Dmitry Zaytsev is the founder of Dandelion Civilization. This HR technology company helps organizations identify untapped talents through digital profiling and behavioral assessment. His work is aimed at bridging the divide between companies looking for long-term employees and high-potential applicants.
The CV has been the cornerstone for recruitment for decades. It is simple, standard, and well-known. In a job market where adaptability is valued over tenure, collaboration over credentials and mindset over landmarks, the CV has become a very limited tool.
We live in a capability economy. We still use documents designed for a credential-based economy.
If the goal of HR is to identify talent, foster fit and build teams capable of performing in fast-moving situations, it’s now time to shift from CVs into capabilities and reimagine how early-stage talents discovery should look.
The Signal Problem
Traditional resumes summarize rather than reveal. The traditional resume tells a story of the person’s career: what they studied and where they worked. They tell us little about a candidate’s ability to adapt, learn, or collaborate.
It wouldn’t be a big problem if the modern CV matched up to the old industrial CVs. It doesn’t.
The most successful hiring today often comes from non-linear pathways. They may have taken online classes, changed industries, or developed relevant skills by doing freelance work or side projects. Although they may not have much formal experience, their potential is enormous.
Most hiring systems don’t detect this. Formatting and familiarity are rewarded. They overlook the capability in the process.
What Does Capability Really Mean?
When we speak of moving to a capability-based model, it’s not only about hard skills.
Capabilities is a term that refers to:
- What someone does to solve unfamiliar problems
- How quickly children adapt to changing environments
- Communication across disciplines
- What they do when faced with ambiguity or feedback
They are not bullet-pointed traits. They’re becoming more important in determining long-term performance.
The good news is that they are not difficult to observe.
Rethinking First Step
HR leaders should start modernizing talent discovery by rethinking the first step of the process, the moment the candidate shows interest.
What if instead of submitting static documents, candidates were asked to complete a simulation, answer a scenario or respond to a challenge that reflects their actual job?
Even small prompts can provide deep insight into how someone thinks. Even small questions can reveal a lot about someone’s thinking. You can use the following example:
- A candidate for customer service might triage an imaginary complaint.
- With limited information, a junior marketer may prioritize his tasks.
- An analyst of a product might be asked for a hypothesis based on basic user trends.
These early indicators reveal real-world judgement, not just a job title.
It’s not Just about Fairness, but Precision
Many have spoken about the benefits of hiring based on skills or behaviors. This shift is also beneficial for accuracy.
You can better understand how a person will contribute to a team when you assess them based on their behavior, not just what they say about themselves. This makes it easier to assign people to the correct roles, reduce turnover, and improve team dynamics.
This opens up the possibility of a wider range of candidates, including those who have not had the opportunity to attend elite institutions but who have acquired the necessary skills through other means.
What companies can do today
It is not necessary to throw out existing systems. It does, however, require deliberate layering.
- Use capability-based screening tools to supplement CVs
- Teach hiring managers how to evaluate not only experience but also thinking styles
- Encourage departments not to measure performance only by output but also by process
- Pilot behavioral assessment with specific team to test effectiveness of feedback loops
Even minor changes to the screening process can have a significant impact on the quality of the candidates that advance.
Look Ahead
It’s not just a trend, but a recognition that the world of work has changed.
We need professionals who can adapt quickly, who are problem solvers, who learn quickly, and who work with others across silos. These are skills. They require a different lens.
The resume is not something that can be replaced overnight. It’s about giving us better tools to find what we really want.
Finding talent has been the responsibility of HR teams for a long time.
It’s time to see it clearly, early and in the right terms.
Starting small is the best approach for HR professionals who are ready to explore this change. Test a capability first step in one area of your funnel. You might be surprised at how much talent is hiding right in front of you.
The original version of this article From CVs and Capabilities to Talent Discovery: How HR can modernize talent discovery appeared first on Human Resources News.
