Two-thirds of Gen Z say they rely on self-taught skills to find a job

“Do you want to know the biggest career hack I’ve learned in 25 years of recruiting?”

That’s the opening of one TikTok video. The answer, the creator Elite Recruiter says, is “skill stacking”: combining complementary skills to give you an advantage in job applications. “You’re not just a teacher—you’re a teacher who understands UX,” she gives as an example.

That emphasis on skills over experience matches a growing chorus online that’s singing the praises of self-taught skills in the job market.

“3 courses to take for early career success,” another creator suggests. “Skill stacking is the new degree flex,” a comment read on another recent TikTok video. 

Rather than relying on formal qualifications, workers are taking matters into their own hands, expanding their skill sets through TikTok tutorials and online courses to stand out in a competitive market and building their résumés around it. 

A recent Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey shows 74% of job seekers and 71% of hiring managers believe self-taught skills learned through informal online platforms are credible. Nearly half of job seekers (47%) now list these self‑taught skills on their résumés, creating a new headache for hiring managers who say evaluating those claims is more challenging than ever. 

The side-hustle generation is driving the shift: 66% of Gen Zers report teaching themselves skills online, compared with 50% of millennials, 35% of Gen Xers, and just 20% of boomers or seniors.

It’s not hard to see why. Gen Z is entering a workforce shaped by uncertainty and rapid change. 

An August survey by the New York Federal Reserve, found respondents put the likelihood of finding a new job, if they lost theirs, at just 44.9%, a record low. Careers no longer follow the same reliable linear path, and skills expire as quickly as they are picked up. 

Entire industries can shift seemingly overnight. 

Once upon a time, “upskilling” may have looked like enrolling in a coding academy and hoping for the best. Now, the best way to stay competitive is to get creative. 

Just as for job seekers, the days of meeting all the job requirements meaning a likelihood of landing the job are long gone, so too for employers has the hiring process become increasingly abstract in a time of DIY résumés. 

Right now, 53% of hiring managers still prefer to see formal education on a résumé, while only 18% of hiring managers favor self-taught skills. But about 29% are starting to see the value in both. 

Job seekers are also unsure of the best approach—24% think self-taught skills give them an edge, while 23% worry it could hurt their chances. Research from the McKinsey Global Institute found that for 45% of employed survey respondents, “their need for more or different work experience, relevant skills, credentials, or education was the top barrier to finding a new job.” 

A common trap is attempting to stuff as many skills and keywords into an application at once, in hopes an LLM picks it up in the screening process. Almost all hiring managers (92%) say proving skills through real-world application is far more effective than simply listing them. 

What works best is to lead with the skills you have, self-taught or otherwise, and offer specific explanations as to what you did, how you did it, and the resulting outcome. 

As self-taught skills become more commonplace, hiring practices are catching up. About 50% of hiring managers are already reworking their processes to recognize and verify these skills. Another 35% have updates planned for the future. 

Because, whether employers like it or not, anyone can simply put “proficient in Excel” on their résumé and hope for the best.