By Riley Blankenship

With the steady rise of AI usage across college campuses, there is one question that many graduating seniors are grappling with: How will AI impact me post-grad and in the job market? Whether strongly for or against, it is undeniable that the use of artificial intelligence systems is becoming a new normal for campus life. From drafting a resume to the automated HR screening that denies an applicant due to a particular keyword missing in the resume, the class of 2026 is entering a professional landscape that is shifting constantly. For graduating seniors at Greensboro College and other colleges nationwide, the rapid change is met with anxiety and adapting from a classroom setting to a competitive workforce.

Before the unprecedented arrival of AI, the process of being hired for a job was a headache but one that was manage able. In 2026, the process takes a brand new image, applying for a job position is relatively straightforward as before minus the now numerous fake job ads. What is not new is the hiring aspect; many com panies are now using applicant tracking systems (ATS) which use AI to scan over applicants’ resumes and cover letters. This presents a new barrier that college students are facing.

A study by recruiting firm Ashby reports that companies are now reviewing over 291 applications per applicant, far more than the 100 seen in 2021. In order to adapt to the new job market, students are now running their resumes through AI ‘LLM’s’ (Large Language Models) such as ChatGPT and Gemini. However, recruiters are catching on fast, running the resumes through AI detection systems. Students often miss one critical aspect, with using AI to draft their resume, recruiters can now tell if an applicant used AI due to AI showing up in invisible code only the AI detection software can see, showing up as highlighted text.

The sheer number of applications and the use of applicant tracking systems are now leaving students feeling ghosted as their application is in a digital void. There is a silver lining, however; with the hiring software looking for certain key terms for the applicant to be accepted, translating the skills of analytical writing and critical thinking in keywords that bypasses the rejection from the software will help students get their foot in the door.

The Collegian had the opportunity to speak with English professor Dr. Kathleen Keating, from the English, Communications and Media Studies department to see how graduating seniors are feeling about entering the new job market and competing with AI. Keating noted that graduating seniors in her department were aware of the technological shift.

“Our seniors looking to move into software jobs, such as gaming majors, know that the nature of their work is changing with AI. Interactive media, communication and gaming all will be impacted by AI,” Keating said.

To confront these worries, Greensboro College classes are adapting.

“In ECM, we are directly engaging our seniors by integrating AI,” Keating added. “For example, in GAM 3600, students will be using AI to help them debug a game that they will create.”

When asked what the general attitude was directed at the next generation of workers at a recent AI conference, Keating mentioned the A14 2026 conference in Las Vegas this past summer. She indicated that hiring managers and companies were seeking workers who can “orchestrate agentic AI” while also critically examining AI results, with a large emphasis on “observability.”

According to Professor Keating. this exact shift will put liberal arts students at a better advantage.

“Across industries, business leaders expressed that it is more critical than ever for new graduates to have soft skills such as clear communication, interpersonal awareness and discernment,” according to Keating. “This is great news for us since liberal arts colleges have excelled in producing well-rounded graduates able to adapt and be a part of a team.”

But what about the students delegating drafting their resumes to AI and struggling to transition to the professional setting? Keating acknowledges this concern of falling into “brain rot” to automated responses but also highlighted that we as humans must lead the technology rather than the technology leadings us.

“I tell my students that they are the ones in charge of AI. They can ask AI to avoid sycophancy, push back on ideas that are unsupported and use a neutral rather than a ‘warm’ tone,” Keating said. “Being an active partner with AI means setting clear terms and expectations for AI-human interactions.”

Professor Keating’s insight does give us coping mechanisms for entering the job market. However, from my own viewpoint as a graduating senior, the widespread use of AI is very unsettling. Automated hiring systems and ATS systems have now transformed ethical reasoning and critical debate into keywords. When big companies adapt their software over to AI, there is no longer original thought, thus taking away student’s voices and making entry level work now entry level code.

Going beyond the hiring process, AI is threatening our cognitive abilities. The class of 2026 has been reliant on AI systems ever since ChatGPT was released to the public in November 2022. For
four years, students have been offloading their mind by inputting homework assignments, asking for advice, etc., all while losing critical thinking skills. As we seniors are about to enter the professional world, one looming question remains: Do we know how to function without AI?
With every prompt written to AI LLM’s, we are essentially playing with fire, risking the entire core meaning of our liberal arts education and what it is meant to give us.