Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, vice principal of the International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-IS), offered this advice on 4/4, during the school's employment connection week.

Thuan highlighted two key employment issues for students. First, many start working early, gaining steady income, but neglect their studies, leading to fundamental knowledge gaps. This group often struggles to advance their knowledge and skills for better jobs, hindering long-term career growth.

Second, he suggested students should boldly accept challenging positions, even if the initial income is not high.

"These positions help them learn extensively, eventually becoming leaders or indispensable assets within companies. Consequently, their income will inevitably increase," Thuan stated. "Consider it an investment."

Students from the International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, participate in the employment connection week on 4/4. *Photo: Duong Tam*

During the International School's employment connection week, experts noted that companies are reducing recruitment for intern and recent graduate ("fresher") positions. Instead, experienced candidates are prioritized.

A 2025 survey by the recruitment technology platform JobOKO confirmed this trend, showing that demand for fresher positions among businesses decreased by 12,96% in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year. In some sectors like administration - human resources, accounting, and finance - banking, the decline was more significant, ranging from 34% to 54%.

Given this reality, in addition to not being selective about high-paying jobs immediately after graduation, some experts believe students need to acquire more skills, especially in artificial intelligence (AI).

Nguyen Duc Long, Chief Executive Officer of AIUNI Academy, observed that students currently "play with AI," using it mainly for simple Q&A, rather than possessing actual utilization skills.

"AI is not replacing but redefining our jobs. Repetitive, general tasks will be replaced," Long stated. "Therefore, students need to master AI tools and prepare the skills businesses require while still in school."

Additionally, Nguyen Quang Thuan advised students to improve their foreign language proficiency, proactiveness, and interdisciplinary knowledge and skills.

At the International School, students have strong foreign language skills due to a curriculum mostly taught in English. However, those in Business Data Analytics earn the highest incomes, with some outstanding students receiving 3,000-5,000 USD (80-130 million VND). This is because it is an interdisciplinary field, where students learn both information technology and business/finance knowledge.

Thuan noted that businesses lack such personnel, so students with interdisciplinary knowledge have an advantage, reducing "retraining" time upon recruitment. Additionally, students need to understand corporate operations and leverage the school's partnership programs.

Tran Phi Long, director of the Innovation Startup Incubation Center, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, suggested students consider entrepreneurship to gain experience, especially as the state and various entities are increasing support for such activities.

"Students can consider small businesses first. Even if they fail, they will gain experience for future jobs," Long said.