LinkedIn Finds Gen Z Struggling to Make Career Connections

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You have 60 seconds.

Who are you? What have you done? Where are you headed? And what will make the person standing across from you remember your name?

That was the challenge facing UC Davis Full-Time MBA and Full-Time Master of Management students during orientation, when career bootcamp put their professional communication skills to work. As part of the session, students practiced their elevator pitches, learning how to turn their experience, strengths and career goals into a clear introduction.

Those 60 seconds can be the starting point for the conversations and connections that shape a career.

Building Confidence to Start the Conversation

Professional relationships can shape where a career goes next, yet many early-career professionals are unsure how to start building them.

LinkedIn surveyed more than 18,000 professionals in 2026 and found that 72% of Gen Z professionals feel disconnected from people who could help them in their careers. More than half, 53%, said they were unsure how to get started building professional relationships, and 52% did not know how to turn contacts into meaningful connections.

Many said they had never been taught how.

UC Davis knows career success takes more than technical skills. Soft skills like networking are essential and they're teachable. 

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What Makes a Strong Elevator Pitch?

Condensing your professional story into 60 seconds requires choices.

• Which experiences should you share?  
• Which skills matter for where you want to go?  
• How do you explain your goals?  
• What do you want someone to remember after you walk away?

During career bootcamp, students worked with UC Davis Graduate School of Management Career Development Services to develop and practice those answers.

Nikko Tanaka-Pendleton, associate director of career development, said learning to communicate that story can help students prepare for the professional conversations they will encounter throughout the MBA and MM programs.

“Every student has a powerful story to tell. Refining their pitch empowers them to connect their diverse experiences with their future aspirations—giving them the confidence to step into any room, share their unique value, and spark conversations that open doors.” 

—Nikko Tanaka-Pendleton, associate director of career development

The exercise also asks students to reflect on their professional identity. They have to connect what they have already accomplished with what they hope to do next, then make that connection understandable to someone hearing their story for the first time. 

Taking the Winning Pitches to the Next Level

The career bootcamp exercise ended with a winner, Mallory Sutherland MBA 28 and runner-up, Jingyu Liu JD/MBA 28. Their next challenge took the elevator pitch literally.

Each student stepped into an actual elevator with one goal: Deliver a clear, memorable pitch before the doors opened.

Here’s how they did.

UC Davis Full-Time MBA Students Give their Elevator Pitches...
in an Actual Elevator

Jingyu Liu JD/MBA 28 Elevator Pitch Transcript

I’ve learned to see business problems from two different sides: As a lawyer, thinking about legal risk, and as an MBA, thinking about business opportunity.

Hi, my name is Jing. I’m a JD/MBA student at UC Davis and editor-in-chief of the UC Davis Law Review.

I’ve worked on consumer protection litigation and investigations at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Those experiences taught me how legal risks and regulatory concerns can directly shape business decisions.

My goal is to build a career in business law, where I can combine my legal analysis, advocacy and business judgment to help clients navigate complex problems and make practical, strategic decisions.

I’m very excited to be here, and I would love to hear more insights from you on how to balance legal strategy with what the client wants to establish as a business.

Mallory Sutherland MBA 28 Elevator Pitch Transcript

Hi, my name is Mallory, and I’m an advocate for the future of the agriculture industry.

I’m currently pursuing my MBA at UC Davis.

I came directly from an undergraduate degree in agricultural business at Fresno State, where I got to see agriculture in a variety of facets, from internships in ag finance and quality assurance to research into food insecurity and leading a 70-person student team.

Those experiences highlighted that it’s really the people behind agriculture who push the industry forward.

Looking ahead, I would like to build my career in America’s breadbasket, the Central Valley of California, in a people-facing, human resources-oriented role where I can combine my passion for agriculture and individual development.

I would love to hear more about your position and your company because one of the most unique things about agriculture is that, in one way or another, we’re all connected to it.