Reversing Recruitment

The “talent shortage” has become a recurring theme in the modern world of work. Yet in practice, the majority of candidates never make it past the first step of recruitment. Out of every hundred résumés received, ninety-five will never have the chance to reach an interview. From the start, potentially promising profiles vanish into the void — lost in automated filters or human bias: the halo effect, stereotypes, or unconscious preferences.

In this traditional setup, soft skills ( even though they’re essential in a fast-changing work environment ) only appear at the very end of the process, when it’s time to “test the human side” during the interview. By then, it’s often too late.

But what if we dared to invert the process? What if soft skills came first (as the initial filter) and the résumé, that old ritual, was used only for confirmation afterwards?

Provocative? Perhaps. Necessary? The question deserves to be asked.

 

The Limits of the Traditional Résumé

The résumé has long been the primary entry point for recruitment. But this model now shows clear limitations. First, because it’s incomplete: on a résumé, you choose what to say, and what to hide. As Alexandra de Roulhac, DISC trainer and coach specializing in workplace happiness, puts it:

“A résumé is reductive because you put in whatever you want… and it may or may not be verified. Nothing replaces the human element: talking, meeting, observing.”

Second, because résumé screening is riddled with cognitive biases. The halo effect, for instance: a prestigious name or elite school can overshadow all other aspects of a profile. Conversely, a spelling mistake or clumsy layout can disqualify an applicant, even when their skills are real.

 

Add to that a generational paradox. Generation Z ( now entering the job market) defines itself less by diplomas than by values, commitments, and passions. Yet résumés remain stuck in traditional boxes (experience, education, hard skills) that fail to reflect the richness of these journeys.

In practice, this filter is ruthless: up to 95% of applications never make it to the interview stage. The result? Soft skills (which often determine team dynamics and long-term success) enter the conversation only at the very end, when they should arguably guide recruitment from the start.

In France, nearly one recruiter out of two (46%) already uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to pre-screen candidates. This step eliminates most profiles before any human eye even sees them.

Meanwhile, job postings tell another story: in eight out of ten offers, recruiters explicitly list behavioral or interpersonal skills ( those famous soft skills ) among the required criteria. A formal recognition, but one that still clashes with their secondary place in the actual process.

Biases persist nonetheless. A Dares study found that candidates with North-African-sounding names received up to 32% fewer callbacks than those with “French-sounding” ones. A striking inequality that exposes the blind spots of résumé-based screening. 

And yet, companies themselves admit the contradiction: 92% of French employers claim to value soft skills as much as technical abilities. Still, the résumé ( a historical relic) continues to dominate the first step of hiring.

 

Soft Skills as a Muscle

For Morgane Hornsperger, trainer, speaker, and expert in soft skills, these competencies are not boxes to tick or adjectives to sprinkle onto a résumé. They’re more like muscles: they can be trained, developed, and strengthened through life experiences.

“A soft skill is a muscle, the more you use it, the more it grows.A skill built in a family, cultural, or community setting can easily transfer to the professional world.”

She stresses the importance of concrete examples. Writing creative on a résumé means little. But telling how you organized a charity fundraiser, united a group around an artistic project, or supported a loved one through illness — that shows tangible qualities: creativity, empathy, leadership, resilience.

This idea of transferability sits at the heart of her philosophy: soft skills can be born anywhere — in sports, volunteering, art, or family life, and become valuable assets in the workplace.

“We should be as proud of our soft skills as we are of our diplomas. Creativity, boldness, or the ability to take risks are achievements as real as a master’s or a PhD.”

From this perspective, a résumé should not merely recount a career path — it should reflect human potential: what one contributes to a team, far beyond titles or certifications.

As Alexandra de Roulhac adds, in sports, when two athletes have the same technical level, it’s often the mindset that makes the difference. In business, it’s the same: a salesperson can close a difficult deal simply because they’re tenacious. Soft skills such as endurance, courage, teamwork, are our true superpowers. They turn competence into performance.

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How to Showcase Your Soft Skills on a Résumé

• Link soft skills to experiences: Under each job or project, list two or three behavioral skills illustrated by concrete examples.

• Highlight the extra-professional side:  Sports, volunteering, cultural or family projects , all are valuable grounds for developing soft skills.

• Own your pride: Creativity, courage, the ability to take initiative , these are as precious as any diploma, and they deserve to be displayed.

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The Résumé as a Personal Statement

For Morgane Hornsperger, a résumé should not be a cold, standardized document, but a living tool that reflects the uniqueness of its author.

“A résumé should look like you. It’s a sales argument, a personal brochure. The idea is to tell the other person: here’s how I work, and here’s how I can fit into your environment.”

In that sense, it’s no longer about checking boxes, but about offering clues about one’s personality, values, and ways of working. That might show through word choice, layout, or even creative elements: a short video, an audio clip, or an image that tells a story. 

Morgane pushes the reflection further on the classic résumé photo. Why limit it to a static portrait that often triggers unconscious judgments? A candidate could instead choose an image that truly represents them: their football team, a meaningful achievement, a painting they made, or even a landscape that inspires them...What matters isn’t aesthetics, it’s the message: pride, values, mindset.

An enriched résumé helps build a connection before the interview, where traditional formats tend to stifle expression.

“You can show glimpses of yourself: a passion for gardening, writing, sports, or volunteering… These already reveal soft skills and a state of mind.”

