The Hiring Trends Report 2026, published by Glasgow-founded global recruitment technology firm Willo, shows that while CVs remain the starting point for most hiring processes, their dominance is weakening fast.

The study found just 37% of employers rate credentials and learning history – as typically outlined in CVs – among the most reliable indicators of talent. Four in 10 (41%) respondents are actively moving away from CV-first hiring, while 10% of respondents said they have largely replaced CVs with skills-based and scenario-driven assessments. Around 15% of respondents said they are exploring alternatives to CVs.

The annual report, now in its third edition, tracks how hiring attitudes have shifted each year. In 2024, the CV was still the unquestioned default, while by 2025, its credibility had begun to erode with employers as AI-assisted CV became more common. However, the 2026 report has shown a significant shift, with employers now increasingly favouring behavioural interviews, skills tests, and assessments over polished written submissions.

Drawing on responses from more than 100 hiring professionals worldwide, alongside insights from 2.5 million candidate interviews on Willo’s platform, and analysis from hiring experts at major employers including Toyota (GB) and Microsoft, the study has become a widely watched barometer for hiring and talent trends.

Willo’s CEO and Co-Founder Euan Cameron believes the shift in attitudes towards the CVs reflects growing scepticism about what the documents now represent. 

He said: “The CV used to tell a story of effort, experience, and aptitude, now it often tells us how well someone can prompt a large language model. Great candidates are getting lost in a wall of near identical applications, and the best hiring teams are catching on to that. AI is not the end of hiring, what it does mean is the end of hiring based on summaries of experience alone. Employers are looking for real signals of capability, which means moving beyond a single document into skills, scenarios and verified credentials.”

According to the report, AI is now firmly embedded in hiring, but principally in a supporting role. Almost eight in 10 (77%) of teams regularly encounter AI-generated or AI-assisted applications, with almost half of respondents (47%) said they’d updated interview techniques to focus on deeper probing in response. Almost a third (31%) have added practical steps to interview processes, while 14% have implemented AI detection tools or software.    

While 65% of respondents said they’d increased their use of AI tools – mainly for volume management, summarisation and early-stage screening – not a single respondent believes automation should handle all stages of hiring. Eight in 10 (79%) insist final hiring decisions must remain human-led. In response to the same question, almost three quarters of respondents (72%) said salary negotiation must have human involvement, although more than a quarter (28%) believe those decisions could be made by AI. 

Kree Govender, SMB Canada Leader at Microsoft, who contributed to the report, said: “The 2026 hiring trends signal a new era where AI is a powerful enabler, but not a replacement for human judgment, and I agree. The mission before us is to harness AI for efficiency while doubling down on fairness, authenticity, and skills-based assessment. Moving beyond CVs to holistic, scenario-driven evaluation will help us identify adaptable, high-potential talent, especially from diverse backgrounds. 

“By operationalising fairness and prioritising candidate experience, we can build teams that are not only technically strong but also inclusive and resilient. The future of hiring is about clarity, confidence, and combining the best of technology with the irreplaceable qualities of human insight.”

As AI-generated applications become the norm around the world, the report finds teams are redesigning their processes to surface more ‘authentic’ human signals. Many organisations are introducing deeper behavioural questioning, one-way video interviews and role-specific tasks to draw out unscripted responses and reduce reliance on static documentation. Live behavioural interviews with real examples are now the most trusted indicator of talent, cited by 68% of respondents, followed by hands-on skills demonstrations and real-time problem solving.

Luke Smith, Talent Acquisition and Experience Specialist at Toyota (GB), who also contributed to the report, believes the link between structure, fairness and candidate experience is becoming clearer. 

He said: "Inclusive hiring and strong candidate experience now go hand-in-hand. When hiring is structured and early-stage tasks are streamlined with AI, ambiguity falls, fairness increases, and candidates face less friction, especially those changing careers or without traditional CV credentials." 

Fairness is another area where the report points to a maturing approach. Nearly 70% of teams now use structured interviews, and 73% express confidence that their hiring is fair and inclusive, supported by bias-awareness training and more diverse interview panels. Around 42% of respondents have introduced skills-based assessments, while 41% have focused more on skills-based assessments, and less on CVs. 

Cameron added: “We’re seeing a much more confident attitude towards AI. Employers are clearer about where automation adds value and where human judgment must remain central. The best hiring teams realise it’s not humans versus AI, it’s humans deciding how to use AI well, and when we know what ‘good’ looks like, AI becomes a support system rather than a judge. Faster, fairer and more insightful hiring is possible, but only when technology is used to bring human potential into clearer focus.”

The Hiring Trends Report 2026 can be read in full at willo.video/the-hiring-trends-report-2026.

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