After completing their studies, writing applications is at the top of the to-do list for most graduates. Always included so far: the CV. Things are different at hub:raum, Deutsche Telekom’s incubator. Here, HR expert Anna Ott has banned the CV from the application documents. She explains why and how this is received in an interview.
UNIGLOBALE: Ms. Ott, how did you come up with the idea of eliminating the CV in the application?
Anna Ott: The fact that the CV is not a helpful source of data has always been a thorn in my side, but it really became acute this spring when I listened to the audio version of “The End of Average” by Todd Rose. It makes it clear that the focus must also be on individuality when making hiring decisions and that average comparisons such as grades or intelligence tests are actually nonsense. I then had the urge to try something different and see if you could actually do away with the CV and replace it.
What reasons speak against the CV?
In my job, I've certainly seen tens of thousands of CVs and noticed that people tend to make quick decisions: they get blinded by a nice format, get hung up on spelling mistakes or put candidates in drawers all too quickly. That has certainly always been the case, but in recent years it has become increasingly clear in my industry, the digital economy, that career paths are very non-linear and that a career decision rarely correlates with academic training. I can't tell from their CV whether someone is a really good software developer. Many didn't study computer science at all, but simply had many years of experience in programming, sometimes in private projects that don't appear on their CV. Therefore, for me, what is much more important is what someone has actually learned and not when and where they worked.
How does the selection process work at hub:raum instead?
The whole thing is currently still an open experiment. As an alternative to the CV, we have started having candidates record answers to seven questions in a video instead. These are all not job related as we make all candidates, intern or senior, answer the same questions. This is about, among other things, motivation, attitude to work, past projects that you are proud of. I then decide whether the candidates are eligible for an interview for one of our open positions. The second step is a technical discussion about the job and the corresponding tasks.
Doesn't this approach devalue training and degree qualifications?
Not really, because that can of course also be a topic of conversation in the interview. However, this is not the main focus, so all candidates, regardless of which university they studied at or how good their performance was, have the opportunity to present themselves. Previously, at hub:raum we mostly had students from very recognized business schools in Europe and even though they were all very good, they were all a bit “the same”. Now very different candidates from all over the world and from all social classes are applying. I personally think that's great!
What are the reactions to “No CV hiring”?
The feedback from the candidates was without exception positive. Of course, you also have to limit the fact that the candidates who apply to us do so in the knowledge that we have abolished CVs. So of course they are happy that they can present themselves to us, whereas at other companies they fall through the cracks if they didn't go to elite universities and are top of the class. The latter, on the other hand, are certainly a little put off by the new procedure. We rarely have such candidates now.
At hub:raum, Deutsche Telekom's incubator, the CV has been abolished in the application process. Here you get the information how it works.
