Marvin OnumonuFour in five entry-level jobs (80%) went to candidates who already had experience, CV Genius found in its 2025 State of Entry-Level Hiring Report.
Out of 2,000 UK hiring managers surveyed, only 20% of entry-level positions asked for no work history.
Most employers wanted applicants to have between six months and two years of relevant experience.
Soft skills (61%) and technical abilities (56%) were picked as more important than academic performance (25%).
Samuel Johns, recruiting manager at CV Genius, said: “Entry-level roles are effectively becoming junior positions, and a degree alone is rarely enough to secure an interview anymore.
“To compete in 2025, graduates need to prioritise gaining practical exposure — through internships or entrepreneurship, for example — just as much as they focus on their studies.”
82% of companies still hired for entry-level roles, but 53% said they were taking on fewer graduates than before.
Skills shortages, not a lack of applicants, were given as the main reason by 73% of managers.
Only 15% of Gen Z managers said their entry-level roles required no experience, compared with 26% of baby boomers.
Basic application errors led to many rejections. Top reasons included generic applications (45%), spelling or grammar mistakes (44%), and formatting problems (41%).
More than half of managers (56%) saw a fully artificial intelligence (AI) written CV as a negative or dealbreaker.
33% of Gen Z managers said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ used AI tools to screen applications, compared with 8% of baby boomers.
Johns added: “While AI can be a helpful brainstorming partner, don’t use it to write your entire CV. Employers want to see your authentic voice.
“Be careful with subtle things such as weird formatting and unusual grammar or punctuation for your region, as this can be a clear tell of extensive AI use.”
Managers said soft skills (61%) mattered most when hiring, followed by technical abilities (56%). Academic background ranked lower at 25%.
Poor professionalism (23%) and attendance issues (22%) were more likely to result in firing than not hitting performance targets (22%).
A weak work ethic was another reason not to hire a graduate, given by 37%.
64% of women prioritised soft skills compared to 59% of men.
Men were more likely to reject candidates for not having hard skills (33%) than women (27%).
76% of hiring managers said they checked candidates’ public social media profiles.
59% rejected someone due to a poor culture fit found online.
Gen Z managers were most likely to ‘always’ or ‘often’ check social media (39%), compared to 16% of baby boomers.
36% of Gen Z managers often saw candidates posting publicly about the hiring process.
60% of managers admitted to pausing hiring after final interviews at least sometimes, while 51% admitted to ghosting candidates.
Most managers (79%) saw well-researched salary negotiation as a good sign.
44% of Gen Z managers said their organisation had withdrawn an offer after a candidate negotiated, compared to 34% of Gen X and baby boomers.
