Majority of Hiring Managers Favor Candidates with AI Skills Over Those With More Experience

As the technological landscape evolves, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly used in the modern workplace. From automating routine tasks to enhancing decision-making processes, the growing prevalence of AI is reshaping how businesses operate and employees engage with their professional responsibilities.

In January, ResumeTemplates surveyed 780 hiring managers to ask about the importance of candidates having AI skills on their resume.

Study highlights:

• 77% of hiring managers say AI is beneficial resume skill for 2024
• 6 in 10 hiring managers would choose a less-experienced candidate with AI skills
• 73% of companies are expanding their use of AI in 2024

6 in 10 hiring managers would choose a less-experienced candidate with AI skills

Overall, 77% of hiring managers say AI is a beneficial resume skill for 2024, and many believe this is a skill even entry-level candidates should have. In fact, 69% say AI skills are very important (29%) or somewhat important (40%) for entry-level candidates.

The majority (56%) of hiring managers say out of four candidates with varying years of relevant experience and AI proficiency they would prefer to hire a candidate with fewer years of relevant work experience but more experience with AI.

In fact, 10% of hiring managers say they choose the candidate with far less relevant work experience but expert AI skills.

Here is a breakdown of the four types of candidates and who hiring managers say they are most likely to hire:

• Candidate A: 10 years of relevant experience (44%)
• Candidate B: 7 years of relevant experience + novice AI skills (19%)
• Candidate C: 5 years of relevant experience + proficient AI skills (27%)
• Candidate D: 1 year of relevant experience + expert AI skills (10%)

“Possessing at least a basic understanding of a specific domain, in combination with having AI skills, can enable candidates to compete with more experienced counterparts,” says ResumeTemplates’ Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach Andrew Stoner.

“Candidates with less experience looking to stand out in the hiring process should be sure to highlight job-specific, relevant skills on their resume and give solid examples during the interview process. Obtaining in-demand professional or technical certifications is another way candidates can level up. Lastly, AI-generated work samples or simulations might be a new strategy for candidates to demonstrate their skills.”

7 in 10 companies are expanding use of AI in 2024

It’s possible hiring managers are looking for AI skills because the majority say their company is expanding its use of AI.

Seventy-five percent of hiring say AI is very important (33%) or somewhat important (41%) to their company, and 73% say the company is definitely (41%) or probably (32%) expanding its use of AI in 2024.

The survey was completed on SurveyMonkey on January 5, 2024. In total, 781 U.S. respondents were surveyed. To take the survey respondents had to answer that they are currently in a mid-level role or higher and are involved in hiring decisions.