As AI spreads and job seekers can easily produce tailored resumes and cover letters by role, British companies are shifting to skill-based hiring that directly evaluates real capabilities rather than career history.

CNBC reported on Sept. 30 that Barb Hyman (바브 하이먼), founder and chief executive of Sapia.ai, said it has become difficult to judge a candidate's suitability based only on traditional resumes in the AI era. "The resume is already broken," she said. She said an applicant who appears unrelated to a call centre role based on work history, such as a hairdresser, can prove to be the right fit when assessed for empathy, listening and problem-solving skills.

The rise in applicants is also increasing the screening burden for companies. The Institute of Student Employers said the average number of applicants per graduate job posting in 2025 was 140, the highest level on record. The number of applications also rose 14 percent from a year earlier. The ISE cited factors such as a decline in hiring, applications written using AI and the spread of one-click applications.

Companies are moving toward methods that verify actual job capabilities rather than academic background or previous workplaces. In Michael Page's 2026 survey, 66 percent of UK organisations said they had adopted skill-based hiring. Some 58 percent of job seekers said they were more likely to apply for roles where required capabilities are clearly presented than for those focused on traditional qualifications or experience.

AI is also changing the capabilities companies want. James Broadhead (제임스 브로드헤드), chief technology officer at AI decision-making company Tactile, said a prototype that used to take engineers three weeks can be made with AI in up to 10 versions in half a day. "Now the ability to judge what is a good output has become more important," he said. Tactile also assesses customer communication and self-reflection, an attitude of doubting and verifying outputs, and the ability to continuously experiment with AI.

Advertising company PMG assigns in-person practical exercises, team tasks and solving real client briefs to entry-level applicants. Josh Kritchevsky (조시 크리체프스키), PMG's EMEA president, said it is difficult to know actual job performance based on past experience alone, so candidates should be made to complete tasks directly.

As AI deepens the limits of document-focused hiring, recruitment that verifies "what you can actually do" rather than "where you worked" is becoming more important.