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As AI evolves, the world of work is getting even better for the most creative, curious, and growth-minded employees. So says Aneesh Raman, LinkedIns chief economic opportunity officer. Raman has intriguing and urgent insights on why the career ladder is disappearingand how AI will help transform it into more of a climbing wall, with a unique path for each of us. Learn which parts of the workforce Raman sees as most affected by AI, and why he remains radically pro-human as the very nature of work dramatically shifts. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by Bob Safian, the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with todays top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times with a headline about the bottom rung of the career ladder breaking, and it went viral. Did that surprise you? I’ve been in the arena for moments of big change beforewhen I was with CNN, when I was with President Obamaso I have a sense of what it’s like when cultural conversations start to take hold. With this one, I didn’t know what exactly was going to happen. I did an op-ed in The New York Times last year, and that oneit percolated here or there, but it wasn’t like this one. Aneesh Raman [Photo: Courtesy of the subject] And so this one really hit, I think, an underlying tension that we’re all feeling that something big is underway. That it isn’t playing out cleanly, quickly, everywhere all at once. It’s not like the pandemic, where we all just know what’s happening and then our life changes overnight, but that it is coming to us eventually. And evidently, entry-level work is the place where we’re all able to focus first, as a place where something real and big is happening. And that’s what I’ve been encouraged by. Because a lot of what I wrote this op-ed for was to provoke the conversations about AI and work, which is: “What do we do about this, and how do we get to better?” And there’s speculation about where AI hits the workforce hardest. The CEO of Anthropic has pointed to white-collar jobs. You’re talking about entry-level tasks. Are those two different scenarios based on different assumptions, or is it two parts of the same thing? The thing I can say with certainty is that this will affect every worker, in every company, in every sector, in every society. When it impacts every worker in every company, I don’t know. It’ll depend on where you work, what you do, but it’s going to hit everyone. And it’s going to hit everyone in a way that can lead to better for everyone, which I know we’ll talk about. What I don’t think anyone can do right now is in any absolute way predict net employment. We don’t know so much of what’s about to hit, and so much of where it goes depends on what we do as humans right now to shape this new economy as it forms. So we know historically, jobs have been disrupted, and new jobs have been created, every time we’ve gone into a new economy. It’s unclear to me whether we’ll see more jobs changing than new jobs emerging, and it’s going to take a bit for us to figure that out. But what we know is happening right now is that everyone’s job is changing on them, even if they are not changing jobs. And that’s where we should be focused. And the data about roles that you see on LinkedIn’s platform, the overall jobs numbers that come from the government, are fairly solid. How fast is this change happening? Are companies already hiring fewer, newer grads, or do we not quite know yet? Everything’s happening and everything’s not happening, because there’s no, again, universal way. It’s not an either/or situation. So I think a lot of what we’ve got to push beyond is this: Are entry-level jobs going away? Are they going to stay? It’s neither. It’s both. It’s yes. So when I think about entering a new economy and I look back across economic anthropology and economic history, there are generally four phases. The first phase is disruption. This new technology becomes real. And this is, I think, a technology equivalent to general-purpose technologies like the steam engine, like electricity, like the internet. We’re in that zone. So we already know that’s happening. Any number of metrics of people using AI at work, we’ve got data. Nearly 90% of C-suite leaders globally say, “AI adoption is a top priority for 2025.” So this technology is here, and it’s in the day-to-day. Now, the second thing that happens when you enter a new economy is that jobs change. And a lot of what I looked at early on with AI is: “Is AI going to be more like electricity or like the internet?” And the reason I ask that is that electricity changed everything for everyone, but it actually didn’t change much for humans at work. We still largely did physical labor. We just did it in the factory rather than the farm. The internet came, and it fundamentally started to change work for humans. Suddenly, it wasn’t just physical labor but intellectual labor that became valued by our economy. So the first thing I was looking at is, “Okay, disruption’s here. Jobs are going to change. How are they going to change?” A new economy’s on the way that I’m calling the innovation economy. Because our core skills as humans, the things that differentiate our speciesthe ability to imagine, to invent, to communicate complex ideas, to organize around complex ideasthose are going to come to the center of work. And that’s a whole new set of skills that our economy has never fully valued. In fact, we’ve derided those skills often as soft skills or people skills that ar nice to have, not must-haves. So we’re already starting to see in our data that communication is, like, the number one skill across job postings, not coding. All the jobs on the rise, aside from just general AI fluency or deep AI knowledgeif you’re going for that small set of jobs explicitly about building AIare all things like critical thinking, strategic thinking, closing that deal as a salesperson, persuasion, storytelling. So we’re already seeing that jobs are going to shift; they’re going to shift more to unique human capability. And then the fourth phase will come where we’ll see a new economy emerge. And part of what I’m waiting for, and I don’t think we have these signals yet, is new job titles. Mine got made up eight to nine months ago. Moderna’s got a new chief digital and people officer that they’ve created. New roles will emerge that aren’t just AI, because we’re seeing head of AI jobs have gone up, I think, three times in five years. But also new business starts, like a whole new era of innovation that’s going to happen through these tools. So there are some signals I’m waiting for. A different organizational workflow, like org charts become work charts. You have project-based work. There are a bunch of signals we’ll start to see over the next year or two that start to suggest where and how the new economy is taking hold. You looked historically at electricity and the internet, and it sounds like you’re saying it’s more like the internet. But it’s also going to be something completely different that we don’t even really know yet what it is. Well, we know that whatever the role of humans at work is, it’s going to be more human than work has ever been. And what’s really important about that is . . . I always start with, “Well, let’s evaluate the status quo we’ve got before we A, get afraid of changing it, or B, want to imagine what it should become.” Work has never been human-centric, ever. The story of work is the story of technology at work, not humans at work.
