BOSTON - BostonChron -- Lynn Bentley, President of Knobull announced, "We have advised roughly 20,000 undergraduate, graduate and PhD students on various career paths, how to develop job skills and land a job after graduation. We have helped thousands of students find work, all while watching the job landscape perpetually evolve."

Have plan A, plan B and plan C

Knobull's career center is pushing students to proceed with caution as they go after their careers.

"Any savvy job seeker is going to have backup plans to backup plans," says Bentley.

Pandemic-era trends like the "Great Resignation" coupled with a boom in jobs was continuing but openings in March hit a two year low.

That means job seekers may not enjoy the same odds as they did two years ago. To up their chances of landing the best possible position even as the market tightens, JobStars career coaches, found on the Knobull homepage, recommend casting "a wide net".

Leverage technology, even AI

Even as daily headlines detail the various ways that artificial intelligence might replace your job, that if used correctly, technology can save a job hunter time and energy.

More on Boston Chron

• We Decode Launches New Affiliate Program to Help Communities Improve Their Health
• Bahamas to Host the 2023 Caribbean Masters' Track and Field Championship Labor Day Weekend
• ImmunoGen Presents Updated Findings from CADENZA Trial of Pivekimab Sunirine in Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm at EHA 2023 Congress
• Research Urges Standardization of FDA's Human Factors Engineering Practices Within the Medical Device Industry
• City of Boston Opens Applications for Nightlife Initiative for a Thriving Economy Committee

Generative AI tools can also help the job hunter get their application materials together more quickly. more students use platforms like ChatGPT to write a first draft of a cover letter.

It will help kickstart the application process by giving you a baseline to perhaps bring to a JobStars advisor or another set of eyes.

That first draft of a resume or a cover letter is is usually not as important as the final fine tuning of it. With JobStars interview practice tools: they provide practice interview questions.

Prioritize skills and networks over GPAs and majors

Test scores, grade point averages and the field of your degree don't hold the weight that they used to, according to the edX.

It's really more about the skills and the strengths that you have, rather than the schools you attended. And your competencies or capabilities are more important than the curricula you pursue.

The value of a college degree is strong — statistically, there is a positive correlation between earning power and degree. Plus, college alumni networks often offer a major competitive advantage when your application is in a pile of thousands of others.

Why go back and get a master's degree when you could get certification or specialized training and still be able to move forward in your career with edX courses.

Bentley concluded, "Having skills and knowing people is half the battle though. It's equally important to be able to effectively communicate those skills, to tell a story about your professional self."