{"id":56933,"date":"2026-06-04T06:55:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T06:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clevry.com\/?p=56933"},"modified":"2026-06-04T07:08:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:08:29","slug":"from-cvs-to-capabilities-rethinking-hiring-in-the-ai-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clevry.com\/en\/blog\/from-cvs-to-capabilities-rethinking-hiring-in-the-ai-era\/","title":{"rendered":"From CVs to capabilities: Rethinking hiring in the AI era"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As part of Clevry\u2019s Perspectives on Talent<\/strong> series, we speak with leaders, practitioners, and experts who are helping shape the future of work. Through these conversations, we explore the challenges organisations face today and the strategies they are using to build stronger, more adaptable workforces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For this edition, we spoke with Richard Bradley<\/strong>, Commercial Director at Omni RMS<\/a>, about how AI is reshaping recruitment, why traditional hiring methods are increasingly under pressure, and what organisations should be focusing on instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, hiring has largely followed the same formula. Advances in AI, shifting workforce expectations, and evolving skill requirements are forcing organisations to rethink long-held assumptions about how they identify, evaluate, and develop talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI isn’t breaking hiring. It’s exposing what was already broken.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When discussions turn to AI and recruitment, much of the conversation focuses on how technology is disrupting traditional hiring practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard sees it differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his view, many of the challenges organisations face today existed long before generative AI arrived. AI is simply shining a brighter light on weaknesses that have been part of recruitment processes for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“CVs became outdated before the AI era,” he says. “All AI is doing is showing up the cracks and weaknesses that were already in a pretty badly designed process.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \u201cCVs became outdated before the AI era. All AI is doing is showing up the cracks and weaknesses that were already in a pretty badly designed process.\u201d\n <\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Richard points out that while work itself has transformed dramatically over the past two centuries, many organisations still place enormous weight on essentially the same type of document that workers used to present their skills and experience when seeking opportunities in Britain’s mills during the 1800s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jobs have changed. Skills have changed. Technology has changed. Yet the foundations of hiring often remain remarkably similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Richard, AI should not be viewed as a threat to existing recruitment processes. Instead, it should be viewed as a catalyst for questioning whether those processes were fit for purpose in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think AI gives us an opportunity to review how we hire and how we do things differently.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The growing challenge of volume over quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most immediate impacts of AI is the explosion in application volumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While economic uncertainty has contributed to increased competition for jobs, AI tools have made it easier than ever for candidates to apply at scale. As a result, organisations are finding themselves overwhelmed by applications while struggling to identify genuinely suitable candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re seeing a lot of organisations overwhelmed by that volume.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Richard, attracting the right talent is still a challenge in niche roles and scarce-skill areas. However, for many organisations, a growing challenge is identifying the right candidate among an ever-increasing volume of applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI has made applying easier. It has not necessarily made hiring easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many organisations are still relying on screening methods that were designed for a very different labour market. As application volumes rise, those processes become increasingly difficult to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, many candidates are using similar tools to prepare CVs, draft applications, and prepare for interviews. As a result, many candidates appear increasingly similar on paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Everyone’s CV looks the same. The interview prep is quite similar.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That reality creates an urgent need for organisations to find better ways of evaluating capability beyond what is written on a CV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Candidate experience is finally becoming impossible to ignore<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Candidate experience<\/a> has been a topic of discussion throughout Richard’s career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet he is not convinced organisations have made as much progress as they think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Candidate experience has been around since I started in recruitment in the 90s. I don’t think it’s really got that much better.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \u201cCandidate experience has been around since I started in recruitment in the 90s. I don’t think it’s really got that much better.\u201d\n <\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What has changed is the visibility of poor experiences. Candidates increasingly judge organisations not only on the role itself, but on every interaction throughout the hiring process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communication, transparency, responsiveness, and even the way organisations use AI all contribute to how candidates perceive an employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How you show up in the process, how you communicate, and how you’re using AI reflects how people see you as an organisation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many organisations continue to assume that a challenging economic environment gives them the upper hand. Richard believes that is a mistake. While some sectors may see an abundance of applicants, high-performing talent and scarce skills remain in demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those candidates still have choices. And increasingly, poor hiring experiences are costing organisations access to the very people they want to hire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The bigger problem: many organisations are hiring for jobs that no longer exist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While AI receives most of the attention, Richard believes a more fundamental issue often goes unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jobs themselves are changing. A significant part of Omni RMS’s work involves helping organisations review competency frameworks, job descriptions, and talent strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Richard frequently finds is that organisations are hiring against requirements that were defined years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The jobs changed and the component parts of that job changed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many competency frameworks have not kept pace with evolving technology, changing customer expectations, and new ways of working. Similarly, job descriptions are often recycled from previous hiring campaigns without questioning whether they still reflect what success looks like today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than asking who performed the role five years ago, organisations should be asking what outcomes the role needs to deliver in the future. That shift requires a different approach to hiring. One focused less on experience and more on capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Technical expertise still matters. Human capabilities and potential matter more than ever<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One concern that often surfaces in discussions about AI is whether technical skills will become less valuable as technology becomes more capable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard does not think that’s the right way to look at it. While AI can assist with many tasks, he believes there are still countless roles where deep expertise remains essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If you’re going to become a surgeon or an aeronautical engineer, there is a level of technical skill that you’re going to need to have. There’s no getting away from that.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Richard’s view, AI is unlikely to eliminate the need for expertise. What it does change is how organisations evaluate and develop talent, particularly at the early-career level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While qualifications and experience remain important in many professions, Richard believes they are becoming less reliable differentiators for graduates and early-career talent entering the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The capabilities Richard believes will become increasingly important include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n