New Grads, New Jobs, AI and Career Advice for the Class of 2025

Landing that first job and entering the working world is an exciting and nerve-wracking time for new graduates. The recent past has presented a job market that could generously be described as challenging, from opportunities and offers to salaries and security—so much so that more than half of seniors are feeling pessimistic as they begin their careers, according to Inside Hire Ed, citing those very reasons. And yes, the New York Fed reports that nearly 6% of recent graduates (people ages 22 to 27 who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher) are unemployed, compared with 2.7% of all college graduates.

Still, new grads seem revved and ready to roll, and they are applying to more jobs than their predecessors as well—according to Handshake, the current graduating class is averaging 21% more applications than the Class of 2024.

With some “Pomp and Circumstance” echoing in the background, this edition of ECLARO’s Five on Friday focuses on the Class of 2025—their challenges, their hopes and some advice that we hope they can use now more than ever…

More Hiring, More Money: The Class of 2025 may already be outpacing the Class of 2024 when it comes to number of people that employers are planning to hire—a bump of 7.3% for this year’s class, according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 survey. Starting salaries are also up 3.8% year on year, reports Gusto.

More Time Off, More Flexibility: What are these new grads looking for in their job search, you ask? The ability to work from home is an important benefit to 44%, and 43% are looking for hybrid work (meaning two to three days on-site weekly), while More than half want more than two weeks of paid time off in their first year, NACE reports. As to where they’re working, that matters to even more—73%, in fact, say that desired location of their job is a top priority.

More Effort, More Preparation: According to Intelligent.com, one third of hiring managers believe that recent graduates lack a strong work ethic, and 25% say that recent grads are not prepared for interviews.

“This is an opportunity for you to stand out as a job candidate by highlighting examples of where you’ve made a difference with your work ethic, and to showcase your dedication to projects you’ve worked on,” says ECLARO Co-Founder Tom Sheridan. “As for interviews, do your homework, learn as much as you can about the company and the role by doing research and speaking to your recruiter, and show up more prepared than other candidates.”

More AI, More AI, More AI: Handshake’s State of the Graduate Class of 2025 survey shows that nearly every senior—98% of them—is familiar with generative AI tools like ChatGPT, an increase from 61% two years ago. Among those seniors, 62% “are somewhat or very concerned about the impact of generative AI,” a number that was only 44% for the Class of 2023.

“AI in all its forms is going to have an impact on jobs in all industries and at every level, and that’s an exciting prospect,” says ECLARO Co-Founder Paul Sheridan. “As with countless other technological advances in the past, AI will provide new opportunities, create new jobs and give an advantage to those who embrace it and learn how to make it work for them.”

More Advice for Recent Grads: Yes, all you new graduates out there are no doubt receiving advice—welcome and otherwise—from anyone and everyone. Naturally, we don’t want to be left out! Tom and Paul Sheridan shared some life lessons with all in attendance at the ECLARO Academy 2025 graduation in Manila this past week, and we’re happy to share an abridged version here with you:

Stay curious, keep learning.

Be on time. And by on time, we mean early.

Make an effort—and always do a little extra.

Show kindness.

Smile.

Work hard, give back, have fun.

Remember, learning is not a destination. It is a never-ending journey.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 and graduates everywhere. And anywhere you go, remember…the Right People are the Answer.