52% underemployed. What now?

Reader,

We have a pretty urgent situation on hand here.

If you haven’t been paying attention to the news lately, you may have missed the latest data on GenAI’s influence on entry-level roles. And I’m not talking about some theoretical “future of work” debate.

I’m talking about the fact that entry-level jobs are evaporating already.

Not in one year.

Not in six months.

Yesterday.

And I want to talk about this with you.

It may feel like a swift kick in the pants.

It reminds me of spring 2020, when COVID-19 hit and our students lost internships and job offers overnight. We had to pivot fast—and we did.

Well, it’s time to do that again.

I’m not going to pretend I don’t know you’re already under a mountain of pressure this year—staffing shortages, job insecurity, budget cuts, institutional chaos, ALL. THE. THINGS. But this email is going to push you a bit.

Only because I love you. And I want you—and your students—to win. 💜

Here’s the thing: you need to get real creative, real fast.

I’m going to give you some ideas. For those of you dying for direction, you’ll love this. For those who’ve already set your direction, it might feel disruptive.

But here’s the deal: if we don’t pivot now, we will be complicit in abandoning the mission of our field.

Yes, I said it.

I know that’s hard to hear. But if you’re still reading, I’m betting you feel it too.

And the good news? You don’t have to sit in this mess without a map. I’ve got you.

Let’s dig in.

The new paradox:
A strong economy that doesn’t need college grads.

The latest report from the Burning Glass Institute says it out loud:

GenAI is doing the work of junior employees
Companies want experience, not entry-level learning curves
A glut of college grads is intensifying competition for fewer jobs

The data?

52% of 2023 grads were underemployed across a "gamut of majors"
Job postings for roles requiring <3 years of experience are down
The employment gap between degree and non-degree holders is the narrowest in 30 years

Maybe read those bulleted data points again—because this tells me what we’ve been doing historically in career services is not working anymore.

And here’s the kicker: Revelio Labs found that entry-level roles with high AI exposure have declined by over 40%. Not because the roles themselves are disappearing—but because employers are giving AI tools to experienced staff, and skipping the junior hires altogether.

🎯 It’s not just a hiring bias. It’s a structural shift.

And for our students, it means the very roles they were told to pursue are now moving out of reach.👇

"Today’s graduates suffer the worst of both worlds: caught in a sudden shock while still expecting traditional outcomes. Those who follow will at least know the rules have changed—though the new reality of fierce competition and limited opportunities may be no less harsh."

- Levanon, Gad, et. al., "No Country for Young Grads." Burning Glass Institute, July 2025.

Let me ask you: are you caught in this shock, too?

What to do (no fluff, no fluffing)

These aren’t minor tweaks. These are strategic moves for the new reality:

1. Segment your student strategy

Different career paths are impacted in different ways.

For students targeting roles like marketing, project management, or human resources—where expertise used to be built through on-the-job experience—we now need to simulate those learning curves before graduation.

Career services can’t do this alone. This is where collaboration with faculty becomes essential.

Together, we can:

Help students build workplace-aligned skills inside the classroom
Not just content mastery—but collaboration, communication, ambiguity navigation, and tool fluency (including GenAI). Career services can map competencies to industry expectations and work with faculty to embed these into course design.
Help students practice those skills in employer-like environments
Presenting to stakeholders. Making decisions with incomplete data. Navigating conflicting expectations. Invite alumni or employers to serve as “clients” in live case experiences, or simulate those conditions in capstones and group projects.
Help students articulate and translate their value
Even when students are gaining real experience, they often don’t know how to describe it. Career services can co-design reflection prompts, portfolio assignments, and résumé content that connect academic work to employer needs.

These aren’t just classroom activities. Done well, they become the replacement for what’s missing in the market.

For students pursuing technical or analytical roles—like data analytics, UX research, or communications strategy—we need to help them build targeted, demonstrable skills quickly, and show employers they’re ready, even before internships or job titles.

2. Prototype AI-proof readiness sprints

GenAI can write the memo. But it can’t manage the project, resolve conflict, or lead a team. Those are your students’ differentiators now.

Try this: Run short, high-impact bootcamps focused on judgment, ambiguity, and collaboration. Use real-world scenarios. Think: “Your client ghosted you after launch—now what?”

3. Build career ladders outside of employers

Employers aren’t going to rebuild the early-career runway. You can.

Try this: Create student consulting teams, internal case labs, or project-based fellowships. Use tools to track skill growth and give students tangible outputs they can use in applications.

4. Use GenAI to teach GenAI

Here’s where Revelio’s data hits hard: Employers are leveraging GenAI at the senior level—but not at the entry level. Why? Because they don’t trust early talent to use it well.

That’s not just a gap. That’s a playbook waiting to be written.

Try this: Integrate GenAI into assignments that replicate actual tasks—like generating marketing copy, writing a memo, or summarizing research. Then have students explain their process.

You’re building not just fluency—but credibility.

5. Help students pivot based on skills, not majors

They don’t need a job in their major. They need a job that values their capabilities.

Try this: Use tools that help students identify roles aligned with their skills to help students identify new possibilities. Especially for those in oversaturated or disrupted fields, this can be a lifeline—not a detour.

6. Co-create readiness with employers

Don’t just ask employers what they need—invite them to help build it.

Try this: Launch pre-hire experiences, co-branded case studies, or recruiting simulations. These show students what success looks like and show employers who’s ready.

Final thought

I know it’s overwhelming. But this is one of those inflection points where we either rise—or retrench.

Career services leaders don’t just help students get jobs. You design access to opportunity.

And right now, the gates are closing.

You have the insight, the creativity, and the heart to rebuild what’s broken. And when you do, you’ll not only help students rise—you’ll remind your entire institution what student success really means.

So here’s your challenge for this week:
→ Pick one broken rung—and build something new.

You’ve done it before. Now do it again.

And next week, we will take this conversation further.

Part 2 will focus on institutional strategy—how you use this moment to shift your role, shape leadership conversations, and finally claim the seat at the table you’ve always deserved.

Let’s go.

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Give yourself permission to take care of yourself and read this book. Come to think of it, might you consider this for an all-staff read, too?

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