Is the CV Becoming Obsolete?

The traditional CV has been a job application staple for decades, but its influence is rapidly diminishing. The reason? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the job market for both candidates and employers. As automation advances, the CV is quickly becoming an outdated piece of the hiring puzzle.

AI-Powered Job Applications: The New Normal

According to the Microsoft Work Trend Index 2024, AI usage in the workplace has nearly doubled in just six months, with an astonishing 75% of global workers now using AI tools. For job seekers, this means a new era of “personalised mass-apply.” AI-powered tools now enable candidates to craft and submit a multitude of applications in no time, each meticulously tailored to match specific job descriptions. This not only increases the volume of applications but enhances their quality, with AI helping to produce CVs packed with relevant keywords and optimised formatting. These AI-crafted resumes can sometimes outshine even the best human-crafted CVs, creating a competitive advantage for tech-savvy applicants.

While this AI-assisted process benefits job seekers, it poses new challenges for hiring managers. If a single motivated job seeker could apply to 100 positions in a week, AI can now enable them to submit thousands. As a result, employers face what some describe as a “DDoS attack” on hiring, with job postings overwhelmed and closed in record time due to application overload (WRK3, 2024).

The Changing Role of CVs in Recruitment

It’s not that CVs are becoming irrelevant, but their traditional role is gradually being overshadowed by AI's transformative impact. With AI’s ability to tailor applications in seconds, CVs are less about summarising a candidate’s qualifications and more about standing out in an increasingly crowded field. However, AI-driven tools often make it challenging for recruiters to discern between genuine talent and AI-enhanced applications designed to match ATS filters. In other words, it’s becoming harder to determine what represents a candidate’s authentic experience versus an optimised AI output.

The Employer’s Perspective: AI in Application Management

The wave of AI-generated applications is prompting employers to adapt their hiring practices. With so many applications to sift through, companies are turning to AI tools to manage the deluge. Major Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) now incorporate AI as a standard feature to analyse CVs and identify top candidates based on keywords and qualifications. According to a recent Pew Research study, companies increasingly rely on AI to quickly scan CVs and even generate candidate summaries, helping to streamline the hiring process and keep up with the sheer volume of applications.

However, relying on AI alone in recruitment raises important questions. Is it still a CV if a human didn’t write it, and a human isn’t reading it? While AI can effectively screen for hard skills, certain nuances—like soft skills, cultural fit, and emotional intelligence—remain difficult for AI to assess. This trend, while efficient, may lead to overlooked qualities that are vital to workplace harmony and performance.

For Employers: Strategies to Adapt to the AI Shift

As AI transforms the hiring process, employers need a new approach to find and retain top talent. Here are some strategies that can help:

1. Invest in AI-powered hiring tools – Essential for managing the increased application volume, these tools can automate initial screenings, helping employers efficiently identify top candidates while reducing time-to-hire.

2. Develop methods for assessing soft skills and cultural fit – While AI is adept at identifying technical qualifications, qualities like teamwork, communication, and adaptability require alternative evaluation methods, such as video interviews or behavioural assessments, to get a holistic view of candidates.

3. Focus on building alternative talent pools – Reducing reliance on open applications by nurturing internal and external talent pools can provide a steady pipeline of candidates, allowing employers to better manage application volumes and ensure stronger candidate matches.

4. Stay informed about the legal and ethical implications of AI in hiring – As AI becomes more integrated into recruitment, it’s vital to stay updated on compliance and ethical standards, ensuring that AI-driven practices remain fair and legally sound.

The Future of CVs: Moving Beyond the Traditional Format

With AI accelerating changes in recruitment, the role of the CV is likely to diminish. CVs, once the cornerstone of job applications, are now just one of many elements in a more complex hiring ecosystem. The emphasis is shifting towards interoperability, creating a more comprehensive, dynamic view of a candidate’s skills, achievements, and experience. Although CVs may not disappear entirely, they will likely play a much smaller role, with AI-driven assessments, skill-based evaluations, and digital portfolios taking centre stage.

As job seekers and employers alike navigate this changing landscape, understanding the limitations and potential of AI-driven recruitment will be essential. For candidates, AI offers tools to optimise applications like never before. For employers, finding a balance between efficiency and quality is the new challenge in ensuring fair, comprehensive hiring practices.