In 2025, hiring is no longer about ticking boxes on a CV. It’s about uncovering who someone is, not just what they’ve done. This shift in hiring practices reflects a wider cultural movement in the workplace: one that prioritises authenticity, alignment, and adaptability over traditional credentials. Hiring managers, once laser-focused on polished CVs and academic achievements, are now waking up to a more complex reality — technical qualifications may land a candidate an interview, but it’s cultural alignment that keeps them engaged and retained.
This reorientation has not come from nowhere. The inefficiencies of traditional hiring methods are well documented. PwC’s 28th Annual Global CEO Survey found that CEOs now rank recruiting as the fourth most inefficient business process after emails, procurement, and meetings [1]. What’s worse, many of the best candidates remain available for an average of just ten days [2], meaning slow, outdated hiring processes are effectively turning away top talent before an offer is ever made. It’s no surprise, then, that a growing number of companies are shifting their focus from CVs to culture fit.
Moving beyond the CV
For decades, the CV has acted as the gold standard of candidate evaluation. But in 2025, it’s clear that this method is no longer fit for purpose. “Relying on CVs to assess if someone is a good fit… is fundamentally flawed,” says Business Development Consultant Dennis Peek [3]. A well-crafted CV can create an illusion of competence, while a poor one may hide genuine potential. Too often, CVs reward those who are good at writing them — not necessarily those who are best for the role.
Soft skills like adaptability, empathy, and problem-solving are rarely visible on a CV. Nor does it convey how someone might interact within a team, respond to ambiguity, or align with a company’s mission. These are attributes that can be cultivated and assessed, but they’re not found in bullet points of job titles. In a bold move reflecting this shift, marketing agency Team Lewis scrapped CVs altogether, stating that “candidates will be hired on attitude rather than academic qualifications” [4]. They were following advice from Harvard Business Review during the pandemic to visualise a “hiring process without resumes” by imagining “shifting resources to invest in workers, rather than finding ways to exclude them.” [5]
Moreover, the overreliance on CVs can act as a crutch for recruiters who lack deep industry knowledge. Without the right tools or understanding, it’s easier to default to a checklist than engage meaningfully with a candidate’s potential or personality.
What is ‘Culture Fit’ in 2025?
Culture fit in 2025 isn’t shorthand for “someone I’d grab a pint with.” It’s not about shared hobbies or surface-level rapport — it’s about alignment with clearly defined organisational values, working styles, and long-term goals. As Cheryl Hyatt, co-founder of Hyatt-Fennell Executive Search, explains, culture is the “mission, values, and approach” of an organisation — not just what employees do, but how and why they do it [6].
For example, a remote-first company prioritising autonomy and flexible communication styles needs employees who can thrive in a self-managed environment. Startups might favour candidates who embrace ambiguity and are willing to wear multiple hats. Purpose-driven companies, on the other hand, may look for people who are energised by social impact rather than profit margins.
In each case, the hiring challenge is the same: identifying candidates whose motivations, behaviours, and values reflect those of the team they’re joining. This is more than just a cultural “fit” — it’s about cultural compatibility and contribution.
Keeping bias out
The term “culture fit” has drawn criticism for its potential to entrench hive-mind thinking and exclude diverse candidates [7]. And it’s true, when poorly defined, hiring on culture can easily slip into problematic territory –– how many minorities throughout history have missed out on a role because they ‘just weren’t the right fit…’? Even if not slipping into the realm of outright bigotry, hiring purely on “culture fit”, if mishandled, can result in a homogenised workforce incapable of innovation and short of distinct perspectives. Rather than the perfectly calibrated workforce you imagined, you end up with a team of “culture clones”.
But this can be avoided. Emily Tetto of Acceleration Partners puts it starkly: “Your gut is biased, hire on facts” [8]. That doesn’t mean returning to the stuffy shirt-and-collar thinking of the CV age. Rather, her company assesses candidates against clearly defined cultural attributes that are quantifiable, transcend demographics and promote inclusion without sacrificing alignment.
The most effective hiring frameworks include three steps: measuring current organisational values through standardised tools; assessing candidate values using the same instruments; and objectively comparing the two. Algorithms can assist, but the core idea is to move from intuition to evidence.
What can recruiters do differently?
In practice, hiring for culture fit means rethinking nearly every stage of the recruitment process.
Start with the job description. Instead of laundry lists of qualifications, articulate the values, behaviours, and expectations associated with success in the role. Collaborate with hiring managers to understand not just what the team does, but how it functions day-to-day. What kind of energy does the team need? What has helped previous hires succeed?
Shortlisting should focus on more than just pedigree. Consider a candidate’s potential to grow, their interpersonal style, and their personal motivations. Patrick Carignano, Senior Partner in Talent Acquisition at NTT Data, recommends thinking less about “culture fit” and more about “culture add”. The difference? Rather than seeking to bring in someone who matches and aligns with what you already have, “culture add” deliberately seeks candidates who will bring something new to the table. As Carignano writes, the goal is no longer to ask “Will they fit in?” but rather “What new dimension will they bring?” [10].
Culture-add hiring supports innovation, increases inclusivity, and prepares organisations for future challenges. It’s a dynamic approach to recruitment that recognises that no team thrives on uniformity alone.
Balance
None of this is to say that skills and qualifications don’t matter. They do. But as Greg Besner, founder of Sunflow and CultureIQ, puts it, “A great hire isn’t just a great resume. It’s someone who thrives in your environment. In 2025, smart recruitment is both art and science” [11]. Technical competencies are the entry ticket. But staying power, creativity, and collaboration are found in how someone works, not just what they’ve done.
Culture fit isn’t fluff. It’s central to retention, engagement, and performance. A mismatch in values can lead to conflict, low morale, and costly turnover — up to 60% of an employee’s annual salary, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) [12]. By contrast, aligned teams are more motivated, collaborative, and resilient.
In a world where job seekers are savvier, expectations are higher, and talent is mobile, employers must evolve how they measure potential. The CV still has a place — but only as one piece of a much richer puzzle.
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Sources
[1] https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/c-suite-insights/ceo-survey.html
[2] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-100-hiring-statistics-2022-rinku-thakkar/
[4] https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/08/07/attitude-over-attainment-why-we-re-moving-cv-less-hiring
[5] https://hbr.org/2021/01/imagine-a-hiring-process-without-resumes
[6] https://www.business.com/articles/hire-for-cultural-fit/
[7] https://hbr.org/2018/01/how-to-hire
[8] https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulspiegelman/2021/03/01/is-hiring-for-culture-fit-perpetuating-bias/
[9] https://hbr.org/2019/09/hiring-for-culture-fit-doesnt-have-to-undermine-diversity
[11] https://www.business.com/articles/hire-for-cultural-fit/
