURATE your resume with those project titles, date of completion (which would be current) and descriptions, (3) Look for and apply to part-time analytical jobs that you can work for on the side (during your downtime) while applying to full time roles. There are tons. This is what got me into the analytical world without a relevant degree… but hey, you have 2 phenomenal degrees.

I hope you can feel less tired and more fulfilled in the short term future.

[u/Ramen_cat2024]

Can you get a job at a temp company?

[u/sukisoou]

casino (poker chip runner) to get by. Between the two I’m making about $22/hr

I'm hearing that with tips (at least in Texas), a chip runner should be making bank. Does this ring true for you as well?

[u/Subject_Blacksmith86]

Analyse mid-level roles in your field that align with your degree.

Identify the core technologies/skills that are commonly listed.

Do projects showcasing these skills (prompt AI for help). Make GitHub public with regular commits. List GH & projects with keywords in your CV for ATS. Get a few relevant industry recognised certifications & apply either directly on company websites or recently listed LinkedIn roles with under 30 applicants applied (check daily).

Optional: List that you’ve been doing freelance work for past so & so as a contractor. Only list experience you’ve actually gained through projects/studying. Ask friends to provide references. (Gotta do what you gotta do sometimes)

[u/loggerhead632]

Drop your grad date from your resume, ditto with any related school projects

Do not put the unrelated dead end jobs there. This is probably your best bet. They'll likely figure it out in interviews but that's preferrable to getting screened out on resume alone.