Latest news with #hiringmanagers
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Is a master's degree worth it? A new survey of hiring managers casts doubt
Hiring managers aren't convinced that master's degree holders perform better than candidates with two years of work experience, but they are still willing to pay them more. That's according to a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers conducted by Resume Genius. Fifty-two percent of respondents said the performance of those who earn the credential is the same as those with a bachelor's degree plus two years of work experience. Another 10% believe it's worse. 'A master's degree simply isn't experience; it's knowledge,' explains Resume Genius career expert Nathan Soto. 'So much practical know-how can only be learned by doing the job, and higher education doesn't prepare people for work. It prepares them for even higher levels of academic study.' The survey also suggests a significant discrepancy in how different generations view the degree, with more than double the proportion of Gen Z hiring managers—29% in total—suggesting it leads to stronger performance, compared with just 13% of Boomers. 'As Baby Boomers age out of the workforce, it suggests that the proportion of hiring managers who value master's degrees is growing,' Soto says.
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Entry-level jobs are disappearing. Here's why companies should care
As millions of new graduates enter the job market this spring and summer, many may encounter a potentially frustrating paradox: They need experience to get hired, but they need a job or internship to gain that experience. This paradox is deepening in today's labor market. At Deloitte, we recently released a Global Human Capital Trends report that found that 66% of hiring managers say most recent hires are not fully prepared for their roles, most often due to a lack of experience. Meanwhile, research has shown that a majority of employers have increased experience requirements over the past three years, and many 'entry-level' roles today often require two to five years of prior experience. This can present a virtually impossible situation for young talent. Foot-hold jobs, especially those traditional entry-level roles where workers could grow into an organization, are becoming increasingly hard to find. If organizations want to build sustainable talent pipelines and develop tomorrow's leaders, they should rethink what it means to be 'ready' for work and how they help people get there. The Disappearing Entry-Level Job For years, work has been trending towards greater complexity and specialization. It demands judgment, creativity, and adaptability—enduring human capabilities that are hard to acquire without hands-on experience. AI and automation amplify the issue, consuming many of the routine, repeatable tasks that once formed the core of entry-level roles. Simultaneously, some organizations are flattening their structures to increase agility. But this can have unintended consequences, as they may potentially risk eliminating stepping-stone roles and informal mentorship channels that can help early-career workers grow. This erosion of early-career development doesn't just affect individuals. It could threaten future leadership pipelines and innovation capacity. That's why organizations need to take action now to close the growing experience gap among tomorrow's business leaders. Experience ≠ Readiness We need to challenge the assumption that experience or degrees automatically equate to job readiness. They often don't. Human capabilities like empathy, curiosity, and problem-solving are more predictive of success than a bullet point on a résumé. In the AI age, human capabilities are tested just as much as hard skills. Nurturing these capabilities is incredibly important for creating leaders with the resilience and problem-solving skills for any challenge. In 2025, modern workforce development models—like what we have at Deloitte—emphasize three factors: technical skills (such as coding or accounting), human capabilities (such as critical thinking and emotional intelligence), and potential (including adjacent skills or latent abilities that can be nurtured). Yet, hiring systems often filter out high-potential candidates who don't meet what can sometimes be arbitrary experience thresholds. That means career changers, first-generation graduates, or self-taught professionals often struggle to get noticed. Strategies to Close the Experience Gap Fixing the experience gap requires systemic change, from hiring criteria to day-to-day development. 1. Adopt Skills-First Hiring and Whole-Person Models: Move beyond degree and tenure filters. Focus on demonstrated skills, motivation, and learning agility. This approach opens doors to candidates who may not follow traditional paths but are ready to grow. 2. Invest in Internships and Modern Apprenticeships: Paid internships and apprenticeships offer the context-rich experience grads need to develop. Research from Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education Foundation shows these programs not only reduce underemployment but also improve long-term retention. There's an unmet demand for these programs, too, as Deloitte's Workplace Skills Survey revealed that 57% of employees want more on-the-job observation and shadowing opportunities. Moreover, 61% of workers value mentorship programs as an effective way to build workplace relationships, emphasizing the importance of fostering connections alongside structured development initiatives. 3. Use AI to Accelerate, Not Replace, Early Career Development: AI can simulate on-the-job experience in safe, low-risk environments. 'Digital playgrounds' allow early-career employees to test their decision-making and receive feedback. AI tools can: Prompt reflection with critical questions Synthesize knowledge from experienced colleagues Help users practice judgment via realistic scenarios, including answering client questions during mock presentations When used intentionally, AI becomes an accelerator—not a displacer—of new talent development. 4. Create Micro-Opportunities for Experiential Learning: Organizations should make it easier for employees to gain experience through short-term projects. Talent marketplaces, internal gig platforms, and simulations allow early-career employees to try new challenges and build confidence incrementally. 5. Empower Managers to Develop Talent: Managers still control hiring filters, but they're often overwhelmed. Deloitte's 2025 Human Capital Trends Report shows managers spend just 13% of their time on tasks like hiring and onboarding. And 36% say they aren't well prepared to manage people. That has to change. Managers need training and bandwidth to mentor early-career employees. With around 40% of their time dedicated to administrative work or problem-solving, most managers simply lack the time to be the mentors most junior staff need. Formal mentorship, real-time feedback, and inclusive leadership practices help new hires grow and turn potential into performance. From Experience Gaps to Opportunity Gateways The potential risks of inaction are clear: persistent underemployment, shrinking leadership pipelines, and a projected global shortfall of 85 million skilled workers by 2030. These aren't future concerns; they're already weakening competitiveness today. Gen Z, however, is ready. Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey shows nearly a third plan to leave their employers within two years, not from disloyalty, but in pursuit of growth, stability, and purpose. They're reskilling on their own and eager to contribute. It's time to redefine readiness—not as tenure or credentials—but as the potential and agility that comes from well-honed human capabilities. It's time to treat AI and access to apprenticeships as launchpads for early career professionals, not barriers to their ability to gain the experience they need. And it's time to equip managers to be talent builders, not just task owners. The class of 2025 doesn't lack talent, but they do often lack access. It's time for organizations to stop asking 'Where's the experience?' and start creating it.
Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
7 Steps To AI-Proof Your Resume And Land More Job Interviews
A whopping 99% of hiring managers now use AI in their recruitment process, according to Insight Global's 2025 AI in Hiring Survey Report. Meanwhile, most job seekers get filtered out by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) before a human recruiter ever lays eyes on their resume. If you're wondering why your applications vanish into a digital black hole instead of landing you job interviews, it's time to AI-proof your resume. When you understand how ATS technology works and apply specific formatting and content strategies, you can dramatically boost your chances of reaching actual humans. Here are seven steps to AI-proof your resume and land more job interviews. ATS algorithms prioritize exact job title matches. In fact, research from Jobscan, analyzing over 2.5 million resumes, found that candidates who included the same job title as the posting were 10.6 times more likely to get a job interview. If you're applying for "Digital Marketing Manager," use that exact phrase in your resume header or professional summary rather than "Online Marketing Leader" or similar variations. Also, extract three to five key phrases that appear repeatedly throughout the job description. Common examples include: For acronyms and technical terms, include both the whole phrase and abbreviation: "Customer Relationship Management (CRM)" or "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)." This ensures you're found whether recruiters search for the acronym or complete phrase. Finally, remember only to include terms that genuinely reflect your experience. According to Insight Global's research, 88% of hiring managers can detect AI-enhanced job applications, and 54% care if candidates use it. Copy the job description into a word cloud generator to identify the most frequently mentioned terms visually. The largest words are your priority keywords. Since recruiters spend just seconds reviewing each resume, your most valuable qualifications need immediate visibility. A well-crafted "Core Skills" section gives both ATS systems and human reviewers instant access to your key competencies. Position this section below your contact information and professional summary. Structure it as a clean, scannable list combining: Research shows recruiters filter by skills 76% of the time when searching ATS databases. By front-loading your most relevant capabilities, you increase the likelihood that your resume surfaces in these targeted searches. Organize your skills by relevance to the job posting, not alphabetically. Place the most critical skills first, as recruiters often scan only the beginning of lists. Research shows that including specific numbers in your resume substantially increases your chances of landing a job interview. Transform generic statements into quantified achievements. Focus on these metrics: Instead of "improved sales performance," specify "increased quarterly sales by 32%, generating an additional $2.4 million in revenue." Rather than "managed a team," write "led a cross-functional team of 12 professionals across three departments." Use the "Challenge-Action-Result" framework for each achievement. Start with the problem you faced, describe your specific action, and then quantify the positive outcome. Creative section titles confuse ATS systems and frustrate recruiters who expect conventional resume organization. Stick to universally recognized headings that both algorithms and humans can understand. Use these standard section titles: Avoid creative alternatives like "My Journey," "Professional Toolkit," or "Where I've Made an Impact." Recruiters spend most of their time studying the work experience section. When they can't quickly locate this information due to unconventional headings, you will soon lose their attention. Test your section headings by asking someone unfamiliar with your background to scan your resume quickly. If they can't immediately understand what each section contains, your headings need simplification. File format can determine whether your resume is parsed correctly or completely misread by ATS systems. The safest default choice is .docx format unless the job posting specifically requests otherwise. Consider these format guidelines: Save your resume with an explicit, professional filename that includes your name and the word "resume" (e.g., "JohnSmith_Resume_2025.docx"). While visually striking resumes might catch human attention, they often confuse ATS systems and can result in your qualifications being completely misread or ignored. Complex formatting elements, such as tables, text boxes, graphics, and unusual fonts, can cause parsing errors. Instead, use standard fonts like Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman or Helvetica in 10-to 12-point sizes. Maintain consistent formatting throughout your document. Copy and paste your resume into a plain text editor (like Notepad) to see how an ATS might read it. If the information looks scrambled, simplify your formatting. Before submitting your job application, test your resume's ATS compatibility using online simulation tools. Platforms like Jobscan and Resume Worded offer free ATS simulation services that provide detailed feedback on keyword optimization, formatting issues and overall match scores. These simulators typically analyze: Target a match rate of 80% or higher, which indicates a strong alignment between your resume and the target position. Use this feedback to refine your resume before submission. If the tool indicates low keyword matching, revisit the job description to identify additional relevant terms you can incorporate. Run your resume through multiple ATS simulators to get a comprehensive view of potential issues. Each tool may catch different problems. While ATS optimization is crucial for getting your resume seen, remember that most hiring managers still emphasize the importance of human involvement in the hiring process. The most effective resumes strike a balance between technical optimization and authentic storytelling. By implementing these seven steps, you'll ensure your resume not only survives the initial digital screening but also compels recruiters to schedule that crucial first job interview.
