Many recruiters wonder how they can become an expert in reviewing resumes in order to make hiring decisions. Our stance? That’s not the right question to be asking. Poor hiring decisions are expensive. That’s why it’s time to stop accepting the status quo of resume reviews to predict job success, and start using the Whole Candidate Profile instead.

The problem with putting too much stock in resumes

Conventionally, at least since the early 2000s, the hiring process has begun with posting an open position to an online job board. Then, interested candidates respond by submitting a long, bulleted (and probably embellished) list of their past professional and educational experiences. Finally, recruiters take a day, a week, or longer, to review those lists of information and assess whom among them may be most successful in the role. There’s just one problem: Resumes do not predict job success. Resumes offer a very limited data set by which to judge a person’s abilities. Names of schools, GPA, and names of past employers or job titles may reveal information with little to no relevance related to potential success in a new role. According to HireVue data scientists, candidate email addresses are even more predictive of job success than resumes -- meaning, there’s simply no significant correlation between the two. But why? Many talented people don’t go to top colleges and universities for a wide variety of reasons, ranging from socioeconomic factors to personal preference. Additionally, there are many groups of people who, despite being very intelligent and hard-working, don’t succeed in a traditional academic setting. Then there’s the issue of volume. Think about new college graduates. It’s possible to see 100 resumes with near-identical educational and professional experiences, which might lead one to believe that each of the candidates would be successful; when in reality, only a select few are the ideal match for a certain company at any given time. We believe resumes should be one of many data points, not the single one considered.

What is the Whole Candidate Profile?

A Whole Candidate Profile is a colorful, multi-dimensional snapshot of a person, rather than a black-and-white, bulleted list of facts. It includes comprehensive data on a candidate’s cognitive abilities and technical skills, as well as sought-after soft skills like communication, creativity and adaptability. A Whole Candidate Profile might include a video introduction, where each candidate has the opportunity to demonstrate their excitement about the company, or tell stories about past accomplishments. It might include a science-backed assessment that objectively determines candidates’ top skills, and matches them to predetermined competencies of the job they’re applying for. A Whole Candidate Profile can be further rounded out with questions that prompt candidates to describe their plans and aspirations for the future, which can be just as critical to job fit as any other criteria.

The business case for profile > resume

By depending on the Whole Candidate Profile, instead of resumes alone, organizations can turn hiring into a competitive advantage. Here’s why:

1. Resume data is self-reported; the Whole Candidate Profile is scientific.

The Whole Candidate Profile is made up of relevant and reliable assessments that report on both hard skills and soft skills. Each assessment model is purpose-built for a specific job role, and includes clear performance indicators and questions designed to elicit measurable responses. Backed by ethical AI, the result is a highly valid report that serves to enhance human decision making.

2. Resume data is limited; Whole Candidate Profile data is comprehensive.

The best way to build teams from diverse backgrounds, and with diverse knowledge, experiences, and perspectives is to collect a wide variety of data before hiring them. By using the Whole Candidate Profile, hiring managers can evaluate that wide range of data fast.

3. Resumes encourage bias; the Whole Candidate Profile mitigates it.

Many companies have committed to ramping up their diversity and inclusion efforts in an effort not just to contribute to a better society, but also to boost their bottom line. Even the most talented, most experienced hiring manager has unconscious biases. It’s inevitable; we’re all human. The Whole Candidate Profile minimizes it by throwing out any data points that do not help predict success for the role, or that may cause bias.

4. Resumes summarize the past; the Whole Candidate Profile reveals potential.

For many valuable positions, specific past experiences or education requirements are just not necessary. With an emphasis on reskilling for the future of work, many enterprise companies are committed to hiring individuals who are willing to learn, quick to adapt, and skilled at collaborating across teams. Skills such as data entry and word processing are nearly obsolete, and are being replaced by things like data analysis and cloud computing. Technical skills can be trained, and will inevitably change anyway. The Whole Candidate Profile allows you to determine the skills your company needs, and evaluate candidates based on that criteria.

Why candidates prefer the Whole Candidate Profile

Video can be a very empowering system for candidates. Recording a virtual interview enables candidates to draw a line from their skills and experiences directly to the skills required for a certain position. They have the ability to demonstrate, in more than just the written word, why they want to work for a certain company, and what they hope to accomplish. Additionally, today’s job candidates are looking to collect various experiences. Unlike their parents’ generation, many individuals now change jobs every 2-5 years before finding the best fit. Ultimately, the job in which they’re most successful may not resemble their educational background at all.

The HireVue solution

According to Gallup, untapped human capital is “the next great global resource.” It’s time to source great talent like your company depends on it - because it does. HireVue’s video interview and assessments platform makes it easy to assess a large pool of diverse candidates based on their skills, resulting in faster, more human, and less biased hiring. For better talent, faster - HireVue.

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Resources | Ebooks

The 2025 Global Guide to AI in Hiring