Research Goal

1. AI Impact Assessment: A precise analysis of which specific roles and skills are most and least affected by AI within business and creative industries.
2. Resilient Career Paths: A shortlist of 3-5 promising and resilient career paths for new graduates.
3. Skill Development Roadmap: A concrete plan outlining the top 5 essential skills (a mix of hard and soft skills) to build for these resilient paths.
4. Personal Branding and Job Search Strategy: Actionable steps for positioning yourself in the job market, including how to tailor your resume, network effectively, and prepare for interviews in the AI era.
5. Growth Sector Monitoring Plan: A simple methodology to continuously track and identify emerging high-growth sectors and roles.

Recommended Frameworks: PESTLE, Personal SWOT, and Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)

• Frameworks Explained:
  • PESTLE Analysis: This is a tool for understanding the big-picture forces shaping the job market. It stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors. We'll use it to map the external landscape you're stepping into.
  • Personal SWOT Analysis: This framework helps you audit yourself in the context of the market. You will identify your internal Strengths and Weaknesses, and map them against the external Opportunities and Threats (derived from the PESTLE analysis).
  • Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD): This framework shifts your perspective. Instead of focusing on job titles, it focuses on the fundamental problems that employers "hire" people to solve. For example, a company doesn't just "hire" a market analyst; they "hire" someone to solve the problem of "understanding why a customer segment is not converting." AI can perform tasks, but it often can't solve these complex, context-rich "jobs."
• Why This Combination Works:
  • PESTLE will give you a map of the entire terrain. The initial Bloomberg research provides a fantastic starting point for the "Technological" and "Economic" factors.
  • SWOT will place you on that map, helping you understand your unique starting position.
  • JTBD provides the compass, showing you which direction to go by focusing on the underlying human needs that are most resilient to automation, such as strategy, empathy, and complex problem-solving.
• Key Information to Collect for Analysis:
  • Macro trends in AI adoption, economic outlooks, and social shifts in the workplace (for PESTLE).
  • Skills and roles that are growing in demand versus those that are declining (for SWOT Opportunities/Threats).
  • The core problems and strategic challenges that leaders are hiring junior talent to help solve (for JTBD).

Part 1: Information Collection Plan

A. Web Search Plan

• Search Topics:
  1. Macro Trends: "AI impact on entry-level jobs in business and finance 2025", "Future of Work reports from McKinsey, Deloitte, and World Economic Forum", "AI job market trends for new graduates".
     • Purpose: To collect data for the PESTLE analysis. This will help you understand the large-scale economic, technological, and social shifts. For example, reports from the World Economic Forum suggest that while many jobs will be displaced by 2025, even more new roles will emerge. This information is crucial for identifying the "Opportunities" and "Threats" in your SWOT analysis.
  2. Skill and Role Resilience: "skills resilient to AI automation", "AI-proof careers for graduates", "how AI is changing creative strategy roles".
     • Purpose: To identify specific, in-demand skills and job functions. This directly informs your personal SWOT analysis and helps build the "Skill Development Roadmap". Research highlights a demand for skills AI cannot replicate: critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and strategic problem-solving.
  3. Industry-Specific Impact: "AI in creative industries", "generative AI use in marketing and finance".
     • Purpose: To understand how AI is being used as a tool within your target industries. AI is often used to augment human capabilities, handling repetitive tasks so professionals can focus on higher-level strategy. This knowledge helps you understand how to position yourself as someone who can leverage AI, not be replaced by it.

