Survey: 69% of hiring managers want to see COVID-19 vaccination status on resumes

After surveying over 1,000 hiring managers, ResumeBuilder found that one in three of them would automatically eliminate a resume if the candidate did not disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status. 

ResumeBuilder is a company that utilizes the skills of certified resume writers, experts, hiring managers and employers that assess resumes and job posts to help hopeful candidates snag the jobs they apply for, according to the company’s website. 

The survey, conducted by ResumeBuilder earlier this month, found that of the 1,250 hiring managers questioned, about 69% said they were more likely to hire someone that was already fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

"Among all hiring managers, 33% will automatically eliminate resumes that don’t include a vaccination status. Another 32% will give priority to applicants who indicate on their resume that they are vaccinated," ResumeBuilder wrote in an article explaining their findings. 

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As of mid-August, ResumeBuilder said about 63% of companies were mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees and, of that 63%, about 77% of employers said they preferred to see an applicant's vaccination status on their resumes. 

"At companies that are requiring employees to be vaccinated, 43% of hiring managers will automatically eliminate resumes that don’t state the candidate’s vaccination status. An additional 33% will give vaccinated applicants priority in the hiring process," according to ResumeBuilder. 

The industries that saw higher numbers of hiring managers who wanted to see an applicants vaccination status were in the computer and information technology industries (78%), food and hospitality (69%), retail (64%), education (60%) and healthcare (60%). 

"These industries may be leading the way because some, like advertising and marketing, are very client-facing, and these types of jobs tend to be done in ‘cube farm’ office spaces, where employees are close together," Carolyn Kleinman, a career coach and professional resume writer, explained. "Others, like food and hospitality, healthcare, and education make sense, as those tend to be mainly in-person, with an inability to maintain proper social distance." 

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Most hiring managers (53%), however, said they would hire a qualified candidate even if they were not vaccinated as opposed to someone who is underqualified and is vaccinated, ResumeBuilder added. 

"Overall, employers want to hire qualified candidates who will be an asset to the workplace," Kleinman said. "If they have a clear vaccine policy and they are transparent, this should help both hiring managers and candidates. Candidates may not be vaccinated when they apply, or at the time of their interview, but if they are required to be vaccinated by the first day of work, that needs to be clearly communicated." 

Meanwhile, businesses that have announced vaccine mandates said some workers who had been on the fence have since gotten inoculated against COVID-19. But many holdouts remain — a likely sign of what is to come once a federal mandate goes into effect. 

Even before President Joe Biden’s Sept. 9 announcement that companies with more than 100 workers would have to require vaccinations, dozens of companies, including Amtrak, Microsoft, United Airlines and Disney issued ultimatums to most workers. And smaller companies in New York, San Francisco and New Orleans have been required to implement mandates for customers and workers. 

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Some mandates seem to have converted hesitant workers, but employers are still dealing with holdouts. United said in late September it will begin terminating 593 employees over the next few days for refusing to get vaccinated. Other companies are offering alternatives, including weekly testing or working remotely or away from other staff. 

The federal mandate will cover as many as 100 million Americans — private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors. It is a high-stakes gambit by the president to boost the vaccination rate in the U.S. About 77% of American adults have had one dose of the vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Biden on Oct. 7 championed COVID-19 vaccination requirements, determined that the roughly 67 million unvaccinated American adults must get the shot even as he acknowledged that mandates weren’t his "first instinct." 

The president had ruled out such requirements before taking office in January, but they now are a tactic he feels forced into using by a stubborn slice of the public that has refused to be inoculated and has jeopardized the lives of others and the nation’s economic recovery. 

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"There is no other way to beat the pandemic than to get the vast majority of the American people vaccinated," Biden said in suburban Chicago at an event promoting the mandates. "While I didn’t race to do it right away, that’s why I’ve had to move toward requirements." 

In the coming weeks, more than 100 million Americans will be subject to vaccine requirements ordered by Biden. And his administration is encouraging employers to take additional steps voluntarily that would push vaccines on people or subject them to onerous testing requirements. 

Millions of workers, the White House noted, say they are still unable to work due to pandemic-related effects because their workplaces have been shuttered or reduced service, or because they’re afraid to work or can’t get child care. 

"The evidence has been overwhelmingly clear that these vaccine mandates work," said Charlie Anderson, director of economic policy and budget for the White House COVID-19 response team. "And so now, I think it’s a good time to lift up and say, ‘Now’s the time to move, if you haven’t yet.’" 

RELATED: Workers fired for COVID-19 vaccine refusal may lose unemployment benefits 

While mandates are the ultimate tool to press Americans to get vaccinated, Biden has resisted, at least thus far, requiring shots or tests for interstate or international air travel, a move that legal experts say is within his powers. Officials said it was under consideration. 

"We have a track record, and I think it’s clear, that shows that we’re pulling available levers to require vaccinations," said Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 coordinator. "And we’re not taking anything off the table." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported out of Los Angeles.