Reading Between the Lines: Classifying Resume Seniority with Large Language Models

Accurately assessing candidate seniority from resumes is a critical yet challenging task, complicated by the prevalence of overstated experience and ambiguous self-presentation. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of large language models (LLMs), including fine-tuned BERT architectures, for automating seniority classification in resumes. To rigorously evaluate model performance, we introduce a hybrid dataset comprising both real-world resumes and synthetically generated hard examples designed to simulate exaggerated qualifications and understated seniority. Using the dataset, we evaluate the performance of Large Language Models in detecting subtle linguistic cues associated with seniority inflation and implicit expertise. Our findings highlight promising directions for enhancing AI-driven candidate evaluation systems and mitigating bias introduced by self-promotional language. The dataset is available for the research community at https://bit.ly/4mcTovt