Resumes are not obsolete, but they are no longer the only way employers can assess a candidate. Skills assessments, work samples, portfolios and structured interviews can add evidence of what someone can do. The likely shift is from resume-only screening toward a combination of career history and demonstrated skills—not to one universal replacement.
What the evidence says about resumes
Hiring discussions increasingly emphasize skills, but that does not show employers have stopped requesting resumes. LinkedIn Research surveyed 1,271 recruiting professionals at management seniority or higher across 23 countries in September 2024. In its 2025 report, 93% said accurately assessing a candidate’s skills is crucial to improving quality of hire. That is a measure of recruiter opinion, not a count of employers abandoning resumes. LinkedIn Research
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LinkedIn also reported that companies making the most skills-based searches were 12% more likely to make a quality hire than companies making none. This is an association in LinkedIn’s platform data; it does not show that skills searches caused better hires, or that the finding applies to every employer. LinkedIn Research
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There is also a difference between what workers expect and what employers do. Newsweek reported that 62% of 1,000 young workers surveyed in the United States and United Kingdom expected traditional resumes to be obsolete by 2028. That was a CVwizard.com survey result about respondents’ expectations, not verified adoption by employers. Newsweek
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What may replace resume-first screening
There is no single substitute. Employers can combine a resume with one or more ways to see a candidate’s skills in context. Recruitment-industry articles describe the following options, but do not establish how widely employers use them or prove that one format predicts job performance better than another. EliteRecruitments Where U Elevate
Skills assessments
A test can measure a specific, job-relevant capability more directly than a list of past roles. For example, EliteRecruitments names HackerRank for developers and Codility for engineers. These are examples from a specialist recruiter, not independent evidence about the tools’ quality or employer adoption. A useful assessment should focus on skills the job actually requires and be administered consistently.
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Work samples and project-based evaluations
A short task resembling the work can show how a candidate approaches a real problem. Its value depends on relevance and proportion: an assessment that takes too much time or asks for substantial usable work can burden candidates without necessarily offering a fairer measure. The cited commentary does not establish that lengthy or unpaid tests are standard.
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Portfolios and project records
For roles that produce visible artifacts, selected work can make skills easier to evaluate. Examples named by EliteRecruitments include LinkedIn, personal websites, Behance and GitHub. Choose work that is relevant and shareable; a portfolio will not fit every occupation, reveal every contribution, or permit the disclosure of confidential projects.
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Professional profiles and networking
A professional profile can provide context and help a candidate be discovered, while professional relationships may bring opportunities to attention. Neither is evidence that an employer will accept a profile in place of its formal application or requested resume.
Asynchronous interviews and work trials
Recruitment commentary also names recorded or asynchronous interviews as a way to assess communication, and work trials or apprenticeships as ways to observe performance in context. These are options, not universal standards. Interview formats should account for candidate access and preferences; trials should have a clear, proportionate scope.
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How to choose proof that fits the job
These formats are not interchangeable. A practical way to decide what to provide is to ask:
- What capability matters? Match the evidence to the work: a code sample for relevant programming, for example, or a case study for a role involving analysis.
- Can you show it directly? A portfolio may suit work that creates artifacts; other skills may be better demonstrated through a structured assessment or discussion.
- Is the method fair and accessible? Consider time demands, accessibility and needed accommodations, and whether candidates are being assessed on the same relevant criteria.
- Can you share the evidence? Remove confidential material and explain your own contribution to collaborative work.
- Does the employer accept it? Follow the application instructions. Extra evidence helps only if the employer can receive and assess it.
What candidates should do now
- Keep a concise, accurate resume ready. Tailor it to the role and use it when requested; do not assume a portfolio or profile replaces the formal application.
- Add one relevant proof point where appropriate. Link a portfolio, project, or work sample if the employer accepts it and it demonstrates a skill the role needs.
- Make the evidence easy to assess. State what the project was, what you contributed, and which capability it demonstrates, while respecting privacy and confidentiality.
- Prepare for assessments as a separate hiring step. Ask about the task’s scope or format if unclear, and consider whether it fairly reflects the job.
As Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek in February 2025: “The resume isn’t dead yet and still can serve as a solid summary of one’s professional life, but its influence is certainly deteriorating.” That is an expert opinion, not a measured finding. Newsweek
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