A recent Wilfrid Laurier University graduate is pitching herself to employers in an unconventional way, after a year of unemployment and tireless job search efforts. Kaileigh Klein, 23, finished Laurier’s communication studies program in 2025, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. But before she crossed the stage, she had applied to more than 200 jobs in hopes of securing post-grad employment. “I ended up landing one job out of the 200 I applied for, and it wasn’t even a full-time job,” she said. “It was just a summer internship.” While she’s grateful for the opportunities she’s received, she’s still on the hunt for an entry-level full-time marketing job. Instead of scrolling through postings on recruitment sites, Klein decided to document her day-to-day on social media. “People started direct messaging me and telling me that they had similar experiences,” she said. “More opportunities came just through social media than traditional job platforms.” Klein’s tactic helps set herself apart from other applicants, according to Melise Panetta, a marketing professor at Laurier. “Setting yourself apart from others is the top priority,” she said. Panetta added that applicants are having a hard time because job supply and availability can’t keep up with the demand from those looking for employment. “It’s just more competitive,” she said. “Everyone has to tighten up their game, they have to be stronger, they have to be sharper when they compete for these roles because there are fewer roles available and the same number of students.” Job hunt hindered by Artificial Intelligence: Experts As some companies move away from depending on Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program to fill entry-level positions, another hurdle in the job hunt is Artificial Intelligence (AI). “We’re definitely seeing an introduction of a new tech in the market, which is always going to have some level of disruption — that’s just the way it is,” said Panetta. “But this one is happening quite quickly, quite rapidly, and it is definitely disruptive.” Panetta said the AI challenges stem from both sides — the employer and the applicant. “We’re hearing students saying that they feel like they have to put so many applications through just to maybe get an interview because of the applicant tracking system and the role AI plays in that,” she said. “Then industries are coming back to say it’s hard to figure out who’s who and who really does what these days.” When it comes to the use of AI to filter through applications, Nita Chhinzer, a human resources associate professor at the University of Guelph, said the “more efficient” system still has its flaws. “The AI systems that are being used for screening still have biases in them,” she said. “Those biases are towards ethnic-sounding names, towards gender ... towards people who come from different areas. “These kinds of biases get reinforced in AI systems and the applicant tracking systems have not eliminated those completely,” Chhinzer added. Prioritize networking To try and combat the new challenges, labour experts lean on the long-standing practice of networking. “Your opportunity to try to network and build connections doesn’t start at the point that which you need the job,” she said. “Instead, you have to network very organically and very early in your career.” In Klein’s case, she’s built connections, found freelance opportunities and constantly tries to level up, with the hope that her ‘corporate comeback’ will carve a career path and inspire others along the way. “Just trying to do as much as I can,” she said. “Little jobs to get by for now, but also still on LinkedIn 24/7 trying to find a job.”
