What Do Good Hiring Managers Notice That a CV Can't Show?

During an internal succession discussion, one employee did not immediately stand out as a candidate for a broader operational leadership role. 

His work centred on process, data, and digitalisation. He had limited exposure to branch management and commercial responsibilities. Based on his title and experience, others appeared to be more conventional choices. 

Then someone pointed out what was already happening around him: colleagues listened to him. 

For Ms Lai Yng Jiun, Senior Manager of People & Organisation at transportation and logistics company DSV Road Sdn. Bhd., that informal influence was difficult to dismiss. It suggested leadership potential that his job title did not capture. 

The employee still had gaps to close. But instead of treating them as disqualifying, the team considered whether they could be developed through greater exposure and experience. 

That distinction can determine who gets an opportunity. 

“A CV tells me only where someone has been,” Ms Lai says. “My conversation with them should help me understand how they think.” 

When Familiarity Is Mistaken for Fit 

Résumés remain useful. They show where someone has worked, what they studied, and how long they stayed in a role. 

They also make familiar candidates easier to recognise. 

Someone from the same industry or function may appear to be the safer choice because their experience maps neatly onto the vacancy. A candidate from another sector may possess relevant capabilities that are described in unfamiliar language. 

Ms Lai points to a hospitality professional who had handled service disruptions and difficult customer conversations. On paper, the candidate did not look like an obvious fit for logistics customer service. Yet the work had required many of the same capabilities: staying composed under pressure, coordinating with different parties, and resolving problems for customers. 

The industry was different. The underlying capability was transferable. 

Processes and systems can be taught, Ms Lai says. The judgement behind how someone responds when a situation goes wrong is harder to develop from scratch. 

For her, a candidate’s previous job title matters less than the problems they have solved. 

In logistics, that might involve coordinating several parties under time pressure, responding to a service failure, or improving an inefficient process. Someone may not have faced the exact scenario before, but a comparable experience elsewhere can show how they think and act. 

Ms Lai listens for what the person was up against, the decisions they made, what happened when the plan failed, and what they learnt afterwards. 

Which Gaps Really Matter? 

Looking beyond a conventional profile does not mean overlooking every gap. 

Some capabilities must be present from the beginning, particularly where technical competence or safety is involved. Employers therefore need to distinguish clearly between essential requirements and capabilities that can realistically be developed on the job. 

That judgement changes the pool of people who receive serious consideration. 

One question Ms Lai likes to ask is: “What can you do now that you could not do a year ago, and how did you get there?” 

The answer reveals more than enthusiasm for learning. It shows whether the person has already translated learning into growth. 

Candidates Can Make the Connection Too 

Employers are not solely responsible for uncovering these less obvious capabilities. 

Candidates whose experience does not neatly match a role can explain how their previous work translates. Organising an event, for example, may initially seem unrelated to a corporate position. Yet managing a budget, coordinating suppliers, and resolving a last-minute problem may demonstrate capabilities that apply far beyond the event itself. 

The task is to show the employer what the experience required and what changed because of it. 

For Ms Lai, it is not simply about whether someone has followed a familiar career path. 

It is about the outcomes they can deliver, the values they demonstrate and their capacity to grow with the role. 

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