Graduates navigate tough job market with AI

Recent college graduates are struggling to enter the workforce as artificial intelligence reshapes hiring processes. According to industry leaders, AI-generated applications are slowing down recruitment, with 65% of job candidates using AI tools at some point during their application process. In response, 67% of human resources leaders report delays due to AI-assisted submissions. Entry-level jobs—such as administrative work, data analysis, scheduling, and basic writing—are disappearing as companies adopt AI to handle tasks once performed by new graduates. Professor Vanessa Errecarte from UC Davis Graduate School of Management noted that entry-level roles are most affected because they rely on task-based rather than idea-based functions. “Entry-level is suffering the most because a lot of the time, the functions that we do at the entry level are more task-based versus thinking-based,” she said. Educators are advising students to differentiate themselves by leveraging human intelligence. Jonathan Henderson, a teacher at Colorado Springs School District 11, emphasizes balancing AI with human ingenuity. “Every week I tell my students you need to make sure that artificial intelligence, AI, does not replace your human intelligence, the ‘HI,’” Henderson stated. He also stresses integrity, urging students to be more trustworthy than any electronic device. Errecarte suggests graduates rethink how they present themselves to stand out. She argues that demonstrating unique human value—such as creative problem-solving or original thinking—can leave a lasting impression. “If we can find a human who we still think provides value to us and has this different way of thinking about things that anybody else has heard about, all of a sudden we remember that human and we want that human to help us,” she explained. Last weekend, over 4,500 students graduated from local universities in Colorado’s Pikes Peak region, entering a job market where AI is both a tool and a competitor. Henderson advises students to control technology rather than letting it dictate their careers. “Make it your tool. Make it your servant. And then life is going to go great,” he said. Despite AI’s growing role, educators insist human creativity remains essential. Henderson’s final message to graduates is clear: “Don’t stop thinking you are the foundation of what’s going to happen the next 20, 30 years. We need you. We need you to be sharp.”