CSOM – Would You Rather Hire a Robot or Recent College Grad?

Seems like a ridiculous question, but a recent survey by Workplace Intelligence found that 37% of hiring managers said they would rather have a robot or artificial intelligence fill a position than hire a new grad.

Sentiment like that doesn’t bode well for those college kids about ready to walk across the stage and receive their diploma.

But considering the 2025 State of the Graduate Report by career site Monster.com found that a large percentage of new graduates think working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is a thing of the past as is working five days a week and working fulltime, you can understand why the hiring managers are passing over these resumes.

There is no doubt that the workplace has changed. Graduates today spent a considerable amount of their education online, taking classes and doing homework on their time and not necessarily by a schedule that the university enforces.  It is no wonder that they are expecting a similar environment for their first job.

Look, five years ago I would never have believed that we would be a hybrid office (we didn’t even have those words yet), with an office at a co-working location and having team members work remotely from locations other than our own address.  And now, at least for us, that’s the norm.

When we hosted PRSSA students from NAU a couple weeks ago at our office, their questions focused on work-life balance and corporate culture.  Sure, they asked what a typical day is like, but not so much to know what we did for our clients.

I think there is a happy medium between the “old” office culture and the “new” office culture. Both sides of the equation – employer and employee – have to navigate what’s important to them.

The topic isn’t going away any time soon, so for now, please listen in to this week’s podcast for more.

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