ACM CareerNews for Tuesday, October 7, 2025

ACM CareerNews is intended as an objective career news digest for busy IT professionals. Views expressed are not necessarily those of ACM. To send comments, please write to [email protected]

Volume 21, Issue 19, October 7, 2025

Generative AI Will Affect Tech Jobs More Than Other Sectors
CIO Dive, September 23

The rise of generative AI tools will more deeply transform tech jobs than jobs in other sectors, according to Indeed. The job site analyzed more than 2,800 skills to identify which ones would be most and least affected by generative AI adoption. More than half of the skills that comprise technology roles will undergo deep transformation. In fact, nearly 3 in 5 of the job skills that could potentially be fully transformed are related to technology. Despite the possible upheaval to technology roles, widespread job replacement is not yet a reality.

The influx of generative AI skills is shifting how IT departments operate and how they hire. Although specific tasks are headed toward automation, IT workers remain essential to organizations. A job is made up of skills, and often multiple skills. Tech jobs have more of the skills that have potential to be transformed, but many skills have at least some human element to them that is not going to be able to be replaced by generative AI. The ability of AI to take over repeatable, rules-based processes helps explain why most high-impact tasks are technology related. Skills mentioned in 82% of software development job postings are among those facing deeper change, according to Indeed.

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What Employers Really Think of a 1-Year Resume Gap
Quartz, September 27

Resume gaps are more common than you might think. Over the last half-decade, more than 50% of U.S. workers reported at least a one-month gap. The problem is that gaps may lead to a potential impasse that could keep great candidates out of their dream jobs. Employers can also slip up by rejecting the best candidate to hire a more conventional applicant who is not right for the job. According to a recent study, 61% of corporate managers said employment gaps were a negative sign. Thus, a job candidate must be able to explain any resume gap for professional reasons. 

The good news for career professionals with employment gaps is that the perception of career gaps has changed over time. The global pandemic conditioned hiring managers to expect resume breaks. Hiring managers are much more interested in the strengths, achievements, and business results of a candidate. When a candidate is open and transparent about their gaps, it raises few or even no red flags. Employers are looking for aligned experience and skills above all else. Top candidates often have gaps, and gap experiences can lead to skill development and meaningful growth. If a hiring manager asks you about a gap during an interview, explain it briefly and honestly.

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Tech workers often receive contradictory advice about using AI to conduct a job search. On the one hand, job seekers are told that using AI to tailor a resume increases their chances of passing automated screenings. On the other hand, they are told that relying on AI to create a resume can cause hiring managers to reject them. A recent survey found widespread frustration with automated screening, with many saying the process favors keyword gaming over real qualifications.

Candidates must strategically integrate the right keywords to get their resume past an AI-powered resume screener. Once that happens, they will be evaluated as a person by a person, and that is where AI-generated resumes fall short. The problem is not that candidates are using AI, it is how they are using it. AI is harmful when it replaces your voice, smuggles in errors or bias, or tempts you into keyword stuffing at the expense of substance in your resume and cover letter. Overuse of keywords can get a resume rejected by both applicant tracking systems and human recruiters. Treat AI like a research assistant and drafting accelerator and keep authorship, examples, and decisions human.

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OpenAI Claims AI Is Making Coding Jobs Better Not Worse
Fast Company, September 26

With the rise of generative AI, many in the tech industry fear that AI will soon claim coding and tech jobs. After all, if AI-powered coding assistants can write, debug, and refactor code in seconds, what use is there for human developers? However, leaders inside OpenAI see the current moment in almost opposite terms. Rather than rendering developers obsolete, AI is actually transforming coding by amplifying human strengths in creativity, reasoning, and problem-solving. New coding tools are radically reshaping the learning curve for young coders, helping them pick up programming skills at a faster pace.

Overall, developers are spending less time on line-by-line debugging, freeing them up to consider what should be built, how systems should be structured, and what kind of impact software can have in the world. OpenAI predicts that human roles will increasingly shift toward oversight and orchestration, with AI serving as both collaborator and accelerator. It will handle background work, surface errors early, and enable engineers to explore ideas faster. With that in mind, OpenAI recently introduced an upgraded version of Codex, a specialized model designed for the long, complicated work of coding and software development. Now powered by GPT-5, Codex can adapt its reasoning effort based on task complexity.

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Five Steps to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Worth the Investment
Inc.com, September 24

Using LinkedIn to connect with potential candidates is not free. As a result, recruiters typically look at profiles and then do a quick cost-benefit analysis to see if a candidate is worth spending money on. Your job is to make that answer an easy yes. Recruiters do not scroll through your whole profile at first. In LinkedIn Recruiter, they set filters with more than 30 options such as location, years of experience, job titles, and skills. Then they get a short list, with a few key data points, such as years of experience and education. Your job is to optimize your LinkedIn profile for these key points.

