Forget the CV. It’s finished. Drop, too, the focus on the class of degree — that’s going as well.
Writing for Management Today, Adam Stolerman, managing partner at executive search firm TritonExec, declares: “Something has shifted in the way that global companies search for and retain their leadership talent. CVs and job descriptions are out. Creating a community of executives with the skills, experience and proven ability to meet specific current and future challenges is in, at least for the world’s most dynamic organisations.”
Stolerman goes on to say: “Over half of recruiters are in favour of it, according to research that highlighted an increasing wariness among hiring managers of the limitations of résumés and other traditional hiring techniques when trying to identify candidates with the exact skills and experience required.”
Meanwhile, major employers, including PwC and Santander, are scrapping the requirement for a first or 2:1. They’re still seeking graduates, but how they performed at university is of little interest. How soon before even that higher education requirement goes completely?
As someone who used to conduct the final interviews for graduate trainees, I well remember the value of the CV. I would scan it quickly, then toss it to one side.
What happened next was down to the candidate and me, in conversation. My one abiding mental yardstick was, do I want to work with this person?
That was it. I didn’t explore their school years, their hobbies and interests, where they had secured their work experience, college place and class of degree.
Partly, it was because I knew someone would have been through all that before me. But also, it was because the CV was worthless.
They were all pretty much the same, there was little to distinguish them. All high achievers, apparently. There was this boast and that claim, a place at this prestigious school and that famous university, when what really mattered was the likelihood of them being able to do the job, whether they displayed genuine interest and hunger, and if they would “fit”.
Strong CV, weak candidate
The CV tells you none of those things. What you’re basing your decision on is instinct and rapport, a sense — not, on the obtaining of all A stars and a first.
A young, junior colleague was in the habit of telling his workmates exactly that — he’d got all A stars in his A levels and a first-class degree. Eventually, I took him to one side and told him no one cared, that I had no idea which school and university most of our colleagues had attended and their exam results.
It was of no interest, no importance compared with, were they good people and did they do the job well?
Often, it was those with the strongest CVs on paper who made the worst interviewees. Yes, they might have been to Oxbridge and, yes, they obtained a first, but could they string two sentences together, would they work happily with others, would the staff be happy with them?
I recall one interview round. The graduate with the weakest CV, who hadn’t captained his school at rugby and did not go to Oxford or Cambridge, was also by far the most personable and the one who, while he was at his lesser-regarded university, had put together a student newsletter from scratch for followers of the local football team.
That displayed initiative and enterprise. This self-starter got the job.
Says Stolerman: “A typical resume might inform you that a candidate graduated with honours, worked their way up to a senior position at a global financial services company and successfully completed an 8-year stint overseeing the growth of its digital payments division, managing a team of 120. But it tells you nothing about how this candidate could help solve an organisation’s ongoing systemic [diversity and inclusion] problem, or an impending digital transformation challenge over the next five years. A CV gives little insight into how a candidate thinks and operates.”
He adds: “Convention is changing, and already there is a new methodology and mindset that the most dynamic companies are embracing to secure the executive talent they need.”
The new challenge
Instead of fishing in similar, frequently exhausted pools, companies are increasingly looking outside for fresh, different talent.
They’re searching for those who can solve problems, who display entrepreneurial skills. They will look at other sectors, for those prepared to change, who bring the attributes they’re seeking. Based on the traditional CV and search process, the candidates would not be flagged at all, not be invited for interview.
Employers want something beyond conforming to mechanical form-filling. Now, recruiters are presenting possible hires with real-life problems and issues facing the organisation.
How do they react? How would they go about solving them? What questions are they asking? How would they communicate their solutions? And, critically, do they have tangible examples where they’ve done the same or something close to this?
“The CFO of a global tech start-up I recently met voiced his frustrations at the dearth of problem-solving capabilities among candidates he’d interviewed for senior finance leadership positions in his team,” says Stolerman.
“All had the qualifications and technical experience that he’d requested on their résumés.” But this was box-ticking, it told him nothing about their actual competence.
The world of work is changing rapidly and clearly that includes the usefulness of the CV.
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More from Aya Iskandarani
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Mobile phone packages comparison
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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Juvenile arthritis
Along with doctors, families and teachers can help pick up cases of arthritis in children.
Most types of childhood arthritis are known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JIA causes pain and inflammation in one or more joints for at least six weeks.
Dr Betina Rogalski said "The younger the child the more difficult it into pick up the symptoms. If the child is small, it may just be a bit grumpy or pull its leg a way or not feel like walking,” she said.
According to The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in US, the most common symptoms of juvenile arthritis are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that doesn’t go away. Usually it affects the knees, hands, and feet, and it’s worse in the morning or after a nap.
Limping in the morning because of a stiff knee, excessive clumsiness, having a high fever and skin rash are other symptoms. Children may also have swelling in lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body.
Arthritis in children can cause eye inflammation and growth problems and can cause bones and joints to grow unevenly.
In the UK, about 15,000 children and young people are affected by arthritis.
SQUADS
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
SPECS
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
