Why CVs are failing young talent intake
By Marelie Botha
In a world where we’re reimagining almost everything about how we work, one thing has remained remarkably unchanged: the CV. For decades, the CV has been the gateway to opportunity—the document that determines who gets seen and who gets screened out. But for young talent, where experience is minimal and potential is everything, we must ask: is the CV still fit for purpose?
The evidence increasingly says no. And it’s time employers took note.
CVs are failing the young talent market
CVs have long been the default for screening early-career talent, but they are increasingly misaligned with the realities of young talent recruitment. Graduates often enter the workforce with similarly structured CVs: academic records, limited work experience and a handful of internships or extracurriculars. These documents are then processed in bulk, not by hiring managers, but by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) –software designed to automate screening.
While efficient for handling volume, ATS software is significantly limited in its evaluation capabilities. Most systems depend on keyword matching, prioritising CVs that contain specific terms, job titles or qualifications. For graduates, many of whom have not yet developed an extensive professional vocabulary or work history, their CVs may be automatically rejected despite having the underlying potential to excel in the role. Candidates with non-traditional backgrounds, gaps in their education, or those from underrepresented groups are particularly vulnerable to being filtered out before a human even engages with their application.
Traditional CVs often fail to reflect a candidate’s full potential, especially for early-career applicants. Employers can overlook strong candidates because CVs typically highlight surface-level traits and outdated screening criteria, rather than offering a holistic view of ability or fit. High-volume graduate recruitment results in an even greater overreliance on ATS filters, which compounds these weaknesses.
This is supported by a growing body of research that challenges the predictive validity of CVs. A study published in Frontiers in Social Psychology (2022) explored how machine learning models can extract personality insights from text inputs, outperforming human judgment and revealing more than a CV ever could. Other studies, including a 2022 scoping review in Systematic Reviews, show that video interviewing can reduce costs and enhance the quality of insights gained during screening, although implementation must be considered carefully to avoid perceptions of unfairness.
Ultimately, the CV was designed for a different era, where access to opportunity was linear, qualifications were the strongest proxy for ability, and hiring was local. In today’s graduate market, where potential is harder to spot and diversity is essential, organisations that continue to rely solely on CVs (especially those processed through rigid ATS filters) risk missing out on the very talent they’re trying to attract.
The rise of video interviewing
Video interviewing, by contrast, is emerging as a powerful tool to humanise young talent hiring. Recent research shows that video-based interviewing significantly improves efficiency and reduces financial and logistical burdens. Moreover, it provides candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate their communication skills and problem-solving abilities, as well as establish their presence and showcase their personality in a way that CVs never could.
Yes, while some candidates still prefer face-to-face interviews, video interviews can level the playing field when managed thoughtfully. They allow employers to implement structured, standardised questioning – often asynchronously – while removing irrelevant data points like candidate name, university or location, which frequently drive biased decision-making at the CV stage.
The human potential advantage
According to HireVue’s State of Global Early Careers Hiring 2024 report, there is a clear trend among employers in key markets toward prioritising skills-based assessments and structured interviews over traditional CV screening, particularly for early career roles. While CVs haven’t disappeared, more than half of employers surveyed indicate they are actively shifting their hiring practices to better identify candidate potential and job-relevant capabilities. Why? Because these approaches deliver better outcomes. They identify candidates with the highest potential, not just the most polished presentation.
When hiring young talent, employers aren’t looking for someone who’s already done the job. They’re looking for someone who could do it brilliantly. This involves assessing attributes like learning agility, critical thinking and communication. These are precisely the qualities that a CV fails to capture – and that a well-designed video interview can bring to life.
Rethink the default
For too long, the CV has been viewed as a non-negotiable first step in hiring. But what if it’s actually the wrong place to begin?
The CV is an outdated hiring tool, designed for a different era. It was never intended to be used at scale or to assess human potential in today’s competitive and diverse talent market. For young talent, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, the CV can often act as a barrier rather than a bridge to opportunity.
It’s time to shift our mindset. Video interviews are not just a tech upgrade. They are a talent equity tool. When combined with skills-based assessments and structured evaluation criteria, they enable us to see beyond what’s written on a page and connect with the person behind it.
Let’s stop filtering potential out of our pipelines. Start designing young talent intake for the future, not the past.
References
Grunenberg, E., Peters, H., Francis, M. J., Back, M. D., & Matz, S. C. (2023). Machine learning in recruiting: Predicting personality from CVs and short text responses. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1290295. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1290295
HireVue. (2024). The state of global early careers hiring 2024. https://www.hirevue.com/resources/report/early-careers-hiring
HireVue. (2024, January 18). Unveiling 2024 hiring trends: Human potential and AI. https://www.hirevue.com/blog/candidates/2024-global-hiring-trends-summary
Platts, C. (2021, February 16). 6 reasons we should stop asking for CVs. ThriveMap. https://thrivemap.io/6-reasons-we-should-stop-asking-for-cvs/
Risavy, S. D., Taylor, J., McGrath, A., & Gil, D. (2022). Resumes vs. application forms: Why the stubborn reliance on resumes? Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 884205. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.884205
Selvam, R., Hu, R., Musselman, R., Raiche, I., McIsaac, D. I., & Moloo, H. (2022). Video-based interviewing in medicine: A scoping review. Systematic Reviews, 11, Article 94. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-022-01959-8
Van der Merwe, M. (2021, October 13). Traditional CVs becoming unnecessary. Sandton Chronicle. https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/news-headlines/2021/10/13/traditional-cvs-becoming-unnecessary/TheCitizen
Varley, L. (2024, November 2). Are applicant résumés failing to show the full picture? Silicon Republic. https://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/applicant-resumes-failing-to-show-full-picture-skills-biasSilicon Republic