Job seekers can follow five basic steps to attract the attention of recruiters on LinkedIn. The first step is to fix the photo. If you have no photo, you will probably get skipped. Make sure your photo is visible to everyone, not just first-degree connections. Choose a clear, professional, approachable headshot. The second step is to choose the right way to signal you are looking for a new job. There are actually two different features on LinkedIn that can highlight you are open to work or new opportunities. In general, private settings that are only visible to recruiters are preferable. It is important that only recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiter see this feature. It should not show up to the public or your current employer. The good news is that recruiters often review this group of candidates first when they run searches.

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A Majority of US Workers Say They Experience Ghost Growth in Their Careers
HR Dive, September 29

A majority of U.S. workers experience ghost growth, or the illusion of advancement but no meaningful changes in pay, promotion or authority. For many, the reward for a job well done is simply more work. The findings paint a stark picture: more responsibility at work, same pay, broken trust, and rising burnout. As a result, employee burnout has reached the highest rate in nearly a decade, according to Glassdoor data.

In a recent survey of 1,000 workers, 78% said they have been assigned new job duties without receiving a raise or promotion. More than half said they have been promised promotions or opportunities that never came to be, and more than one-third said they have never been adequately compensated for an increased workload. Overwork without recognition tends to drain morale. Promises without follow-through can damage employee trust and lead to turnover. In the survey, nearly 7 in 10 said they have considered quitting due to fake or performative growth, and almost 3 in 10 actually left a job for that reason.

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7 Standout CIO Skills Every Company Wants
CIO.com, September 29

If you are looking to become a CIO, then you will need to polish your business and leadership skills across a range of domains. CIOs really need to be conversant across just about everything the company does. That kind of breadth does not come easily and it is not a specialized, single-skill job. Overall, there are seven fundamental skills that can help anyone become a CIO superstar.

As best as possible, CIOs should be visionary, employing technology skills and insights to enhance business outcomes. This means that they are able to assert leadership by innovating new systems and using data effectively to improve service and efficiency. An effective CIO will ensure that technology is used to assist with actual outcomes. A strategic leader will strive to build an innovation culture. When everyone feels involved in change, the entire organization advances together.

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Young Founders Embrace 996 Grind: Silicon Valley AI Boom Fuels 72-Hour Weeks
Rude Baguette, October 3

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is not only revolutionizing technology but also reshaping work culture, particularly in Silicon Valley. A controversial work schedule known as 996 is gaining traction among young tech workers. This schedule involves working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, totaling 72 hours. This grueling routine is becoming a norm for many ambitious individuals in San Francisco, driven by the relentless pursuit of success and innovation.

The 996 work schedule originated in China during the 2010s and was championed by major corporations like Alibaba, Huawei, and ByteDance. The idea was to boost productivity and accelerate growth in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. However, it quickly attracted criticism. In 2021, the practice became illegal, due to the severe toll it took on workers. Despite this, the 996 schedule has found a new foothold in Silicon Valley. Extended workweeks are the new norm. That is especially true for startups, where there is an intense desire to leapfrog the competition and achieve results within a very short period of time.

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Will AI Take Your Job?
Communications of the ACM, October 2

Some workers are afraid of losing their jobs to AI. A growing number of top CEOs seem to agree, openly announcing plans to reduce their future workforces as a result of AI. The reason is simple: AI is increasingly able to do the work of humans. Employees need to acknowledge that uncomfortable fact, either by mastering AI to become massively more productive or boosting their skillsets to do work that AI cannot.

Recent research indicates which jobs are being affected by AI, as well as the impact of AI on the overall labor market. According to new findings, the category of professionals is most exposed to AI, with 95 distinct occupations susceptible to the full impact of AI disruption, meaning the majority of their core tasks could be automated. The second most-affected group is technicians and associate professionals, where 60 distinct occupations are estimated to be exposed to the full impact of AI. The top-affected professions include software developers, computer programmers, and data scientists. The jobs most affected by AI share some commonalities. They are especially vulnerable because they involve tasks such as data processing, writing, analyzing information, and providing advice, all of which AI can now do better and faster than humans.

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Durable Skills in the Age of AI
Blog@CACM, September 30

For years, career experts have been preaching the importance of soft skills for career longevity. These skills, such as creativity, resilience, adaptability, leadership, and critical thinking, do not change with technology trends but are constant demands. According a recent report, 92% of surveyed companies reported that human capabilities matter as much or more than hard skills in the modern business world. As AI evolves and becomes more prevalent, soft skills will be more important than ever. No matter what tools you are using or how you are communicating, soft skills are essential.

AI is advancing rapidly and changing how people do their jobs. From content creation to data analysis and beyond, AI impacts many daily tasks. On the surface, it may seem like AI is replacing the need for soft skills such as listening, decision-making, and creativity. No matter how much AI grows, though, there will still be humans behind the technology. An increasingly remote world is set to become even more isolating as technology and AI continue to push people apart. The soft, inherently human skills are what connect us and allow us to innovate, collaborate, and grow together. Thus, human-centric, durable skills are still critical. So much of the focus on AI growth is efficiency and productivity, but it is easy to forget that behind the screens and algorithms are people. Being able to cut through the digital fog and think and act like a human is something AI cannot take away. AI cannot understand and connect with customers and coworkers to create meaningful relationships. AI cannot replace the interpersonal connections that make our jobs meaningful.

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