Chicago-based career expert shares advice on finding a job after college graduation

It's that time of year when many college seniors graduate and head out into the real world looking for jobs.

But are there jobs to be found right now?

Chicago-based career expert John Challenger offers advice based on a new report on the job outlook for grads and breaks down what lies ahead for those who will be walking across the stage in a few weeks.

"There's evidence that the hiring outlook is rebounding," he said. "The Class of 2026 is projected to see a 5.6% increase in employment, with 33% of employers increasing hires, according to a study by NACE, the National Association of College and Employers."

Despite the job market being a hit or miss in the last couple of months, Challenger said that large employers and sectors like information, engineering services, and construction, along with other professional services, are the best places to look for jobs.

Challenger also touched on how artificial intelligence is playing a role in the current job market.

"AI is an interesting question. In their report, they reported AI is raising the bar for entry-level talent. So routine tasks, coding, you know, might very well might begin to see some changes, but AI fluency, data literacy, critical thinking, and more, probably more important than anything else, just strong human skills … the ability to communicate, to adapt to an environment are some of the most important soft skills that employers are looking for," he said.

Challenger said the same report mentions that internship employment is up by 4%. He said that those internships students may have had in their sophomore or junior year are important for getting into companies upon graduation.