Jobseekers – Right now you are probably wondering why looking for a job is so tough. New technology was meant to make the job search simpler, yet every online application you make seems to get sucked into a digital black hole.

The world of recruitment is about to be turned upside down.

Imagine a world where the jobs come to you. No painstaking online application forms, no resume needed and no recruiter in the way of you and the hirer. Imagine, opportunities coming via your social platforms and as soon as you register interest, you are connected instantly to the hiring manager via We Chat or Skype. 10 minutes later you will know if you will progress to the next stage or not.

What currently takes weeks will take minutes. It sounds unbelievably easy, right? And it is happening right now!

The world of recruitment is about to be turned upside down. The impact this will have on your career and how you find jobs in the future will be massive.

I recently caught up with Paul Slezak, one of the Cofounders of RecruitLoop (Think Uber but for the recruitment industry).

Starting in Sydney in 2010, Paul and his cofounders have built a business that operates in 74 countries and has nearly 3000 independent recruitment consultants. Paul is now based in Silicon Valley, helping to grow RecruitLoop’s international footprint.

Not only is Paul one of the recruitment industry’s pioneering disruptors, but he is also an expert on recruitment methodology and a regular speaker at global recruitment events.

I recently caught up with Paul, and he kindly shared his unique insights for what I will be publishing as a series of articles. 

Is the resume dead?

"Yes, absolutely. I definitely see it here in San Francisco. Companies are approaching candidates based on the quality and examples of their work rather than their work history. GitHub, as an example, has enabled potential employers to approach people with job opportunities based on their skills as a developer and their portfolio of work” Paul explained.

“If you look at companies like Google, AirBnB and Uber, assessing the suitability of an applicant based on a resume would be almost impossible. Many of the roles these companies need to hire for didn’t even exist until recently.”

"Resumes don't demonstrate potential, and they don't show you the level of technical expertise someone possesses."

"Many of these companies are looking for talent with technical skills that are at the cutting edge. It becomes very difficult to identify suitable talent by a resume, which is, in its very essence, a historical document."

I was keen to get Paul’s thoughts on video resumes.

"I do believe that Video resumes will become the norm in the next few years. One of the reasons why recruitment processes take so long is the fact that companies can spend weeks sifting through hundreds of resumes. No matter how good you are at recruiting you can never be sure how good an applicant is until you at least speak with them."

Paul then raised a valid point that will massively disrupt the recruitment and selection process. 

Have you got X Factor?

“Every business wants to hire someone with the X Factor. But how can you determine X Factor via a resume?”

X Factor? So does this mean that, like the TV show, a video resume will give applicants the opportunity to audition for an interview?

"Yes, it does, the challenge for candidates will be how well they can communicate via video resumes. I have seen some awful video resumes where the candidate was clearly uncomfortable presenting themselves in front of a camera. The harsh realities of business are that we are all expected to be great communicators. If you can't present well, then your chances of being interviewed, regardless of your experience, are slim."

What would Paul do if he was looking for a job now?

"I wouldn't update my resume".