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E-Commerce
For our 2025 Where the Design Jobs Are report, Fast Company looked at which design tools were being mentioned in job listings across various disciplines, and how that has changed over time. With graphic design, there were a couple of particularly interesting findings. Asks for Blender expertise grew 82% year over year (read about that trend here), while requests for proficiency with Canva went up 72%. When we put Canva on our cover in 2022, some people in the design world viewed it as borderline heresy. The easy-to-use app had become extremely popular because it promised that anyone could be a designera notion that naturally upset some trained designers. But Canva’s templated approach to designing everything from social media posts to T-shirts took off with the masses, and it spilled over to professionals. The working thesis is that Canva, having won over marketing teams first, is now becoming a prerequisite for designers working alongside them. (This makes some sense, especially as the design department has started reporting to marketing in many companies.) The good news is that designers weve spoken to more recently have come to appreciate Canvas updated brand management tools, which essentially allow a designer to codify standards behind logos, typefaces, and colors for others to use. That means that when a marketer creates a slide deck or new social media ad, the standards stay in sync, with less oversight. Canva also requires a fraction of the learning curve of any Adobe product: Many of its tools can be picked up instantly. Interestingly enough, about twice as many graphic design job listings we tracked (9.5%) ask for Figma (the defacto rapid prototyping tool headed to IPO this year) than Canva. But 13 million people use Figma monthly, whereas 240 million people use Canva (including 95% of all Fortune 500 companies). This gap in mindshare demonstrates that Canva, despite its wild install base, simply isnt seen as essential within design as peers like the stalwart Adobe Creative Suite and InDesign, both of which appear in around 40% of graphic design job listings. But Canva has hardly given up on winning over the capital D design market. Last year the company acquired Affinity, which makes software to challenge Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and its currently working to integrate this technology into Canva. All of this is to say that a lot is shifting right now, and designers simply need to be more flexible about the tools they use than they were a decade ago. Toss a dollop of AI into the mix, and theres never been a more exciting (or chaotic?) time for graphic design platforms. This article is part of Fast Companys continuing coverage of where the design jobs are, including this years comprehensive analysis of more than 170,000 job listings.
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E-Commerce
After nearly four decades on Wall Street and over 15 years mentoring students and young adults, I’ve witnessed countless young professionals struggle with their job searchesnot because they lack talent, but because they’re trapped in counterproductive habits that sabotage their success before they even begin. The job market has never been more competitive. With AI tools and vast information resources now available to every applicant, the baseline for what constitutes a “good” application has skyrocketed. Today’s job seekers have access to sophisticated résumé optimization tools, interview prep platforms, and industry insights that previous generations could never have imagined. And that means that simply having a polished resume or knowing basic company facts no longer differentiates you from the competition. A saturated job market The COVID-19 pandemic intensified this competition exponentially. Economic disruptions created a massive pool of highly competent applicantsseasoned professionals who were laid off, recent graduates whose traditional entry points disappeared, and career changers seeking more stable industriesall competing for fewer available positions. What we’re witnessing is an unprecedented bottleneck, where exceptional candidates are struggling to get through recruiting filters just because the volume of qualified applicants has overwhelmed traditional hiring processes. This saturation means that even talented individuals with strong credentials are facing rejection after rejection, not due to inadequacy, but due to sheer numbers. Employers who once received dozens of applications for a position now receive hundreds, forcing them to rely on increasingly narrow filtering criteria that can eliminate excellent candidates for arbitrary reasons. In this new landscape, it’s the candidates who go above and beyondwho demonstrate genuine initiative, build real relationships, and create tangible valuewho separate themselves from the pack. The tools are available to everyone, but it’s how strategically and creatively you use them that determines your success. The reality is that most new job seekers are their own worst enemies, repeating the same ineffective strategies that virtually guarantee disappointment. If you’re serious about launching your career, it’s time to break these five destructive habits immediately. Stop the Spray-and-Pray Approach I see this mistake constantly: talented graduates treating job applications like a numbers game, firing off identical résumés to every posting they find. During my years at one of the largest banks in the United States, I reviewed countless résumés. The generic submissions were easy to spot and equally easy to dismiss. Employers aren’t looking for someone who can fill any rolethey want someone who genuinely understands (and is passionate