You could say AI has put a pen to the old hiring playbook. Inboxes are full of slick, AI-put-together applications, and the CV is no longer what sets you apart. Recruiters here in India and elsewhere have made it a point to hold interviews that put communication and values to the test. For you, being able to talk the talk is the new currency; nailing an interview is far more important than having a spotless resume.
Why CVs don’t make an impression anymore
It’s hard for a resume to stand out these days, and recruiters will tell you it’s because of the AI tools out there. ‘Resumes are no longer a selling point,’ is how Nicholas Kirk, CEO of Michael Page, puts it. He says he’s had to tell his people to put the documents aside and get to know the individual.
That means the screening is a lot more work. ‘We might have to go through 300 candidates to come up with our top three,’ Kirk said. The London-based firm, which has been in India for over ten years, is now looking at a candidate’s history and character with a much finer tooth than in the past.
A slower pace, a different kind of pressure
Hiring on the whole has seen a lull, with things taking their time given the war and other headwinds. But as Kirk is quick to point out, this isn’t like the dot-com crash or 2008. There’s no blanket freeze, but you won’t be getting an answer right away.
Even the way we talk about job losses is being redefined by AI. Some of it is down to automation, sure, but a lot of it is just business as usual – cost cutting and performance. As Kirk sees it, it is convenient for some to call a restructure an 'AI transformation‘ to put investors at ease.
Where you can feel it in India
If you look at India Inc, you’ll see the hesitation, particularly in manufacturing. Nilay Khandelwal, who heads up Michael Page for India and Singapore, has seen some roles put on the back burner. It’s most true when the position is senior and the risk of a mis-hire is too great.
So if you are in one of those sectors, brace yourself for a few more hurdles and some time between them. We want to see how you handle the unknown, put a team in motion and get things done when it’s not all smooth sailing.
Making your mark in a sea of sameness
Forget the template. Hiring managers want to hear from you. Put your projects in terms of what they achieved, show us you can move the needle with stakeholders and be open to some hard follow-up. Make every chat an opportunity to show your mettle, not just your knowledge.
Here is how to keep up with where things are at:
– Have a few good behavioural examples at the ready, with numbers to back them up
– Be able to walk us through the why behind a decision or a compromise with another team
– Let your values align with what we are about
– Prove you can pick up new things fast
– Don’t be caught off guard by several rounds of interviews; manage your energy
– Do your homework on the sector and have some answers
– Make the link between what you did and the bottom line, be it in time, cost or quality
– Keep it simple and clear when you speak
Your soft skills don’t take the place of what you can do; they put it on display. When a room full of resumes look the same, we are left to judge you on how you think and adapt. Make sure we see that from the first call or email.
The way forward
An ATS keyword won’t do as much for you as a good interview will. We are going to keep putting in the time to evaluate people, for the right ones at least. Your CV is the key to the door, but it is your mindset and your story that will get you in.
And that is something to be glad about. You are in the driver’s seat of the conversation. Tell it well, be ready for some tough questions and let the side of you that no algorithm can create be the one to lead.
