Some college graduates’ job searches defined by pandemic’s lasting effects, artificial intelligence

A shift toward hybrid and remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic requires new grads to be flexible and resulted in older employees changing careers, resulting in more intergenerational applicant pools.

The introduction of artificial intelligence into existing fields — and as a field in itself — will impact not only job prospects but the hiring process as well.

The state of the job market varies regionally based on the types of sectors that predominate in different areas, said Gerald Tang, executive director of the career services and internships program at Bridgewater State University. Job prospects at larger organizations, like tech giants, are far more competitive, he said, while job prospects at more regionally-focused employers appear better.

In southeastern Massachusetts and surrounding areas, where many of BSU’s new graduates tend to seek jobs, Tang said hiring appears fairly steady.

“Local employers, regional employers, remain strong,” Tang said. “There is, I wouldn’t say an increase, but there’s more of a consistent, steady recruiting strategy and certainly some industries are booming.”

Liz McCarthy, coordinator of career planning and placement at Bristol Community College, said she has seen a high demand from employers in cybersecurity, healthcare careers and biotechnology. There has also been a rise in entrepreneurship and the gig economy, McCarthy said.

“The rise of platforms like Airbnb, Uber and Etsy have created new opportunities for individuals to monetize their skills and talents independently,” she said.

Tang said he has observed a slight decrease in jobs in tech and some life sciences sectors and a strong local interest in recruiting social workers and new teachers — nearly 70 employers attended BSU’s recent Education Careers Fair.

Rather than encouraging aspiring educators about their job prospects, the teacher shortage can be discouraging. Many disheartened teachers are leaving the profession, and there is a lot of negativity surrounding teaching on social media, said Courtney Foley, a Foxboro resident who graduated this spring with a degree in elementary education from Westfield State University.

“My advice to myself is, ‘You’re going to be the difference and you’re going to feel it out for yourself and do what you can and not listen to any of the negativity because it might be a profession for you and not for them,’” she said.

The demand for new educators also does not mean entering the workforce as a teacher is without hurdles for new grads. The end of COVID-era emergency teaching licenses means aspiring teachers must complete all of their traditional licensure requirements before getting a job.

Foley will return to her hometown to work in the school district in morning and after care while completing her Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) exams and pursuing a master’s degree in either education or English. Foley said the majority of her friends across different fields of study are pursuing further education rather than entering the workforce right away.

Her sister Sarah Foley, who graduated from Foxboro High School in 2023 and cosmetology school in April, said her peers all entered the workforce fairly quickly and had little trouble finding hairdressing jobs.

“A lot of salons will come into the school and introduce themselves and show what they do for the students,” she said.

In fact, many of her friends were choosing from multiple options.

“They had so many interviews to know which one would fit them best,” she said.

Sarah is continuing to work at the salon in Foxboro where she has been an assistant for a year. Once she takes her licensing test and models her work on families and friends, she can gradually begin working as a stylist.

Over the next few years, McCarthy said, AI will grow globally and “take center stage in the workplace.”

“Companies are finding new ways to adapt these technologies into their framework because if something’s automated, it’s going to enhance their productivity, their decision making and their customer service,” she said.

Although its effects may not be felt across all industries along the same time frame, AI will continue to have a “massive impact” on jobs, wrote Sean Schofield, inaugural assistant vice president of Life and Career Design for Wheaton College’s new Life and Career Design Institute. This may work in young grads’ favor — as digital natives, he wrote, Gen Z can more quickly adapt to new technologies and pick up new digital skills.

Tang said he thinks AI will enhance jobs rather than replace them.

“We still need a human behind the scenes to help understand and filter and interpret some of those AI-generated content and info,” he said. “I think that is the part that won’t be replaced.”

AI has already begun to affect the hiring process, and career services offices have changed with it. Instead of just face-to-face interview preparation resources, for example, the BSU career services now offers preparation for virtual, recorded interviews, in which the candidate records answers to a series of question prompts instead of being interviewed by a hiring manager or supervisor.

“We are adapting in the language and lingo and approaches and thinking ahead about what the industry and the local demands are and how we can start to support students out there as they navigate their career journey to adjust to that,” Tang said.

At Wheaton, Schofield has seen a similar trend, creating a need to help students understand how to use AI in their job search and application process in response to an “increased use of algorithms” in the hiring process.

“Ranking keywords, following weighted forms, and leveraging language from the job description and company website in all collateral are just a few of the tactics our team uses to help students understand as a part of their professional development journey,” Schofield wrote.

The COVID-19 pandemic “changed the landscape” of the job market and made remote or hybrid positions more mainstream, McCarthy said.

“I think students really need to understand that it’s not the way it used to be five, 10 years ago, so they need to be very flexible and adapt to the changing workplace in order to get a job,” she said.

Job applicants aren’t the only ones adjusting to a rapidly changing environment — employers, too, need to adapt to attract and retain new talent, Tang said.

As employees are asked to return to the office following the COVID-19 pandemic, he said BSU alumni have accessed the career center’s resources to find hybrid or remote jobs.

The increase in people changing their careers in the middle of their lives alters the playing field for recent graduates, McCarthy said.

“Not only are college students competing with recent college grads, they’re also competing with career changers as well,” she said.

At BSU, Tang said he does not encourage talking to students about five-year plans because circumstances can change so quickly, taking the pandemic as an example.

“It’s OK to not know, but it’s about how you can start to utilize the information you have available to help you navigate the job search process,” Tang said.

Tang said many BSU students work during college, and this can help in the job search as it demonstrates an applicant’s experience and work ethic.

BSU graduates are also finding success in their job search by branching out of the typical career paths one might expect for people in their field of study, he said.

McCarthy said not to underestimate the power of soft skills like communication, problem solving and emotional intelligence.

“Graduates who can demonstrate a combination of both technical proficiencies and strong interpersonal skills, I think have a competitive edge in the job market,” she said.

To maximize their chances, McCarthy said applicants should have a “rock-solid resume” including keywords that make them stand out among several thousand other applicants.

Including a “core competencies” section with skills from the job description and other crucial soft skills that are not conveyed elsewhere in the resume is a good way to ensure employers know what a candidate has to offer, she said.

One thing to highlight in this resume section that may make an applicant stand out is demonstrating “cultural competence,” McCarthy said.

“Employers are prioritizing DEI initiatives so that they can create a more inclusive workplace,” she said. “Graduates who have experience in diverse teams … I believe are highly valued by employers committed to fostering a more inclusive corporate culture.”