A recent Telegraph headline asked the question: “How do you get your CV in front of a human?”
It’s a fair question but one that would have been ridiculous only a handful of years ago but one that highlights a growing disconnect between people and the recruitment process.
Whilst I only fall short of being a millennial by a matter of months, my recruitment career spans a period that has seen enormous technological change. I can remember receiving CVs handwritten on scraps of paper, followed by the fax machine, then email, job boards, online applications and now AI-driven recruitment platforms. The industry has evolved more in the last twenty years than perhaps at any other time in its history.
The problem is that not all progress is necessarily improvement.
Today, many employers and recruitment businesses have become heavily reliant on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), keyword algorithms and automated screening tools. These systems undoubtedly have their place when dealing with large volumes of applications, but they can also create significant barriers between good candidates and great opportunities.
The biggest flaw is simple: recruitment is still fundamentally a people business.
If the initial screening process is being managed by someone who doesn’t understand the role they’re recruiting for, how can they accurately identify the best candidates? In construction, engineering and technical sectors, it’s not uncommon for a CV to land on the desk of a junior recruiter, HR administrator or talent acquisition specialist who may have little or no understanding of the industry terminology they’re reviewing.
If someone doesn’t know the difference between a luffing jib and a tower crane, or a site engineer and a setting out engineer, how can they confidently assess your suitability for a role?
Instead, the process often becomes a search for keywords.
CVs don’t follow a standard format. Just because a keyword appears on a CV doesn’t mean the individual has performed that role, managed that responsibility or delivered that outcome. Equally, some highly capable professionals can be overlooked simply because they haven’t used the exact terminology the software is programmed to identify.
Candidates are increasingly using AI tools to optimise CVs for ATS systems, stuffing documents with keywords and phrases designed to beat the algorithm. The result? Employers receive applications that look perfect on paper but don’t always reflect reality.
Bring back real people, conversations and deals done over handshakes. If not contact Jamie Pearson at Speyhawk to discuss your requirements or utilise our premium domain www.ConstructtionRecruitment.com to get your vacancies found by the right people.
