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Class of 2026 College Graduate Hiring Report

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New ResumeTemplates.com report reveals how AI is forcing companies to restructure entry-level roles and demand more experience and skills.

SEATTLE, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ResumeTemplates.com, a leading platform for professional resume templates and career advice, released the findings of its Class of 2026 College Graduate Hiring Report, which examines how AI is changing entry-level work. Based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers at companies with 101 or more employees, the report finds that 48% would rather invest in AI tools than hire and train a recent college graduate.

This is not a job market closing to new graduates. Most employers still plan to hire and hold pay steady. But they are hiring more selectively, moving work they once gave to entry-level new hires over to AI, and holding back opportunities until grads prove they can do the basics.

Key findings

48% of hiring managers would rather invest in AI tools than hire and train a recent college graduate.55% of companies have shifted at least part of their entry-level hiring budget to AI, and 30% say AI has reduced their need for grad hires.45% of companies have restructured so one senior worker plus AI does the work of multiple entry-level grads, including 20% where that covers three or more roles.23% of hiring managers will hire fewer 2026 college graduates than last year or none at all.3 in 4 hiring managers say recent grads need help reading routine work documents like memos, contracts, or budgets.Just 17% of hiring managers fully trust recent grads to represent the company in front of customers.

Companies are choosing AI over entry-level hires

AI is already part of how companies make entry-level hiring decisions, not a future plan.

48% of hiring managers say their company would rather invest in AI tools than hire and train a recent college graduate, while 41% still prefer a recent grad and 11% are unsure.55% have shifted at least part of their entry-level hiring budget to AI, including 27% who have done so fully.30% say AI has already reduced their company’s need for entry-level grad hires.

Entry-level roles are being restructured around AI

Some of the work that once went to a team of entry-level hires is being consolidated into senior roles paired with AI.

45% of hiring managers say their company has restructured so one senior worker plus AI does the work of multiple entry-level grads.At 20% of companies, that arrangement covers three or more entry-level roles.50% say their company has not restructured this way.

A pullback, not a shutdown

Most companies will still hire from the class of 2026, but a sizable share is stepping back.

23% of hiring managers will hire fewer 2026 college graduates than last year or none at all.Another 12% have not decided how many to hire.65% will hire 2026 graduates at the same or higher volume than the class of 2025.

A higher bar for the class of 2026

The grads who get hired face steeper expectations, and the concerns center on workplace habits more than credentials.

69% of hiring managers name at least one character concern about recent grads, led by a lack of work ethic (33%).76% say recent grads need help reading routine documents like memos, contracts, or budgets.41% say grads cannot write a professional email, and 40% say grads lack the skills to analyze or interpret data.61% will consider a grad with no internship only for certain roles, or not at all.

A trust ceiling on early-career work

Even among the grads who get hired, few are trusted to work on their own.

Just 17% of hiring managers fully trust recent grads to represent the company in front of customers.The other 83% limit grads to routine interactions or want someone watching.Full trust never tops 17% across customer-facing work, independent work, or independent decisions.

“New grads need to be able to find their own answers and problem-solve. For those still job searching, consider writing practice emails and getting them reviewed by a professional in your network, even a parent or family member. All experience counts if it is framed the right way, whether that is volunteer work, student leadership, or involvement in sports. Focus on the skills you gained and the specific projects you worked on when you describe your experience,” said Julia Toothacre, Chief Career Strategist at ResumeTemplates.com.

For the complete findings, visit: https://www.resumetemplates.com/career-advice/the-class-of-2026-hiring-report-how-ai-is-raising-the-bar-on-entry-level-hiring/

Methodology

ResumeTemplates.com commissioned this survey, which was conducted via Pollfish in May 2026. A total of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers responsible for entry-level hiring at companies with 101 or more employees participated. Demographic and screening criteria ensured all respondents qualified. Pollfish reaches respondents in their natural digital environments through Random Device Engagement and applies quality controls to filter out inattentive or fraudulent responses. Pollfish reports a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

About ResumeTemplates.com

ResumeTemplates.com is a leading resume and career-development platform that helps millions of job seekers build professional, ATS-friendly resumes and prepare for the modern hiring market. Through its library of resume templates, AI resume builder, resume examples, and career advice resources, ResumeTemplates.com helps job seekers create resumes optimized for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and today’s hiring practices. The site also publishes original survey research on workforce trends, hiring behavior, and the changing nature of work, with findings regularly cited by national media. All career guidance is reviewed by ResumeTemplates.com’s career advisory team, led by Chief Career Strategist Julia Toothacre.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/class-of-2026-college-graduate-hiring-report-302828328.html

SOURCE ResumeTemplates.com

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CobbleStone Announces Upcoming Webinar With WSIPC Cooperative Purchasing On Enhancing Education Agreements

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July 17, 2026

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CobbleStone Software and WSIPC are hosting an exclusive joint webinar tailored specifically for those in the K-12 education community looking to improve their contract management processes July 23rd, 2026 at 1:00PM – 1:30PM.

