5 Methods to Recruit Effectively Without a CV in 2025

The traditional CV is at the heart of recruitment processes and yet some companies have made the choice to do without it. Thanks to this, they meet candidates that they could not have been interested in at first glance. Therefore, the first analysis of recruiters focuses on the Nobody in themselves and not on his resume.

Setting up an application system is not for everyone. Indeed, we must not lose sight of the fact that a job does not necessarily involve knowing how to write a CV.

While this is certainly an atypical recruitment method, it does not correspond to all sectors of activity: let's take the health, transport and finance sectors for example. On the other hand, a job for which no qualifications or diplomas are required is much more suitable for this new process.

Why and how to recruit without a CV? In this article, we will present the reasons and the various possible methods to implement this practice.

Why recruit without a resume?

It exists Three big reasons for which the CV is not the most effective tool for selecting candidates.

First of all, the resume contains a lot of information, some more important than others depending on the position to be filled. Unfortunately, this can often result in discrimination, in fact, additional analysis time would be needed for each CV in order to sort it out fairly.

All this is explained by the need to compare resumes with each other based on certain criteria and to take the time to identify items without making poor judgments.

At the same time, the resume does not reflect a candidate's real skills or motivations. Hence the importance of knowing How to assess motivation. As for the cover letter, it is no longer necessarily relevant.

Coupled with the resume summary, they do not allow candidates to demonstrate their potential and their abilities. Also, sometimes the information provided in the resume may be wrong.

Finally, CVs will naturally favor more “traditional” profiles. Candidates with a better degree and more adequate experience would then be favored while hidden talents may be present in other courses.

The 3 reasons to recruit without a CV: the comparison, the only overview, the diplomas

For all of these various reasons, recruiting without a resume can be a good practice. In any case, it is a significant alternative in order to strengthen your teams. How to apply this method?

1 - The use of LinkedIn

The numerical having grown more and more in our time, it would be interesting to question the usefulness of the CV. Indeed, LinkedIn is now technically a “public resume”. A network preferred by professionals, recruiters often tend to use it to carry out their sourcing.

As a result, a talent who has perfectly fulfilled his profile will have almost no professional secrets for you.

2 - Co-optation

More and more companies are giving priority to Co-optation, it is a process by which company employees can propose a member of their network as a candidate. Based on the trust of this recommendation, you can organize an interview without going through the analysis of the resume.

Thanks to this process, you get more direct feedback. To motivate your teams to participate in this recruitment effort, you can set up a premium (financial or not) Of co-option.

An employee could very well recommend a candidate to you via their network.

3 - The video

Recruiting without a resume does not necessarily mean without a presentation. In fact, the video presentation candidates may be indicative of their personality. Well done, this practice can make your recruitment gravitational and quirky. At the same time, this tool can be a Time saver, the questions are written in advance and each candidate answers them on their own.

For example, you can ask them about the skills they have been able to develop thanks to various professional and personal experiences. However, if there is no direct exchange, we can quickly lose the human side. One upkeep may be complementary to this method. We highly recommend it!

4 - The Assessment

A resume is only a visual representation of a technical background, so it is difficult to determine one's behavioral skills and personality. This is why some recruiters use assessment, which is a genuine 3.0 recruitment tool, whatIs Assessment? With this tool, recruiters can objectify their selection process.

The purpose of this method is to assess and identify the skills of a candidate, in real conditions, that is to say through simulations. It is the most reliable method for evaluating a person before they are recruited. However, there are many types of Situations.

Practical tests

With or without a resume, a candidate can perfectly say what they want about their experience and background. Therefore, it is necessary to test it. Indeed, a diploma is not everything.

Practical tests can be a solution, think about the missions given to the employee after hiring and offer candidates exercises corresponding to this activity. Once you have the results, you will be in a better position to detect the Hard Skills or technical skills of the various profiles.

In this same continuity, it is also possible to bring to life a Immersion day in your business with a Situation actual position. However, technique is not the only thing that matters.

The quizzes

While hard skills are important, Soft Skills They are just as well. In fact, we have made a Top 10 soft skills of 2024. Otherwise called behavioral skills, they are becoming more and more important in recruitment processes. As a result, numerous services have emerged to assess candidates in order to help recruiters in their decision.

The Internet is full of companies offering online questionnaires to help you select the right candidate. However, these very quickly become time-consuming and are not fun for the interviewees.

The Yuzu Solution

After several years of R&D with researchers in Psychology and Neuroscience, we imagined Yuzu : one New Generation Assessment Center, specialized in the assessment of soft skills (the famous soft skills).

With Yuzu, talents are immersed in scenarios developed with the latest technologies of the Video game.

The evaluations, on the other hand, are accessible to all profiles thanks to simplified orders and cloud technologies (all you need is a computer and an internet connection to be evaluated).

Recruiting without a resume with Yuzu

The advantages of our solution:

• One candidate experience exceptional for boosting your employer brand;
• A solution accessible to all to ensure equal opportunities;
• A decision support tool to detect and promote interpersonal skills.

Whether it's for your recruitment process Or of internal mobility, we are transforming the assessment of Soft Skills In a moment Loud and playful.

5 - Job dating

Another very common approach is the organization of Job Dating. It is a key event for companies and candidates to meet. Thanks to these conversations, candidates can stand out in ways other than their CV.

This first Recruiting stage gives the recruiter or manager an idea of the human and social qualities of talents. In addition, this method makes it possible to make real encounters that are very focused on the human side.

For example, we can cite the operation”From the stadium to employment“where recruitment managers organized a sports practice to find the potential soft skills or human skills of candidates.

A first face-to-face exchange without focusing only on the CV

Bonus - The afterwork

In this same continuity, theAfterwork is another asset to use to find the best candidates and make them have a pleasant and relaxed time. If the candidate is there to find the ideal job, the company's objective is indeed to discover talent.

However, the afterworks remain above all social events. Businesses choose a suitable location with a relaxed atmosphere, such as a bar, restaurant or café, sometimes even unusual places.

Employers sometimes pre-screen online before the afterwork to ensure that they meet candidates with experience and training that match their expectations. However, the CV is generally absent during this type of event. Just like job dating, it's an easy way to promote the human.

To remember

We are still a long way from the disappearance of the CV. Still very rooted in our practices, it is often relevant to assess the technical skills of a candidate. However, new phenomena are emerging and it is not certain that its omnipresence in recruitment processes will last forever.

The Recruiting without a CV is a modern and effective approach, depending on your context, to find the ideal talent, especially when no diploma is needed.

As we have been able to discuss, there are numerous methods to part with the resume : co-optation, the use of LinkedIn, recruitment through video, assessment or even the organization of job dating or afterwork.

With all of this, you will get a fuller and more accurate understanding of a candidate's skills and personality. You can also take the opportunity to strengthen the attractiveness of your business with a unique candidate experience. This approach can also help reduce cognitive biases in order to assess applications fairly.

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