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AI-generated and AI-polished resumes now look impressive on paper but frequently misrepresent candidates' real skills, as illustrated by a self-described 'architect' candidate who, when asked about architectural principles, could only describe Scrum ceremonies like daily standups and sprint planning.
A Berlin engineering manager describes how AI-enhanced CVs look impressive but candidates' actual technical knowledge often doesn't match, citing a 'senior architect' who confused architecture with agile ceremonies. ✦ AI generated
Engineering manager, large company, Berlin, Germany · The Pragmatic Engineer · 2026-07-07 · original ↗
CVs are high-quality, but the people behind them are not. Almost every resume looks impressive. However, the quality of the conversations does not match it at all. I asked which architectural principles or patterns he had used in his projects. His answer was: 'Daily standup, sprint planning, and retrospective.'
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explains mechanism → Hiring managers are unable to find highly-skilled talent to recruit, at the exact same time that experienced, proven professionals are having their job applications ignored by employers — each side blocks the other from being found.Gergely Orosz · The Pragmatic Engineerexplains mechanism → Inbound job applications have become nearly useless as a hiring channel because the volume of irrelevant submissions drowns out the rare qualified candidate; nearly all of DuckBill Group's recent hires came through personal networks and direct LinkedIn outreach instead.Mike Julian, CEO of DuckBill Group · The Pragmatic Engineer