PRINCETON, N.J., July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CobbleStone Software, a recognized leader in contract lifecycle management (CLM) and contract artificial intelligence, is pleased to announce an upcoming collaborative webinar with WSIPC Cooperative Purchasing, titled: Enhancing Education Agreements with CobbleStone Software & WSIPC Cooperative Purchasing. The experience is tailored specifically for K-12 education professionals who manage a high volume of vendor agreements, compliance mandates, and educational service contracts. It will take place July 23rd, 2026 at 1:00PM – 1:30PM.

The highly voluminous and complex contract management process that education-sector professionals face can feel like a balancing act. When contract management stalls, a domino effect occurs, with school budgets and on-the-ground classroom resources being at risk of toppling – resulting in myriad deleterious downstream effects for system systems, teachers, and students.

Luckily, K-12 organizations can rest assured that there is a solution to prevent such headaches: contract lifecycle management tools.

Professionals are encouraged to join Alex Carraro (Account Manager at CobbleStone Software) and Cynthia Gefeller (Contract Administrator at WSIPC) as they tackle education tech contracting solutions that power the sector, with industry-tailored CLM functionality that includes:

Generative AI functionality (chatbot, risk insights, contract sentiment analysis)AI-powered agentic redlining, negotiation playbooks, and auto-obligation tracking and task creation.A searchable, reportable contract repository.Flexible workflow agents and task alerts.Compliance guardrails and monitoring tools.Various system integrations.

Click here to register for the webinar and learn more.

“K-12 education leaders shape the minds of the irreplaceable young people that will go on to shape the workforce,” said Bradford Jones, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at CobbleStone Software.

“By empowering the sector’s legal, procurement, and administrative teams with the tools they need to uphold a strong foundation and strategy for K-12 education, we are honored to play a crucial role in a mission to build a more prepared, knowledgeable, and capable populace.”

Book a free demo to see CobbleStone in action today!

For more information, email Sales@CobbleStoneSoftware.com or call 866-330-0056.

About CobbleStone Software:

CobbleStone Software is a celebrated leader in contract management software solutions whose flagship CLM software solution – CobbleStone Contract Insight® – expedites contract management, vendor management, eProcurement, and eSourcing processes while offering an agentic AI-powered experience, seamless integrations, ease-of-use, and high scalability. CobbleStone provides more intelligent contracts with VISDOM® artificial intelligence, agentic chatbot, machine learning, simplified contract and vendor tracking, highly configurable email alerts, user-friendly calendar notifications, intelligent contract workflow automation, highly robust security options, streamlined authoring of contract templates with dynamic clauses, centralized revenue/cost management, detailed text indexing and searching, future-minded vendor/client ratings, robust document version control, custom contract management reports, speedy IntelliSign® electronic signatures, and more.

Follow CobbleStone Software on social media:
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To stay up to date on contract lifecycle management industry trends and news, subscribe to CobbleStone’s Contract Insights blog.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cobblestone-announces-upcoming-webinar-with-wsipc-cooperative-purchasing-on-enhancing-education-agreements-302828012.html

SOURCE CobbleStone Software

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Forty Years in the Making: Lucky Mary Blonde Restores a Lost 1988 Concert Through the Power of AI

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July 17, 2026

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Band Releases First Two Singles from Long-Lost 1988 Live Recording Ahead of September 4 Album Release

ST. LOUIS, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly four decades after one of its final performances, Illinois alternative rock trio Lucky Mary Blonde is returning with new music from an extraordinary chapter in its history.

Today the band releases its first two singles, “700 Candles Burn” and “I’m a Romantic,” offering listeners the first preview of a newly restored live album recorded during one of the group’s final concerts in the fall of 1988. The complete album is scheduled for worldwide release on September 4, 2026, with two additional singles planned in the weeks leading up to the release.

Recorded at the legendary Gatsby’s music club in Carbondale, Illinois, the concert remained hidden on buried and aging cassette tapes for nearly 40 years before discovery and advances in AI-assisted audio restoration made it possible to recover and restore the performance for modern audiences.

Lucky Mary Blonde emerged as one of the Midwest’s rising college rock bands following the release of its debut album, Let the Moonlight Burn, in late 1987. The album earned regional college radio airplay and established the trio as a favorite throughout the Midwest, performing from Chicago to Memphis before the band unexpectedly disbanded in late 1988.

