Hiring managers value skills and experience over degrees as AI tools screen more applications
A survey of 1,000 US hiring managers shows 71 percent now use applicant tracking systems to handle high application volumes. Another 79 percent have automated parts of the hiring process, with 19 percent using AI to reject candidates outright and 32 percent to rank them for human review. Resumes have become more polished, but 80 percent of managers spot fully AI-written ones and 77 percent see many as partially generated. The systems struggle with image-heavy designs, favouring plain text PDFs. Most managers, 86 percent, rate relevant experience above formal education. Certifications count as much as a bachelor's degree for 82 percent, while human skills like communication top their lists.
Hiring once hinged on degrees and credentials to filter candidates quickly. Applicant volumes were lower, and manual reviews caught subtle qualities in resumes. Automation now pushes managers to prioritise proven skills and experience, since ATS handles the volume but exposes generic AI content. Authentic project samples that demonstrate abilities without buzzwords stand out more, as humans still make final calls and detect unnatural phrasing.
Analysis
Copy your resume into the free ATS simulator at Jobscan.co and run a parse test. Fix any layout errors or missing keywords from a target job description.
Citation
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