Key takeaways for graduates battling AI in the jobs market

ChatGPT can certainly write your university essay – but will it take your job soon after? Rapid advances in artificial intelligence have given rise to fears that the technology will make swathes of the workforce redundant.

Graduates are seen as particularly vulnerable because entry-level jobs such as form-filling and basic data entry are strongly associated with the “drudge work” that AI systems – which perform tasks that typically have required human intelligence – could do instead.

Over the past two and a half years the availability of such positions has dropped by a third, and last month it was reported that graduates are facing the toughest US job market since 2018.

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David Bell, at the executive search firm Odgers, said companies are demanding AI competence from graduates. “As part of the interview process for the graduate intake they are asking them about their understanding and usage of AI,” he said. “Anyone who has not been using ChatGPT or the equivalent will struggle to be taken on board.”

Hone your soft skills.

As AI surpasses humans in executing certain tasks — think actuarial math or corporate compliance, for example —more attention will shift to job candidates' so-called soft skills, such as problem solving and communication.

You cannot outsource your thinking to AI, you have to continue to hone critical thinking and complex strategy thinking.

The focus will be less on your pedigree — where you went to school or even whether you have a college degree — and more on the "5 Cs": curiosity, compassion, creativity, courage and communication.

To improve their soft skills, entry-level job candidates should work on turning what they regard as their biggest weakness into a strength. For instance, if you typically shy away from public speaking or talking in groups, push yourself to get comfortable in those situations.