Work skills to practice with AI
Reviewed 9 October 2026. Practice explaining a problem, working with others, and checking a result. AI can help you prepare a draft; you remain responsible for deciding whether it is suitable to use.
What employers report
NACE’s spring 2026 survey highlighted teamwork, problem-solving, and communication in resumes for college-graduate entry-level roles. Its 185 employer respondents were surveyed from 12 February to 17 March 2026. These findings do not describe all employers or New Mexico employers. Source: NACE’s April 2026 survey summary.
Four skills you can practice
These examples are practical guidance, not a research ranking or a promise of employment.
- Problem-solving: identify the problem, gather missing facts, compare options, and check the result. For a late delivery, check the order record before suggesting a solution.
- Communication: explain a request clearly. Review any AI draft for accuracy and tone before sharing it.
- Teamwork: clarify who will do each task, listen to others, and follow through. Confirm who will contact the customer and when the team will check progress.
- Digital literacy: save and find files, use basic computer tools, protect private information, and check AI output. Practice with fictional spreadsheet data rather than customer records.
Keep your judgment involved
AI can produce convincing mistakes, omit relevant information, or misread a situation. NIST describes confidently false output as a generative AI risk. Source: NIST’s Generative AI Profile (2024, PDF). Check facts, compare reliable sources, and ask whether a suggestion fits the task.
A 2025 experimental study found shallower learning from AI summaries than from web searches in the learning and advice tasks tested. It does not show that every use of AI weakens thinking. Source: PNAS Nexus study. Try explaining the answer in your own words and checking the original source.
Follow your employer’s rules and use approved tools. Keep private customer details, workplace records, and passwords out of public AI chats. Ask a trained colleague when a decision goes beyond your responsibility.
Read job requirements carefully
PwC’s June 2026 global report describes “seniorised” junior roles: jobs labeled junior that ask for skills usually associated with experienced workers. The report spans 27 countries and territories; its job-ad analysis includes data through 2025. Ads show requested skills, not completed hires, and the findings do not establish that AI caused changes or describe New Mexico specifically. Source: PwC’s 2026 AI Jobs Barometer.
For measured state figures and hiring research, see New Mexico jobs and AI.
Try a fictional customer complaint
Use fictional information only. You can select and copy this prompt:
A customer says their order arrived late and one item is missing. Organize the complaint and draft a polite response. This is a fictional practice exercise. List the missing facts first. Do not invent dates, refund promises, replacement promises, or company policies. Mark anything that needs a person to check.
- Identify missing facts: which order, what delivery date, and which item?
- Check whether the draft invents promises or policies. Verify any proposed action against actual instructions before using it at work.
- Revise the draft for accuracy and tone. You decide what is appropriate to send.