Recruiters Reveal How Often Your Resume Actually Gets Seen By A Human Before Being Auto-Rejected By AI
Many job seekers are convinced that they are getting passed up by AI and not by an actual recruiter.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock These days, with the emergence and steady rise of AI, applying for a job often means you have to go through a computer-generated program that is most likely not even reading your application or your resume. Right? The general consensus has been that the days when resumes were actually read by a human being are gone, but a recent survey says otherwise.
Enhancv, a resume-building platform, recently conducted a survey of 25 U.S. recruiters across industries, from tech to healthcare to finance, to uncover what really happens after you apply. Interestingly, nearly all said that AI isn't the one rejecting applications, but actual humans are.
According to recruiters, resumes actually get seen by a human 92% of the time.
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Researchers interviewed recruiters across different industries, including healthcare, tech, construction, CPG, education, and retail. The organizations ranged from 120 to over 50,000+ employees and used more than 10 Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) platforms, including Workday, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Bullhorn, BambooHR, SuccessFactors, Teamtailor, and Phenom.
Of the recruiters, 23 (92%) said their systems do not auto-reject resumes for formatting, content, or design. Only 8% of recruiters admitted that their ATS automatically rejects resumes (based on content). That throws a huge wrench in the idea that resumes barely get seen by an actual person, right?
The survey found that candidates often believe social media rumors claiming that AI is rejecting their applications.
No matter where you turn, social media is ripe with stories about auto-rejected resumes and how these AI-powered applicant tracking systems are part of the reason why the job market is abysmal right now. As it turns out, like with everything on social media, perhaps it's time to take a good portion of those claims with a grain of salt.
When recruiters were asked where they'd heard the claim that ATSs reject applicants' resumes, 68% pointed to job seekers who saw it on LinkedIn or TikTok, and 20% blamed career coaches and resume blogs for recycling outdated advice. Another 12% mentioned mainstream media headlines that never cited a source.
"It's such a false narrative to me — that people don't understand — and it's taking advantage of them," LA-based recruiter Reggie Martin told Enhancv. "And I think it's really a shame that people resort to that scare tactic." Kelly McAvoy, a recruiter in consumer packaged goods, agreed: "We're still true believers in making sure we review all applicants. We definitely use filters so that we review the strongest candidates first, but we look through everything."
Enhancv explained that what really happens after you apply for a job is that ATS stores it, the knockout questions filter for basic eligibility, a recruiter will search or filter through the key criteria, a human being will begin to shortlist the applications, and then finally they will be reviewed before further steps are taken in the hiring process.
This survey may, however, be an anomaly, as other research suggests AI use in hiring is growing rapidly.
According to research from the Society of Human Resources Management, nearly half of surveyed HR professionals said that using AI to support HR has become somewhat or much more of a priority in the last 12 months. It's not really surprising since most industries are adapting and changing as AI becomes more integrated into everyday work functions.
On top of that, most HR professionals are optimistic about the potential for AI. Just over 60% are optimistic about the potential for AI to be used effectively in their organization, and 56% are optimistic about AI's potential to improve collaboration. All of this seems very vague in the grand scheme of how much AI use is actually sifting and filtering through those initial applications, however. Even the Enhancv survey indicated that ATS filtered for knockout questions for basic eligibility. What exactly does that mean?
While it seems as if companies aren't totally using AI, or totally admitting to using AI, to sift through resumes and hire applicants, that doesn't mean that AI isn't playing a major role in the hiring process overall. While job seekers should look into measures they can take to avoid being automatically rejected by ATS, they should also remember that being authentic in their applications is not a lost art.
In a world where AI seems to be writing everything, there is definitely still room for people who do it on their own and are creative without the help of advanced technology. Unfortunately, somewhere between rumors and vague recruiter surveys, the truth about how to properly write a resume so it gets you the job is still a mystery. In the meantime, remember to be persistent, trust that the right job will find you, and lean on your contacts. Networking is still the best way to ensure that your resume lands in exactly the right place.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
