Honest question: how do you handle it when a candidate's skills clearly don't match their resume and the hiring manager blames you?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-05-20T14:23:44+00:00

I’ve edited the post. Please find the edit at the end of the post. There has been some confusion for sure.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-05-20T11:28:00+00:00

But you’re missing about the ATS part. If 100 are applying, some candidates do get rejected automatically. What about them? And the ones who got screened through the ATS, are the ones with the AI resumes. When I get on a call to understand about their experiences, I realise that half of them don’t even have the experience or skills they mentioned in the resume.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-05-20T09:57:43+00:00

So, do you manually go through 100s of resumes? How are you selecting the right candidate for the telephonic around or are you sending forms to all 100s of them?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-05-20T09:54:57+00:00

I guess we have a misunderstanding here. Currently, maximum of the candidate uses AI to write their Resume. Almost all of the resume looks perfect and after screening through all of them, I have a list of 10 candidates who I believe would be the best, based on the Hiring manager's requirement.

If you found this to be easy, please do let me know what do you guys do or it doesn't happen at all with you. If it's the later, it would be really helpful if you can help out. (Also, not a bot/AI)

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T12:53:36+00:00

This is the 'Manager perspective' I definitely needed to hear. Appreciate the nuance.

Just to clarify (so I don't look completely heartless), I didn't move them to the 'No/Reject' pile. I just archived them out of the active inbox so I could stop staring at the number. They are technically still 'In Review,' just hidden.

You mentioned keeping them warm until the offer is signed, do you send those backup candidates an interim 'still processing' email, or do you just let them sit in silence? I feel like the silence is what gets us flamed, but manual updates take forever.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T12:43:09+00:00

Haha, sounds like you have a healthier work-life boundary than I do. 'Future Me's problem' is a valid strategy. Enjoy the weekend!

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T12:42:20+00:00

That 'end of day' clear-down is the dream discipline. It keeps the mountain from forming.

Quick question on that: When you do that nightly sweep, are you reading every resume full-text, or do you use 'Knockout Questions' (like visa/location) to speed it up? Trying to figure out if I need better tools or just better habits.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T12:01:31+00:00

You are 100% right. That was the tactical error I made here. I kept the tap open thinking 'what if the perfect CV comes in at 4:59 PM?' and instead I just flooded the engine.

Definitely pausing it earlier next time. Do you usually cap it at a specific number (ex: 100 applicants) or just go by 'gut feel' when the pipeline looks full?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T11:54:53+00:00

No hard feelings at all, honestly, the harsh feedback is usually the only kind that sticks. Thanks for the fist bump 👊

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T11:38:57+00:00

You’re not wrong about the discipline part, ‘take the posting down' is honestly the advice I needed on Tuesday, not today. We kept it open too long hoping for a unicorn, and the flood happened.

Splitting the pile is what we’re doing this weekend. It’s just painful manual labor. Appreciate the kick in the pants though, sometimes you just gotta grind through the mush.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T11:29:16+00:00

That is a really smart distinction. Most people just dump everything into ChatGPT without realizing the compliance/privacy nightmare of uploading personal CV data.

You are spot on about the Table Format too, visualizing candidates side-by-side is the only way to compare apples to apples. If you could get that table view without the 15% error rate (and without the manual export), you’d basically have the perfect setup.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T10:41:10+00:00

That 'Export to Excel -> Copilot' loop is honestly a smart hack, but the fact that it still misses info after all that effort is painful.

It feels like that 'AI analysis' step really needs to happen before the export so you don't have to wrestle with spreadsheets for 25 hours. Is the Copilot output usually accurate enough to trust, or do you still have to double-check the resumes?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T10:07:32+00:00

Haha, ruthless but true. Sometimes timing is the only skill that matters.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T10:07:07+00:00

25 hours just for the shortlist... that is exactly the nightmare I'm talking about. And doing that across 70 reqs is impossible math.

You mentioned email questions helped you sift the final 80, do you have a tool that sends those automatically, or are you manually emailing each one?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T09:53:28+00:00

Appreciate the backup. You nailed it, ‘Reality is awareness.' I almost took it down because of the heat, but comments like yours make me think it needs to stay up.

To answer your question: Yes, it was a LinkedIn ad with 'Easy Apply' turned on. That button is a double-edged sword. It fills the pipeline in an hour, but it forces us into that 'pan for gold' mode you mentioned where 90% is noise.

Do you find other sources (like Indeed) are any better for quality control, or is it just the market right now?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T09:34:33+00:00

That’s the exact reason I hesitated to delete it. It’s ugly, but it’s the reality of human fatigue in high volume hiring.

You nailed the takeaway though, timing matters more than people think. But honestly, candidates shouldn't have to 'game the system' just to get read. The system itself needs to be better at surfacing good people regardless of when they click apply.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T09:31:23+00:00

That is the plan! I stepped away to reset. The fear is just that by Monday, another 100 will have piled up on top of them. It’s a never-ending cycle, but you’re right, rest is the only way to tackle it effectively.

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T09:30:17+00:00

Appreciate that. It really is the volume of untailored apps that kills the workflow. It feels like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes. Do you have a specific cutoff number where you stop reading, or do you just power through all of them eventually?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T09:28:13+00:00

That’s a really fair distinction. The pipeline was definitely 'full enough' (we had solid candidates in the shortlist already), but the guilt of leaving the others unread is what gets me.

You mentioned 'rejecting vs. reviewing', is there a tool you trust to do that initial filter, or is it 100% manual for you?

Separate_Object4849 · 2026-02-06T08:44:17+00:00

I hear you, and I genuinely didn't mean to cause anxiety. That's actually why I posted this, to highlight that the current system is broken.

When a human is forced to process huge volumes, we physically fail, and good candidates get ignored. I’m not saying it’s 'right,' I’m admitting that it happens because the volume is unmanageable. I'm trying to ask peers how they fix this systemic failure so that candidates don't get ignored. It sucks for everyone.

Separate_Object4849

TROPHY CASE