But this personalization also carries risks. Too much creativity can blur the message, and not everyone shares the same visual or narrative codes. Standing out through originality can even backfire, creating new inequalities between candidates. A résumé that looks great might catch the eye but distract from what really matters: actual skills.

Here lies the paradox — how do we encourage self-expression without letting subjectivity, from recruiter or candidate, take over?

Humanizing the Journey

Beyond technical skills, Morgane Hornsperger advocates putting more humanity back into recruitment. For her, it’s not about throwing the résumé away — but redefining its purpose: to create a connection and spark emotion before the interview.

“Today, résumés and cover letters are often too conventional to let candidates truly express themselves. We could give them more space, maybe through video CVs, photos that tell a story, or more personal formats.”

This approach goes beyond the professional realm. Personal life, whether it’s a birth, a move, a separation, or community work, also builds precious qualities: resilience, adaptability, teamwork.

“A professional path is shaped by personal events. Every one of them moves our professional line forward.”

 

A vision shared by Alexandra de Roulhac. For her, nothing replaces direct interaction.

Her observation is clear: psychometric tools such as DISC can help with self-awareness but can’t substitute for real conversations. Behavior, listening, curiosity, and how someone positions themselves in dialogue — those are signals no document can capture.

 

Soft Skills: Intuition vs. Tools

If soft skills are so essential, how do we actually assess them? Can they really be measured? For Morgane Hornsperger, intuition must keep its place in recruitment:

“I want to believe in intuition. Humans operate on instinct. Maybe it’s time we used more video CVs or personal formats to let those signals through before the interview.”

The goal: to favor human connection, to “feel” a personality through their story, word choices, and passions.

But intuition, however valuable, is not infallible, it’s full of biases, often unconscious. That’s where Alexandra de Roulhac’s perspective adds balance:

“Tools like DISC aren’t recruitment instruments per se, but they can help candidates better understand and showcase their soft skills. Nothing replaces human interaction, but tools can offer useful perspective.”

In this sense, tests don’t replace the human encounter, they provide a framework, a lens that helps limit bias and open dialogue. They make what is often subjective a little more objective.

Between intuition and tools, it’s not about choosing one side , but finding equilibrium: a recruitment process able to capture individuality without falling into arbitrariness.

Alexandra has seen it firsthand as a coach: some graduates from top schools can design a flawless business plan , but fail to take the leap because they lack confidence or courage. Others, with no formal education, dared to try, and succeeded. She often quotes Tony Robbins, who says: “The quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationships.” For her, the parallel in business is obvious:

“The quality of a company depends first and foremost on the soft skills of its leader. They shape how that person surrounds themselves, makes decisions, balances logic and emotion — and, ultimately, defines the company culture.”

Conclusion: Should We Reverse Recruitment?

From Morgane Hornsperger to Alexandra de Roulhac, one conclusion emerges: The résumé, as we use it today, no longer reveals candidates’ real potential.

For Morgane, soft skills are like muscles,  developed through life, and visible everywhere: in sports, volunteering, art, or family. They deserve to be showcased proudly, like diplomas — and integrated right into the résumé: three key skills per experience, passions highlighted, and personal snippets that tell a story. The résumé then becomes a personal artifact, a unique mirror that builds connection even before the interview.

For Alexandra, the résumé still has value, but only as what it is: a reduction. Nothing replaces human exchange or observing real behavior. Tools like DISC can help with self-awareness, but they can’t match the richness of human contact.

As she sums it up perfectly:  “Your résumé tells what you’ve done; your soft skills reveal what you’re capable of. Diplomas open doors, but soft skills let you walk through them.”

She concludes with a powerful metaphor: In sports, athletes train their mindset as much as their technique. Why shouldn’t we apply the same logic to work? 

Both experts agree: recruitment shouldn’t remain a fixed grid. Between intuition and data, between professional paths and personal experiences, it’s possible to invent a more balanced model, one that values soft skills from the start, without erasing technical skills, but restoring their proper place.

So, should we flip recruitment upside down, start with who we are before what we’ve done? The question remains open. But one thing is certain: behind every résumé lies a human being. And that’s where everything should begin again.

Maybe the true answer lies elsewhere , in how others see us. In the feedback from colleagues, managers, friends, or partners, far beyond the boxes of a résumé. Because when it comes to soft skills, no one judges our strengths better than those who live them alongside us.

 

And what if tomorrow, a résumé wasn’t a sheet of paper, but a fairception , a living capsule of who we are, fueled by the feedback of others and amplified by our own stories?

Remember: all different, all exceptional.

 

Special thanks to our contributors

Morgane Hornsperger

Trainer, speaker, and facilitator specializing in soft skills, creativity, and collective intelligence. Morgane helps organizations develop agility, cooperation, and innovation through visual and participatory methods. An international referee in speed reading and mind mapping, she promotes recognition of “brain sports.”

Co-author of Soft Skills: The New Keys to Success and the upcoming Putting Humanity Back at the Heart of QVCT, she champions human potential as a driver of sustainable performance.

• Website: www.morganefacilitation.fr

• Podcast: Exploration Soft Skills — podcast.ausha.co/exploration-soft-skills

 

Alexandra de Roulhac

DISC trainer and coach specializing in workplace happiness.

Recognized as France’s first “happiness coach” since 2009, she helps teams and organizations cultivate fulfillment, engagement, and performance through workshops, training, and DISC debriefs.

Website: www.coachdubonheur.com

 

Article written for fairception by Lucie Michaut