The first known CV was written by Leonardo da Vinci in 1482, and the format has barely changed in over five hundred years. We are still asking candidates to summarise themselves on a static document, even though most modern work shows up in code, portfolios, and live products that a CV cannot hold.
What this format quietly does is reward presentation. Candidates with recognisable university names, familiar employer logos, or strong self-marketing instincts tend to get through. Self-taught engineers, career-switchers, and people from outside the obvious pipelines often get filtered out, even when their capability is the closest fit for the role.
This is where the idea of CV-less hiring is starting to get interesting. When shortlisting is driven by validated role criteria rather than CV polish, the shape of the shortlist changes. Different names show up, and interview conversations get sharper because screening has already confirmed capability.
Have any of you experimented with CV-less or skills-first screening, and what did you replace the CV with. Would love to hear what has actually worked for your team.