Hiring teams adopt AI as trust in candidates’ resumes weakens

More than half of hiring professionals use AI in recruiting, but four in 10 say they are struggling with candidates using it to misrepresent themselves, according to Criteria Corp’s 2026-2027 Hiring Benchmark Report. More than a third say they cannot reliably detect that misrepresentation, and nearly a quarter no longer trust resumes as a reliable signal.

Released Oct. 6, the survey covers 1,027 U.S.-based hiring professionals across industries, company sizes and roles. Criteria, which sells assessments, interviewing tools and employee development resources, published the findings in its ninth annual report.

The difficulty is not simply finding applicants. Some 55% of respondents identify finding high-quality candidates with the right skills as their biggest challenge. Nearly two-thirds expect their organizations to grow headcount in the next year, while 52% say hiring is harder than last year and just 12% say it is easier.

Employers’ concerns about new graduates extend beyond technical ability. Four in five respondents say graduates lack the skills employers need. Work ethic tops their list of perceived gaps at 67%, ahead of communication, professionalism and technical or digital skills. Those findings describe hiring professionals’ judgments, rather than measured graduate proficiency.

The split is sharper in technology. Across the survey, 56% use AI in some part of hiring, rising to 87% in tech. Meanwhile, 37% say AI may be reducing the need for entry-level hires; that figure reaches 65% among tech respondents.

For 2027, upskilling current employees and increasing hiring efficiency tie as respondents’ top priorities, ahead of reducing turnover, cutting costs and improving the candidate experience.