The First Job Podcast with Fexingo: Entry-Level Roles, New Grads, and Starting Your Career

Episode 4 of The First Job Podcast: Lucas and Luna unpack the overlooked window every new grad faces — the first three months on the job. Lucas draws on a 2024 study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers showing that 42 percent of new hires who leave within a year do so before the 90-day mark. They walk through a real case: a marketing analyst at a mid-sized Chicago firm who buil...

In this episode of The First Job Podcast, Lucas and Luna tackle a nerve-wracking topic for entry-level job seekers: the reference check. Lucas shares the story of a former classmate who nearly lost a job offer because a disgruntled former manager gave a bad reference — and how he turned it around. Luna reveals that 87% of employers still check references, and one in four candidates has at least on...

In this episode of The First Job Podcast, Lucas and Luna tackle the uncomfortable truth that most entry-level candidates leave money on the table. Using real data from a 2025 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey and a case study of a University of Michigan grad who negotiated a $5,000 signing bonus without a competing offer, they unpack why the first salary is a starting point, no...

On the premiere episode of The First Job Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the growing trend of paid apprenticeships as a serious alternative to the traditional four-year degree. They focus on a specific case: the 2025 launch of a large-scale apprenticeship program by the global consulting firm Accenture, which placed over 1,200 entry-level hires into tech and business roles without requiring a bach...