The Rise of the AI Generalist: How to Adapt Your Entry-Level Hiring Strategy to Hire Difference-Makers
Aug 26, 2025
If you lead early-career hiring, you’re probably bracing for tougher conversations with your CFO. In most industries, hiring targets are getting smaller, budgets are tightening, and the instinct might be to scale back entry-level hiring. After all, if AI is automating more of the “starter” work, do you still need as many junior hires?
Ushering in a New Era at RippleMatch: Building the Future of Hiring
Aug 18, 2025
Three years ago, I chose to join RippleMatch because I felt an immediate connection to its mission of expanding access to opportunity. I saw a product and a team with the potential to fundamentally change how hiring works in today’s world, making it fairer, faster, smarter, and more human. My own journey began in another country at a school few people here had ever heard of, so joining the leadership team of a New York-based tech startup felt like a major milestone in my career. I had worked hard to get to that point, but I also had quite a bit of luck along the way. I was fortunate enough to cross paths with some amazing people who helped me push my career and life forward in ways I never thought were possible. To me, RippleMatch has always felt like a way to pass some of that luck forward and help others access the kind of opportunity that changed my own life.
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How Students Feel About Internship Programs and Entry-Level Roles Taking Place Remotely
Most college students have spent the last few months of the semester finishing their classes online. Now, many of them will be launching their careers from behind a computer screen, too. According to the Navigating Entry-level Jobs & Internships During COVID-19 report released by RippleMatch last month, 46% of students said that their entry-level job or internship would be starting remotely. For most students, the switch to a remote work environment has not had a significant impact on their excitement about a new job.
What Companies Did Right and Wrong When Canceling Summer Internship Programs, According to Would-Be Interns
COVID-19 has dramatically shifted college students’ summer plans, especially those who were planning to embark on internship programs. In early April, RippleMatch conducted a survey of 2,210 college students to learn the status of internship programs and entry-level positions that were slated to begin at the end of the academic year. Of the respondents who had secured an internship, 12% reported that their program had been canceled. However, most of these students had a nuanced take on the situation, especially how the change in plans affected their opinions of their would-be employers.
How Companies’ Handling of Their Commitments To Entry-Level Employees and Interns in Wake of COVID-19 is Influencing Student Brand Perception
College students who, a few months ago, had secured a job or summer internship are now faced with a vastly changed world. The advent of COVID-19 means that students are beginning their careers with delayed start dates, remote work, or the disappointment of having their programs canceled. RippleMatch recently surveyed 2,210 college students to learn not only how their professional plans have changed, but also to understand the impact of how Gen Z now perceives their future or would-be employers based on the decisions companies made regarding commitments to jobs and summer internships.
What’s Happening to Internship Programs and Full-Time Roles in Wake of COVID-19
Mid-May typically marks the start of a new influx of entry-level employees and interns into the workforce. But in the wake of COVID-19, students’ professional plans have been subject to delayed starts, a transition to remote work, or cancellation altogether. In early April, RippleMatch conducted a survey of 2,210 college students across 367 universities to determine the status of internship programs and full-time roles for today’s college graduates, as well as how these statuses vary by industry.
7 Tips For Managing First-Time Remote Employees
In the wake of the novel coronavirus epidemic, companies have largely shifted their workforce to working out of office. Veteran remote employees need little training and monitoring; they're used to working remote. On the other hand, many employees are working from home for the first time, including entry-level employees and interns.
Most Students Are Applying for Roles Outside of Their Preferred Job Type and Industry To Find a Job During COVID-19
During graduation season last year, it was a job seeker’s market. In fact, RippleMatch data found that nearly two-thirds of the Class of 2019 received multiple job offers. But the situation for the Class of 2020 looks very different. Due to COVID-19, the job market has turned and graduating seniors are having a more difficult time finding employment.
What College Students Are Prioritizing When Searching For a Job During COVID-19
Over the past few years, RippleMatch research has consistently found that Gen Z college students prioritize professional development significantly more than other factors when choosing a job. However, the advent of COVID-19 has complicated the job search process for both candidates and employers. To learn if candidate priorities have changed over the past few months, RippleMatch surveyed 2,210 college students for the Navigating Entry-level Jobs & Internships During COVID-19 report. Despite the recent upheaval in the job market, candidate priorities have not changed as much as might be expected.
College Students Are Continuing On With Their Professional Plans Despite COVID-19
COVID-19 has upended the job search process, especially for those who are newest to the workforce: college students and recent graduates. In April, RippleMatch released a survey of 2,210 college students to learn how COVID-19 has affected their search for full-time jobs and summer internships. It turns out that even in the middle of a pandemic and record levels of unemployment, most college students are not deterred from pursuing their professional plans.
The Biggest Challenges For Students Searching for a Job During COVID-19
It’s a stressful time to be a college student. Halfway through the spring semester, most colleges transitioned to remote instruction and canceled major events such as graduation ceremonies. College seniors also have the added stress of finding their first full-time job in the middle of a global pandemic. Last month, RippleMatch conducted a survey of 2,210 college students across 367 universities to learn more about the biggest challenges that college students are facing in their job search during COVID-19. For most students, the biggest job search challenges are not knowing which companies are hiring and not hearing back from employers after submitting an application.
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