CTRL+F and the devaluation of a life course
What if your entire career is ultimately reduced to a keyword bingo? That you are not judged on who you are or what you can do, but on how many terms from the assignment description you have literally repeated in your CV? That is exactly what I see happening more and more often. And honestly: It bothers me immeasurably.
‘Anyone who searches only for words lacks meaning.’
Curriculum Vitae: from life course to glossary
I was raised with the idea that a CV is your life course. A reflection of who you are, what you have learned, what you have worked for, and what you have become good at. A narrative, not a search. But more and more I hear the same sound from managers, buyers, recruiters and colleagues: A CV must contain many words that literally come from the text of the assignment.
“Language is a bridge to understanding, not a weapon against nuance.”
The chain of alienation
Let's dissect the process. A manager has a question. Something needs to be solved, set up or improved. This translates into a description, which in turn is converted by purchasing into a list of requirements and wishes. The broker receives this list and forwards it to platforms. Recruiters pick up the text, rewrite it (so that the client becomes unrecognizable), and redistribute it. What comes to me then is a version of a version of an interpretation.
“The longer the chain, the further people get out of the picture.”
The CV carousel
I'm responding to an assignment. My CV, carefully constructed, is sent back into the chain. At the buyer or recruiter of the client, it eventually ends up on a screen where someone presses CTRL+F. They search for ‘Power BI’, ‘Azure’, ‘cloud migration’, ‘stakeholder management’. If I have not mentioned the correct terms literally – I have no chance.
“Fairness rarely fits in a search bar.”
Example from practice: the C 's#-carousel
Recently, I was refused an assignment because I did not have enough “C#It was in my CV. That was a tough call, according to the recruiter. A few days later he came back: if I could 'tighten' my CV with a little more C#Then he could nominate me. Now it is true that I do occasionally with C# have to do. I don't write code, but I read it, understand it, and use it functionally. So I tweaked my resume lightly, without lying. What do you think? I was invited. During the interview, the manager said on the spot:
“Coincidentally, you get a little C#? Don't worry, we use a tool that you sometimes have to read. Otherwise, just use ChatGPT, and we will.’
“The real work is rarely about the word you use, but about the problem you solve.”
The Paradox of the Perfect Match
The irony? A perfect CV can be a mediocre candidate. And a good person with potential is skipped because his story is written in a slightly different way. We're looking for people, we say. But the process rewards the imitation of the profile. Those who are ‘well able to adapt’ their CV go further than those who fit best in terms of content.
“A masquerade of perfection is no guarantee of success.”
The Renault Scenic metaphor
Have you ever seen a taxi driver describe his experience as: ‘I did not drive a Renault Scenic, but I did drive a Peugeot 508’? No, right? It's about someone being able to drive, not what brand. Yet that is exactly what we do in IT assignments. Someone who has all the knowledge, but just calls a different product, is out of the question.
‘The trade mark of the tool does not include craftsmanship.’
When it does work
Fortunately, there are exceptions. People who look beyond words. I was recently approached by a recruiter who saw my name and immediately thought: “This assignment is really something for Henro.” I had even ignored the assignment myself. But he knew me, the client, understood what was really needed, and thought outside the profile. After one phone call, I was excited.
“Valuation starts with recognizing who someone really is.”
A plea for humanity
The CV is not a magic formula. It's an entrance to a conversation. A way to show who you are and what you bring. Let’s give recruiters, managers and buyers the space to search for people – not keywords. And let’s put CVs back on the human side, not the syntax.
“The best matches are not made on paper, but in conversation.”
English (UK)