about) their specific position. Every application should tell a story about why you and this particular company are a perfect match. Research the organization, understand their challenges, and demonstrate how your skills address their specific needs. Yes, this takes more timebut would you rather send 50 thoughtless applications that get ignored, or 10 targeted ones that actually generate interviews? Embrace LinkedIn as Your Career Command Center I’m amazed by how many job seekers still treat LinkedIn as an afterthought. In today’s digital world, your LinkedIn profile is often your first chance to make an impression. Worse yet, many young professionals create a profile and then abandon it, missing countless opportunities for meaningful connections. Your LinkedIn presence should be as polished and strategic as your résumé. More importantly, it should be active. Share insights about your industry, comment thoughtfully on posts from professionals you admire, and regularly update your network on your career journey. We encourage young adults to view LinkedIn as a relationship-building platform, not just a digital résumé. The connections you make today become the foundation for opportunities in the future. Many of our most successful clients have landed positions through LinkedIn relationships they cultivated months before they even began their formal job search. Abandon the Perfect Role Fantasy One of the most career-limiting beliefs I encounter is the idea that you should wait for the perfect opportunity. Young professionals often turn down roles that don’t match their exact vision, convinced that holding out will yield something better. This perfectionist mindset ignores a fundamental truth: careers are built through progression. Some of the most successful individuals I’ve mentored started in positions that seemed unrelated to their ultimate goals but provided invaluable experience and connections. Early in your career, prioritize learning and growth over title and salary. A role with exceptional mentorship, challenging projects, or exposure to senior leadership can be far more valuable than a prestigious position where you’ll be isolated or underutilized. The goal is forward momentum, not immediate arrival at your destination. I often tell my mentees that your first job is rarely your last job, but it’s always your launching pad. Choose roles that accelerate your trajectory, even if they don’t perfectly align with your original vision. Master the Art of Strategic Follow-Up The job search doesn’t end when you walk out of the interview room: that’s when the real work begins. Yet countless candidates dont take full advantage of promising opportunities by failing to follow up appropriately. A thoughtful follow-up message accomplishes several critical objectives: it demonstrates your genuine interest, reinforces key points from your conversation, and keeps you visible during the decision-making process. More importantly, it shows that you understand professional norms and can manage relationships effectively. Your follow-up should be personalized, referencing specific moments from your conversation and reiterating how you can contribute to their team’s success. This isn’t about being pushyit’s about being professional and maintaining momentum. I’ve seen talented candidates lose opportunities to less-qualified competitors simply because they assumed their interview performance would speak for itself. In a competitive market, every advantage matters, and strategic follow-up can be the difference between getting the offer or being forgotten Stop Waiting Until Your Senior Year to Think About Career Strategy One of the most limiting mistakes I see is students who coast through their first few years of college without any career planning, suddenly panicking during junior or senior year when they realize competitive rols require years of preparation. Today’s job market rewards those who think strategically early. The most coveted positions, whether in finance, consulting, technology, or other competitive fields, increasingly expect candidates to have meaningful internship experience, relevant projects, and established industry connections. Students who wait until their final years find themselves competing against peers who’ve been building their credentials since freshman year. But let me be clear: starting later doesn’t doom your prospects. I’ve mentored countless students who discovered their career direction during their junior or senior years and still achieved remarkable success. The key is understanding that you’ll need to accelerate your efforts and be more strategic about your approach. The real mistake isn’t starting late; it’s continuing to delay action once you recognize the importance of career planning. Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, the best time to start building your professional foundation is right now. The Path Forward Throughout my career mentoring young professionals, I’ve watched talented individuals gain access to opportunities they never thought possible by simply approaching their job search with the same intelligence and intention they bring to other aspects of their lives. Remember, your job search can be a demonstration of your professional capabilities. Employers are evaluating not just what you’ve accomplished, but how you approach challenges, manage relationships, and execute strategies. The job market may be competitive, but it’s not impenetrable. With the right approach, persistence, and strategic thinking, you can transform your job search from a source of frustration into a launching pad for the career you truly want.
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E-Commerce
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