AI Ready

How to Kickstart Your Career in the AI Era | Christine Y. Cruzvergara (Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake)

Episode Notes

Christine Y. Cruzvergara is Chief Education Strategy Officer at Handshake, where she partners with colleges and universities to help millions of students find their first jobs and internships.

Before joining Handshake, Christine served in senior roles at Wellesley, Georgetown, George Mason, and George Washington University, building scalable career education programs that bridge campus to career.

What You’ll Learn

The real skills employers want from graduates in the AI era
How Handshake AI and the new Fellowship program train students to work with AI, not against it
Why your first job should be treated as a learning role instead of the final destination
How to network effectively when AI now screens the first round of resumes
Why domain expertise (even outside CS) is becoming more valuable in AI-driven roles
The mindset shift from “find a job” to “build experience”
How higher ed and employers are collaborating to create new pathways for students
Christine’s advice for graduating students entering an uncertain job market

Brought to you by Autoskills (https://autoskills.ai) – Helping teams go from AI-curious to AI-ready with tailored workshops and hands-on adoption.

What’s Covered

- (00:00) Christine’s background and Handshake’s mission

- (03:28) Why Handshake launched Handshake AI and how it works

- (06:00) The Handshake AI Fellowship: who it’s for and what it teaches

(09:38) What skills and majors are in demand for AI-related roles

(13:14) The current job market for graduating seniors

(15:17) How to set expectations and approach your first role strategically

(16:36) The new importance of networking in an AI-screened hiring world

(20:00) How Handshake is using AI internally to boost productivity and insights

(39:48) The Future AI Workforce Alliance and how higher ed is evolving

(54:14) How to apply and resources for students