AI is coming for your job, here’s the one move you need to make to stay employable and relevant in the job market

As artificial intelligence continues to upend the workforce and shrink entry-level opportunities, Coursera CEO Greg Hart says today’s graduates must rethink how they prepare for the job market, starting with the skills they bring to the table.

Hart, who previously served as a technical advisor to Jeff Bezos at Amazon and took over as president and CEO of Coursera in February 2025, told CNBC Make It that students need to go beyond traditional degrees to stay viable in a rapidly changing employment landscape.

“The advice that I give to my sons... is one of the best things that you can do is to augment your university degree with micro credentials specifically,” he said according to CNBC website.

Micro credentials become essential as AI replaces roles

Micro credentials, short, targeted courses that certify specific skills, are gaining traction as companies deploy AI to handle more tasks traditionally assigned to junior employees. Hart said these add-ons are becoming critical as firms increasingly cite AI when laying off workers.

Amazon cut 14,000 jobs this year as it doubled down on AI development. Salesforce eliminated 4,000 customer support roles, saying AI can handle roughly 40 percent of tasks performed at the company.

The trend is clear in employer outlooks as well. A CIPD survey of 2,019 senior HR leaders found that 62 percent of UK employers expect junior, clerical, managerial, and administrative roles to be the first to disappear due to AI. Competition for what remains has intensified; the UK’s Institute for Student Employers reported 1.2 million applicants competing for just 17,000 graduate positions.

“They [micro credentials] demonstrate to employers that not only did you get whatever university degree you’re studying, but you augmented that with something that is generally much more workforce focused,” Coursera’s Hart added.

This aligns with a broader shift in worker behavior. LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise report found that AI literacy has become the most frequently added skill on users’ profiles.

While credentials matter, Hart stressed that personality still drives hiring decisions for young candidates.

“Say you’re a young person in university right now, you are generally going to get hired into your first job based primarily on the traits they see in you,” Hart explained. With minimal real-world experience, graduates are evaluated more on mindset and potential than on past accomplishments.

Employers, he said, are looking for candidates who are “proactive and hard working and take initiative, who prove to be ready learners.” Pursuing micro credentials demonstrates exactly those qualities.

Experts agree. Those laid off due to AI should prioritize short, targeted training, particularly increasing AI literacy, rather than returning to school for another costly, time-consuming degree, experts previously told CNBC Make It. Demonstrating commitment to ongoing learning, they said, shows employers that the same dedication will carry into the job.