B. User Interview Plan

• Interview Subjects:
  1. Hiring Managers and Senior Leaders in your target fields (e.g., marketing director, finance manager, creative director).
  2. Recent Graduates (2-4 years of experience) who are currently in roles you find interesting.
  3. University Career Advisors or Professional Career Coaches who specialize in your industry.
• Interview Purpose: To uncover the "Jobs-to-be-Done" (JTBD) and gather nuanced, real-world insights that web searches cannot provide.
• Core Interview Questions (for Hiring Managers):
  • Question 1: "Looking beyond specific tasks, what are the fundamental problems you hire new graduates to solve? Can you give an example of a recent project where a junior team member was critical?"
    • Analysis Purpose: This question is designed to uncover the JTBD. Their answer will reveal the core needs of the business, shifting the focus from "we need someone to run reports" to "we need to understand customer behavior to reduce churn."
  • Question 2: "When you evaluate two candidates with similar qualifications, what skills or qualities make one stand out as being better prepared for a future where AI is a common tool?"
    • Analysis Purpose: This helps you identify the unwritten rules of hiring and the subtle but critical skills (like adaptability, curiosity, ethical judgment) that signal long-term value. This will refine your "Skill Development Roadmap."
  • Question 3: "Can you describe how your team is using AI or automation today? Where does it succeed, and where does it fall short and require human intervention?"
    • Analysis Purpose: This provides a ground-level view of how AI is a tool, not just a threat. It helps you identify the specific gaps where human skills are most valuable, informing your "Personal Branding Strategy."
• Core Interview Questions (for Recent Graduates):
  • Question 1: "How has your role evolved with technology and AI since you started? What tasks have been automated, and what new responsibilities have you taken on?"
    • Analysis Purpose: This provides a realistic preview of a career path's evolution and helps validate the trends seen in macro reports.
  • Question 2: "What is one skill you wish you had developed more in college that would have better prepared you for your current job in the age of AI?"
    • Analysis Purpose: This feedback is invaluable for prioritizing your own skill development and avoiding common pitfalls.

Part 2: Information Analysis Plan

1. Construct the PESTLE and Personal SWOT Analysis

• How-to:
  1. PESTLE: Take the findings from your web search (e.g., new AI regulations, economic hiring freezes, rapid tech adoption) and organize them into the six PESTLE categories. This creates a snapshot of the external world.
  2. SWOT - Opportunities & Threats: Review your PESTLE analysis. The "Technological" section (e.g., "AI automating data analysis") and "Economic" section (e.g., "fewer entry-level postings") will be your primary sources for Threats. Positive trends (e.g., "new roles in AI ethics") will be your Opportunities.
  3. SWOT - Strengths & Weaknesses: Now, look inward. Honestly list your skills, experiences, and personality traits. Strengths might be "strong public speaker" or "proficient in Python." Weaknesses could be "dislike ambiguity" or "no project management experience."
• Goal: To have a clear, one-page document that maps the external market realities against your internal capabilities.

2. Define the "Jobs-to-be-Done" (JTBD)

• How-to:
  1. Review your interview notes from hiring managers. Look past job titles and focus on the problems they described.
  2. Cluster their answers into themes. For example, multiple managers might have mentioned problems like "We struggle to make our data understandable to non-technical stakeholders" or "We need to figure out how to connect with a new generation of customers."
  3. Rephrase these problems as "Jobs to be Done." The examples above become: "Help the organization tell clear stories with data" and "Translate the brand's value to a Gen-Z audience." These "jobs" are inherently strategic and creative.
• Goal: To create a list of 3-5 high-value "Jobs" that companies in your target industry need solved. These are the career spaces where you will be most resilient.

3. Map Your SWOT to the JTBD to Find Your Path

• How-to:
  1. Place your Personal SWOT analysis side-by-side with your list of JTBD.
  2. Draw lines connecting your Strengths to the JTBD you are equipped to solve. If you are a strong writer (Strength) and a key JTBD is "Help the organization tell clear stories with data," you have found a powerful match.
  3. Look for where Opportunities from the market align with your Strengths and the JTBD. This is your "sweet spot."
  4. Identify the Weaknesses that prevent you from tackling a JTBD you're passionate about. This gap directly informs the next step.
• Goal: To identify 3-5 resilient career paths that are a natural fit for your strengths and are in demand. For example, "Data Storyteller in a Marketing Department" or "Creative Strategist for Emerging Tech Brands."

4. Build Your Action Plans

• How-to:
  1. Skill Development Roadmap: For each weakness or skill gap identified in the previous step, define a concrete action. Don't just write "get better at data." Write "Complete the Google Data Analytics Certificate within 3 months and create a portfolio project visualizing public data." Focus on skills repeatedly mentioned in your research, like analytical thinking, leadership, and technological literacy.
  2. Personal Branding and Job Search Strategy: Re-write your resume and LinkedIn profile to reflect the JTBD. Instead of saying you "have experience in market research," say you can "solve the problem of identifying untapped customer segments by synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data." This problem-oriented language is far more compelling. Tailor your networking to individuals whose roles involve the "Jobs" you want to do.
• Goal: To translate your strategic insights into a concrete, week-by-week plan for skill acquisition and a tactical plan for how you present yourself to the world. This is the final, actionable output that will guide your job search.