Synopsis

Artificial intelligence is leading to a surge of identical resumes, forcing recruiters to look beyond CVs and focus more on soft skills and actual experience. This shift is increasing screening efforts as companies navigate a slower hiring market influenced by geopolitical events and a nuanced impact of AI on workforce reductions.

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Artificial intelligence may be making job applications easier, but it is also creating a new problem for employers: too many resumes that look alike.

Recruiters are increasingly finding it difficult to distinguish candidates based on CVs alone as AI tools help applicants produce polished, near-identical resumes at scale, according to a report by the Times of India.

The result is that companies are spending more time interviewing candidates and placing greater emphasis on soft skills, according to Nicholas Kirk, chief executive of recruitment firm Michael Page.

“Earlier CVs used to be unique but technology has changed that. Resumes are no longer a selling point. And that’s where the importance of going really deep into a person’s experience, behaviour and values. That’s where soft skills come in and is more important than ever,” Kirk told ToI in an interview.

The London-headquartered recruitment company, which has operated in India for more than a decade, said corporate clients are increasingly asking recruiters to look beyond resumes when narrowing down candidates for open roles.

That shift is dramatically increasing the amount of screening work recruiters must do before presenting a shortlist.

“We might have interviewed 300 candidates to get the short-list of three. That’s the hard work that goes into what we do,” Kirk said.

The comments come at a time when hiring activity across many markets has slowed amid geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing conflict in several regions. According to Kirk, recruitment processes are taking longer to conclude, though the global jobs market remains far from the severe downturns seen during earlier crises.

“The global job market has seen a slowdown due to the war,” he said, adding that there has not been a widespread hiring freeze or a collapse comparable to the dot-com bust of the early 2000s or the 2008 global financial crisis.

The rise of AI has also become a frequent explanation for workforce reductions at many companies. Kirk said the reality is often more nuanced.

“Do I think there have been layoffs as a result of AI…sure they have. I just think there’s plenty of others that have nothing to do with AI but business performance. Organisations are having to be more cost efficient because their businesses haven’t been performing the way they should and in many cases, it is quite easy to point a finger and say it is an AI transformation,” he said.

In India, the slowdown has been felt more acutely in some industries, particularly manufacturing, where hiring decisions are being delayed amid uncertainty.

“There we have not only seen a slowdown in the hiring process but also jobs being put on hold till we see clarity because some of the jobs are senior in nature,” said Nilay Khandelwal, senior managing director for India and Singapore at Michael Page.

(With inputs from ToI)