The Resume is Dying: Here’s What the Future of Hiring Looks Like

Progressive companies are already looking beyond traditional resumes in a bid to take more informed hiring decisions. We discuss four ways in which technology can aid data-driven hiring and enable accurate assessments in a post-resume era.

Is the Time of the Resume Over?

Research has consistently shown that historical employment data and previous work experience are poor indicators of candidate potential. Despite these findings, hiring managers continue to rely on resumes as primary data (or at least, the initial) for recruitment.

Also read: 5 Ways Resumes Will Change in the FutureOpens a new window

The challenges only increase when you dig deeper – not every candidate is proficient enough in soft skills or language skills to put together a carefully worded and engaging resume. This clouds our judgment, even when the candidate is highly skilled and extremely suited to a role. On top of that, research also shows that candidates are prone to padding their resumes significantly, if not mentioning outright lies. In fact, 85% of employers Opens a new window (Click here to read about False CVs: A Valid Concern for Hiring Managers) in 2017 have found lies of some form or the other in job applicant resumes – a number that grew from 66% five years ago. That’s why it’s no surprise that a large portion of the HR community is vocal advocates for the ‘death of the resume’. Instead, they recommend a more data-driven hiring approach, based on immediate and relevant testing.

With a large number of technologies out there capable of accurately assessing a candidate and enabling data-driven hiring decisions, dependencies on paper resumes should ideally decline. So, what are the different methodologies you could look at when looking to adopt data-driven hiring models as opposed to traditional resumes? Here’s a quick list:

Blockchain Can Help Verify Qualifications in Real Time

Also read: 3 Ways Blockchain will Transform RecruitmentOpens a new window

Blockchain technology addresses a foundational challenge with resumes – the possibility of fraud. Blockchain’s peer-to-peer operating model scans each data entry against a variety of stakeholders ensuring each and every detail is factually accurate. While this may not be able to process more high-level or subjective information such as personality traits or professional goals its application in verifying basic information cannot be overlooked. That’s why Blockchain could play a major role in enabling data-driven hiring, especially for seasonal workers, mass hires, and qualification-driven positions.

“Imagine a world where you can look at an employee’s resume with near certainty that everything on it is factual. That is what blockchain technology aims to deliver to the hiring process,” commented Opens a new window Gaurang Torvekar, Co-Founder and CEO at coding assessment company, Indorse.

AI-based Matchmakers will Exponentially Increase the Data-driven hiring Pool

“Job boards are broken, they don’t work for candidates, recruiters or companies. Finding a career and hiring to fill a position doesn’t need to be as hard as it is. We shouldn’t dread discovering new talent or a new opportunity for growth in our career,” said Opens a new window LT Ladino Bryson, CEO/CMO and Founder of vCandidates.com (a digital matchmaker that aids career progression).

AI engines can be used to cull and collate information from a variety of sources, including public records, education history, and social media. These can be automatically linked to open positions offering hiring managers a ready list of viable candidates. AI brings data-driven hiring approaches to passive candidate engagement – a talent segment that’s traditionally proved elusive and continues to remain outside the traditional resume submission & evaluation pipeline. 

Optical Character Recognition combined with deep learning models can take any unstructured document and extract valuable insights from its contents. This could include cover letters or any form of a communication containing candidate data. There are already algorithms available that make this possible, bypassing traditional resume formats to enable data-driven hiring, based on a much wider selection of information. What’s more, these engines would also keep learning through increased usage, becoming more accurate and effective with every application.

Also read: Textkernel Announces AI-Powered Resume Parsing Solution Opens a new window

Digital Resumes will Incorporate Graphics and Gamified Elements

Using online or cloud-based consumption platforms, this new breed of resumes are dynamic, and constantly update themselves as and when the candidate acquires new skills, and becomes familiar with emerging knowledge areas. The data is represented via badges, graphs, and automatically calculates scores to give hiring managers a clear idea of the candidate’s actual capabilities and potential for the role at hand.

Just take a look at Salesforce; their Trailhead Opens a new window offering is a great example of how digital formatting can reinvent outmoded resumes. This goes a long way in enabling data-driven hiring models, giving a holistic view of all the embedded insights.

In Conclusion: Skills and Personality Assessments will be The Way Forward

While we are already looking at advanced data-driven recruitment solutions several of these ideas still rely on resumes, albeit in innovative formats. The next frontier will be to make automated skills and personality tests part of the hiring pathway – these wouldn’t just choose the best-performing candidates in terms of scores, but assign a unique qualitative rating that condenses performance traits, candidate character, and behavioral tendencies into a comprehensive recommendation.