Behind the Hiring Curtain - Episode 1: Career Washing, AI CVs, and the Trust Gap in Hiring

Описание: Behind the Hiring Curtain
Episode 1: Career Washing, AI CVs, and the Trust Gap in Hiring

In this first episode of Behind the Hiring Curtain, we unpack a growing disconnect in today’s job market.

As layoffs, restructuring, and AI-driven hiring tools reshape the employment landscape, candidates are under increasing pressure to present “perfect” profiles. This has led to practices such as career washing, AI-tailored CVs, and over-engineered personal narratives that may look strong on paper but often collapse during interviews, assessments, or reference checks. On the hiring side, this has quietly widened a trust gap between candidates, recruiters, and employers.

The core message of this conversation is that authenticity and trust matter more than ever in today’s job search. With AI accelerating application volumes and increasing competition, many candidates focus solely on visible job vacancies and surface-level CV optimisation, while overlooking the hidden job market, relationship-building, and the importance of owning their real career story.

We also discuss why interviewers generally want candidates to succeed. Hiring managers and recruiters are not looking for scripted perfection — they are trying to understand the real person behind the CV. Over-polished or overly rehearsed profiles can unintentionally trigger doubt and a risk-avoidant mindset during hiring decisions.

Candidates are encouraged to:

-Be honest about their career journey, including gaps or retrenchments
-Use AI tools responsibly and ensure their CV reflects what they can genuinely explain
-Focus on motivations, impact, and value — not just keywords
-Build genuine human connections that can lead to future opportunities, even when an immediate role does not materialise

From the employer perspective, we explore how trust can be rebuilt through open, human conversations — including transparent discussions around competing offers, role expectations, and direct, non-transactional engagement with HR leaders and line managers. Small signals of authenticity can significantly influence candidate confidence and long-term employer brand perception.

About the Speakers

You Tze Lee – Leadership & Transition Coach
Singaporean, currently based in China
LinkedIn:   / you-tze-lee  

You Tze brings over a decade of experience as an HR Business Partner, having worked closely with business leaders through organisational change, restructuring, and people transitions. With prior experience in recruitment and extensive in-house HR leadership roles, she now supports professionals navigating career transitions, leadership development, and cross-border moves in an increasingly volatile global job market.

Savi (Sathiyarajan Vinayagamani)
Founder & Managing Director, Stemgenic
LinkedIn:   / sathiyarajanvinayagamani  

Savi is an Executive Search professional specialising in STEM hiring across APAC. As the founder of Stemgenic, he focuses on discreet, high-impact searches for senior leadership and niche technical talent within Chemicals, Food & Nutrition, Industrial EPC, OEMs, and related industrial sectors.

Series Overview

Behind the Hiring Curtain is a conversation series exploring the realities of job search and hiring — the unspoken dynamics, hidden decision-making processes, and human factors that shape careers but rarely appear in job descriptions, CV templates, or AI-generated applications.


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