AI skills could rival job experience in hiring decisions — and not just in tech

 

Close to 70% of leaders say they won’t hire someone without AI skills and would rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced person without them, according to the report, which surveyed more than 30,000 people in 31 countries. 

“Learning basic AI skills — such as prompt engineering, machine learning or data literacy — is the best insurance to shortcut your competitiveness against people who might have more experience,” Aneesh Raman, a vice president and workforce expert at LinkedIn, says 

Some companies including Google and Amazon have announced investments in teaching their workforce AI skills, but such initiatives aren’t the norm: Only 25% of companies are planning to offer training on generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft and LinkedIn found.

There are dozens of free online courses people can use to learn AI skills offered by companies like IBM and Google and Ivy League institutions like Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The hype around AI is far from peaking — it’s just starting to build, according to Colette Stallbaumer, general manager of Microsoft Copilot and co-founder of Microsoft WorkLab. 

Of course, Microsoft is betting big on AI. In May, the tech giant announced it will invest $3.3 billion over the next four years to build new cloud and AI infrastructure.

“Less than two years after generative AI burst onto the scene, we’re seeing this technology being woven into the fabric of work across a wide range of industries,” Stallbaumer says. “This is happening at a pivotal time where the pressure, volume and pace of work from the Covid-19 pandemic has hardly let up. Employees are overwhelmed and turning to AI for help.” 

Generative AI tools in particular have seen a surge in workplace adoption, with usage doubling in the last six months, Microsoft and LinkedIn report.

It’s not just programmers and engineers experimenting with these tools: Architects, project managers and administrative assistants are among the professionals looking to build their AI aptitude the most. 

Non-tech industries including health care, finance and marketing are adopting AI technologies at a rapid clip to streamline business operations and boost productivity, Stallbaumer adds, creating high demand and new job opportunities for professionals skilled in these tools.

Gen Z could use AI to accelerate their careers

As more leaders demand AI skills in new hires, younger applicants with AI acumen stand to have greater access to job opportunities over their more experienced peers without those skills and accelerate their ascent up the corporate ladder. 

Gen Z employees, being digital natives, are more likely to use these tools at work than their millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer colleagues, Microsoft and LinkedIn found.

What’s more, 77% of leaders say that early-career talent with AI skills will be given greater responsibilities at work, the Microsoft and LinkedIn data shows.

Raman says AI could also help young professionals move their careers forward by providing faster access to tailored career advice, market research and other data-driven insights that help them feel more confident and competent in their jobs.

Lydia Logan, IBM’s vice president of global education and workforce development, expects that the rapid integration of AI in the workplace will trigger significant changes to entry-level job responsibilities.

“When I think about the first job I had, a lot of what I was doing was answering the phone, organizing files, and that’s still the case for a lot of people,” she says. “Many of those administrative tasks that can now be automated with AI, which leaves room for entry-level workers to take on the kind of responsibilities someone one or even two levels above them on the corporate ladder might have.”

What is Secondary Sale in Start ups

 

A secondary sale occurs when a stockholder sells one or more of their shares to a third-party. For it to be a true secondary sale, the sale can’t occur alongside an acquisition of the company. Instead, the shares need to be sold to another investor. 

Some secondary sales take place against a backdrop of restrictions and legislation. For example, secondary sales may be restricted without board approval, or the company itself might need to be given the right of first refusal. When that’s the case, the stockholder may be required to offer to sell their shares to the company before they’re able to carry out a secondary sale to another investor.

Secondary sales differ from primary sales because in primary sales, the company sells stock to its investors and keeps the money. In secondary sales, the proceeds of the sale go towards the stockholder and the company doesn’t see a cent. 

Because secondary sales take place in privately owned companies, secondary sales are often the only option that investors have available to them. 

Secondary stockholders need to be aware of a range of implications that can come into play, including: 

• Local law: Different countries have different laws regarding the sale and taxation of secondary stock.
• Contractual restrictions: Depending upon the contract that governs your shares, you may be subject to restrictions such as time limits that prevent you from selling before a certain date.
• Company performance: The way that the company has performed in recent months and years can have a huge impact on the amount that you can expect to receive in your secondary sale.
• Availability of buyers: You may find it difficult to find a buyer if the pool of potential buyers is small or non-existent.
• Board approval: In some circumstances, and depending upon the contract that’s in place, you may require approval from a company’s board of directors before you’re able to sell stock in a secondary sale.

What’s an example of a secondary sale?

For example, let’s say that a startup called “Acme Inc.” has completed its IPO and is now publicly traded. One of the company’s early investors, who owns a large number of shares in Acme, decides to sell some of their shares to a new investor.

This would be considered a secondary sale.

Secondary sales are common in the startup world, as they provide a way for existing shareholders to cash out some of their investment and for new investors to buy into the company. They can also provide additional capital for the company to use for growth and expansion.