本文來自《金融時報》的「AI Shift」專欄，訪問了牛津大學職涯發展中心主任乔纳森·布萊克，探討人工智慧如何影響大學畢業生進入職場的過程。布萊克指出，即使在牛津大學，獲得畢業生級別工作的學生比例也出現了顯著下降，尤其是本科生和人文學科的學生受影響最大。牛津系統上刊登的職缺從兩年前的七千個降至今年的四千到五千個，為2009年金融危機以來的最低水平。
在招聘流程方面，越來越多雇主使用人工智慧進行初步篩選，導致求職者感到沮喪。有些學生投遞了多達一百五十份申請卻毫無進展，申請品質也因此大打折扣。布萊克主張應重新重視面對面交流，鼓勵雇主參加實體招聘會，因為短短五到十分鐘的當面接觸就能留下良好印象，讓求職者的申請獲得更多關注。（關鍵數字：150）
關於學生應該學什麼以及是否應該創業，布萊克建議學生選擇自己熱愛的學科，但若在兩個方向間猶豫，可傾向選擇理科。他強調課外可轉移技能的重要性，例如守時、與人合作等實際能力。至於創業，他指出牛津2024屆本科畢業生中不到百分之一選擇創業，多數學生更渴望工作經驗、在職培訓和薪資收入，但他仍鼓勵學生培養創新和企業家精神。
This article from the Financial Times' "AI Shift" newsletter features an interview with Jonathan Black, head of careers at the University of Oxford, on how AI is reshaping the graduate job market. Black reports a dramatic decline in the proportion of students securing graduate-level employment, with job vacancies on Oxford's system dropping from around 7,000 two years ago to an estimated 4,000–5,000 this year — the lowest since the 2009 banking crisis. The downturn is most pronounced among undergraduates and humanities students.
AI is increasingly used by employers for initial screening of candidates, which students find demoralising as they invest significant effort only to receive instant automated rejections. Some students have responded by using AI themselves to mass-apply for positions, with one student reporting 150 applications for a single internship. Black advocates for a return to in-person careers fairs and face-to-face interaction, arguing that even brief personal meetings can meaningfully improve a candidate's chances by putting a human advocate behind their application.
On the question of what students should study and whether they should pursue entrepreneurship, Black advises students to study what they love while developing transferable employability skills outside the curriculum — such as punctuality, teamwork, and working with the public. He notes that fewer than one per cent of Oxford's 2024 undergraduate leavers launched a start-up, as most graduates prioritise gaining experience, on-the-job training, and earning an income. He also announced that Oxford's Career Service is rebranding to simply "Careers" to signal a shift from transactional CV reviews toward long-term capability development over a 45-year career.