When AI Writes the CV, but Experience Tells a Different Story

Over the last year something has started to feel different during screening calls.

On paper the CV looks impressive. The language is sharp the responsibilities sound senior and everything appears perfectly aligned with the job description. But once the conversation begins there is a gap. Not a small one — a noticeable one. The words do not translate into clarity. The confidence does not translate into ownership. Within a few minutes it becomes evident that the story on the CV is far more polished than the experience behind it.

This is where AI quietly enters the picture AI tools were intended to help candidates communicate more clearly and in many cases they still do. However what we are increasingly seeing is AI not just improving resumes but rewriting them. Participation becomes leadership. Exposure becomes expertise. Support roles become end-to-end ownership. The result is not confidence. It is distortion.

One of the most common patterns we encounter is role inflation. A candidate genuinely explains that they supported testing or assisted a senior consultant during an SAP S/4HANA project. There is nothing wrong with that. But the CV tells a different story — one where they “led transformation initiatives” or “owned solution delivery.” The moment follow-up questions are asked about decisions trade-offs or stakeholder challenges the disconnect becomes clear. And once trust breaks it rarely recovers.

Another trend that is becoming impossible to ignore is the sudden rise of “AI-driven” experience. CVs are filled with phrases such as predictive analytics intelligent automation and AI-enabled insights. When explored in conversation many candidates eventually clarify that their involvement was limited to using standard dashboards or following predefined workflows. Again there is nothing wrong with that experience. What is damaging is allowing AI to convert familiarity into authority.

Recruiters are noticing this shift as well. Many now openly admit that they no longer take CVs at face value. Exaggeration is assumed until proven otherwise. This fundamentally changes the hiring process. Interviews become more probing screening becomes more time-consuming and genuine candidates end up paying the price for a system that has lost trust.

There is also another side effect that receives far less attention. CVs are starting to sound identical. The same phrases. The same tone. The same “spearheaded” “leveraged” and “drove value.” Different individuals different careers yet the same language. When this happens recruiters stop listening to the words and begin questioning the person behind them.

This issue affects enterprise technology hiring particularly hard. In SAP and large-scale transformation roles delivery matters more than potential. Clients do not hire vocabulary. They hire people who can run workshops configure systems resolve production issues and take responsibility when things do not go as planned. When AI-polished CVs oversell reality client confidence erodes interview standards rise and hiring slows across the board.

It is important to state this clearly: AI itself is not the problem. Used responsibly it can improve clarity reduce repetition and help candidates articulate their experience more effectively. The problem begins when AI is used to hide gaps instead of explaining them or to claim ownership where none existed. A simple rule applies — if something cannot be explained comfortably in an interview it should not appear on a CV.

From where we sit at Salian Consulting the pattern is consistent. The candidates who perform well are not those with the most impressive wording. They are the ones who can explain calmly and honestly what they actually did. They are comfortable saying “I supported” “I learned” or “I have not done that yet.” That honesty builds more trust than any perfectly constructed sentence ever could.

AI may help someone get noticed. But truth is what gets people hired.

As AI-generated resumes become more common authenticity is quietly becoming rare — and therefore valuable. The consultants who will succeed in the coming years will not be those with the most polished CVs but those who can clearly articulate what they have done what they have learned and what they are ready to take on next.

That story does not need AI to sound powerful.