The restoration project began when St. Louis-based drummer John Baldus received a rediscovered original cassette recording of the concert, prompting him to launch a year-long restoration project with professional recording engineers and original band members, Florida-based Todd Baxter and Virginia-based Jerry Tilk. An unexpected, almost miraculous discovery of a second cassette from the same concert ultimately provided missing audio that helped transform the recording into a remarkably clear and authentic live album.

The finished collection features 16 live performances, including 11 songs never before released, along with five songs from the band’s debut album, Let the Moonlight Burn. Together, they capture Lucky Mary Blonde during its final months and preserve a remarkable chapter of Midwest independent rock history.

The first two singles, “700 Candles Burn” and “I’m a Romantic,” are now available on all major streaming platforms.

The complete live album will be released on September 4, 2026, on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other major digital music services worldwide.

About Lucky Mary Blonde

Lucky Mary Blonde was an Illinois-based alternative rock trio that gained a loyal following throughout the Midwest college music circuit during the late 1980s. Following the release of Let the Moonlight Burn in 1987, the band toured extensively before disbanding in 1988. Their restored live album documents one of the group’s final performances and preserves an overlooked chapter in independent college rock history.

Media Contact
Lucky Mary Blonde
Email: luckymaryblonde@gmail.com
Website: www.luckymaryblonde.com

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SOURCE Lucky Mary Blonde

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Brian Ganser Named Partner in Charge of Growing Advisory Practice

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July 17, 2026

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CLEVELAND, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cohen & Co has named Brian Ganser, MBA, partner in charge of advisory, effective July 13, 2026. In this role, Brian is responsible for the strategy, growth and operational performance of the firm’s Advisory Practice, including its Office of the CFO, Transaction Services and Valuation teams.

Brian has more than 25 years of experience leading and advising middle market organizations through periods of significant growth and transformation. As an entrepreneur, CEO and adviser throughout his career, he has worked alongside founders, management teams and private equity investors to accelerate growth, execute strategic acquisitions and navigate ownership transitions.

“We are excited to have Brian join our senior leadership team,” says Chris Bellamy, Cohen & Co CEO. “As we continue to expand our services to help clients improve performance, execute strategic initiatives and prepare for growth, Brian is the perfect fit both culturally and from a technical perspective to build on the group’s momentum and deliver results on a national scale.”

The firm’s Advisory Practice has seen significant growth, both organically and from recent M&A activity. Cohen & Co recently brought together its cross-functional expertise to formalize an Office of the CFO advisory service offering. The team supports finance leaders through technical and financial reporting, finance transformation and managed accounting services. The firm also has expanded its advisory expertise via various acquisitions since 2024: Tax & Wealth Management based in Cleveland, Ohio, focused on custom tax and accounting advisory services to family offices, ultra-high-net-worth individuals and corporate executives working internationally; Chicago-based Tassi and Company, focused on outsourced fund and partnership accounting, property management and development accounting, and construction draw accounting and tax services; and New York-based Gioffre & Company, focused on outsourced accounting, financial reporting and tax expertise.

Brian is based out of the firm’s Chicago office and serves on the Leadership Council of Special Olympics. He received his MBA from Indiana University Kelly School of Business and his B.A. from Millikin University.

About Cohen & Co
Named one of America’s Most Recommended Tax and Accounting Firms by USA TODAY and one of the Best of the Best Firms by INSIDE Public Accounting, Cohen & Co offers assurance, tax and advisory services to clients throughout the U.S. and worldwide. The firm serves a broad range of clients, from privately held companies and their owners; to public and private funds, advisers and fund service providers within the asset management industry; to Fortune 1000 multinational enterprises. Founded in 1977, Cohen & Co has 900 dedicated professionals across the U.S. and 15 offices in Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Through affiliated entities, the firm also has a presence in the Cayman Islands and India. Learn more at cohenco.com. 

 ”Cohen & Co” is the brand name under which Cohen & Company, Ltd. and Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC, and its subsidiary entities, provide professional services. Cohen & Company, Ltd. and Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC practice in an alternative practice structure in accordance with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and applicable law, regulations and professional standards. Cohen & Company, Ltd. is a licensed independent CPA firm that provides attest services to its clients. Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC and its subsidiary entities provide tax, advisory and business consulting services to their clients and are not licensed CPA firms. The entities operating under the Cohen & Co brand are independently owned and are not responsible for the services provided by any other entity operating under the Cohen & Co brand. Our use of terms such as “our firm,” “we,” “us” and other terms of similar import denote the alternative practice structure of Cohen & Company, Ltd. and Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brian-ganser-named-partner-in-charge-of-growing-advisory-practice-302828579.html

SOURCE Cohen & Co

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