1482…

The résumé

The résumé concept began with Leonardo da Vinci in 1482 when he wrote to the Duke of Milan about his skills to get a job. This letter is one of the first professional self-presentations.

16th - 19th Century: Informal Documents
By the 16th century, more people created personal summaries of their skills for job opportunities. These were usually informal and shared verbally or in handwritten notes. The Industrial Revolution increased job competition, making written résumés more important.

20th Century: Standardization and Growth
In the early 1900s, résumés became vital for job applications but were still informal, often including personal details like religion or marital status. By the 1950s, résumés became more organized, focusing on education, work experience, and skills. In the 1970s and 1980s, they transitioned to typed formats, emphasizing professional achievements

1990s - 2000s: The Digital Shift
The 1990s introduced personal computers and the internet, leading to digital résumés created in word processors and emailed to employers. Online job boards like Monster.com, founded in 1994, enabled electronic submissions. The early 2000s saw the rise of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), increasing the focus on keyword optimization.

2010s - Present: Online Searching & Applications
Social media, particularly LinkedIn (launched in 2003), transformed résumés into dynamic online profiles. Visual and video résumés gained popularity in creative fields. AI and machine learning now play a significant role in résumé screening, leading to new best practices. Some companies have shifted from traditional résumés to skill-based assessments and portfolios

The resume has evolved in format over the centuries, yet the last 60-80 years has changed little - Name, Introduction, Career history, Qualifications etc.

The addition of automation from Phone, to Fax and email made tasks faster. ATS systems are even speedier with more information, AI faster still. With so many other integrations, information overload is inevitable.

Coupled with the increase of competition ‘racing’ with each other to provide resumes

It’s a classic of information overload - the process can assist in hiring but effective.

In essence, the information we have always had is still available but to more people, faster and perhaps more accurately.

The problem - too much information and too much AI - with everyone competing cannot ever replace the human interaction required.

This is a stumbling block. We are unable to keep up with the speed and flow of information coming in. We are now facing information overload, too much choice, too little time and with all the automation perhaps saving processing time is often still inaccurate.

I job is available for 1 role. Ask yourselves where do the other 100's if not 1000’s applications go. More importantly, how do they feel. Talent pool - fob off for agencies, and companies, sorry no not suitable same again, expectations are drowned, hope falls, desperation seeps in and the wrong jobs go to the wrong people.

What’s next?