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Recent graduates are entering a work environment unlike anything seen by past generations. They will need to be prepared to navigate hybrid work arrangements, even within organizations that have not yet mastered the technological and managerial challenges that hybrid work entails. And, you guessed it, graduates need to attain the job readiness skills to work with AI.
In my lifetime, I have witnessed the birth of the internet, rapid technological advancement, continual digital transformations at work, and the exponential growth of AI. AI now impacts every aspect of our lives.
Advancements in generative AI (GenAI) alone have been staggering. Since the introduction of ChatGPT in November of 2022, weâve seen an explosion of products and options entering the market, our workplaces, and our homes.
What job readiness skills will graduates need to survive and excel in the age of working with AI?
While new skills are required to collaborate, operate, and make the most of AI technology, graduates will still need more traditional job readiness skills, including soft skills, specialized expertise (such as data analytics), and perhaps most crucially, critical thinking.
AI Job Readiness Skills: #1 Soft Skills
Gen Z are more comfortable working with AI than older generations and even trust AI over humans in some cases.
Imagine a situation where an employee was facing a dilemma at work and needed advice. They may opt to ask their supervisor for support in an email, using GenAI to construct the message. What if instead of asking for support in generating the email content, they instead asked GenAI how to resolve the dilemma? In both examples, communication skills may be stifled, but the second scenario opens risks around what kind of advice GenAI might generate. Similar risks have been identified with younger users more likely to use GenAI for medical diagnoses and health advice.
Soft skills, like communication, are essential for developing workplace relationships and building trust and cannot be dropped from the job readiness toolkit, at least, not yet.
AI Job Readiness Skills: #2 Openness and Skepticism
One of the most useful skills for graduates entering the workforce is the ability to adaptively respond to innovation. Training in one AI tool or software is helpful for the short term, but encouraging students to build resilience and adopt growth mindsets around the use of new technology are keys for future success.
Pairing that with a healthy dose of skepticism, graduates need the skills to investigate possible unintended consequences and to developing the self-assurance to ask the challenging questions.
A good balance of openness and skepticism will prepare graduates to combat blind acceptance and to critically evaluate the output they receive from GenAI.
AI Job Readiness Skills: #3 Technical Expertise
The introduction of the calculator did not make arithmetic obsolete. We still teach children basic computational skills, despite having tools to do it for us. Similarly, advanced technical skills like data analysis are still a must for job ready graduates.
We may no longer need to memorize statistical formulas, but understanding AI output requires a thorough grasp of the data, what it can offer, and how to interpret it. We also need to be able to review output for accuracy and presence of hallucinations, or when AI produces erroneous results.
Only those with expertise can review such output and determine its appropriateness. Technical skills are still fundamental, but how and what students are taught will need to be adapted to accommodate and make the best use of the technology we have available. This may be reflected in less of a focus on process and more on interpretating findings.
Working With AI Requires A Suite Of Job Readiness Skills
While skills directly relating to working with AI are a must for those entering the workforce, other job readiness skills canât be ignored. For new starters who will emerge as tomorrowâs leaders, mastery of critical thinking, soft skills, and technical expertise are vital for career development and success.