In a recent LinkedIn post, Ani Filipova argues that traditional hiring practices, heavily reliant on CVs, often overlook crucial elements of a candidate’s potential, leading to costly mistakes. Filipova, a business leader, highlights how focusing solely on credentials like MBAs or prestigious past employers can mask underlying issues with a candidate’s character, ownership, and team integration.
Filipova points out the common pitfalls of hiring based on impressive resumes, noting the recurring problems that emerge after a few months in the role. These issues often include a lack of personal accountability, a need for constant supervision, and a negative impact on team morale.
“A CV was never going to answer any of those questions.”
The core of Filipova’s argument is that while skills can be taught, fundamental character traits are much harder, if not impossible, to instill. She emphasizes that a capable individual can acquire new systems, industries, or functions with dedicated learning over time. However, certain intrinsic qualities are paramount and cannot be learned.
The Untrainable Qualities of Top Employees
Filipova elaborates on these essential, yet often unteachable, traits. These include how an individual behaves when unsupervised, their commitment to seeing tasks through to completion, their willingness to provide direct and honest feedback, and their ability to uplift rather than undermine colleagues.
She shares personal experiences of hiring individuals with seemingly perfect CVs but flawed instincts, labeling these as the most expensive errors in her career. Conversely, Filipova has found significant success in hiring candidates whose CVs were not a perfect match but who possessed the right attitude, values, and a strong desire to learn. These individuals, she notes, often outperform those considered “safe” hires.
“I’ve hired people with perfect CVs but the wrong instincts. That’s been the most expensive mistake of my career.”
Shifting the Hiring Focus: Asking the Right Questions
To counter the limitations of CV-based screening, Filipova advocates for a more probing interview process. She suggests posing questions that reveal a candidate’s decision-making under pressure, their approach to conflict with superiors, and their self-awareness regarding past mistakes.
According to Filipova, the insights gained from these types of behavioral and situational questions in a short conversation can be far more revealing than a CV reviewed over many years.
“You can learn more from these answers in fifteen minutes than from a CV in fifteen years.”
Filipova concludes by encouraging leaders to prioritize these character-driven assessments, suggesting that doing so leads to more effective and successful hires. She also offers a ‘Career Optionality Quiz’ for individuals looking to assess their career strengths and future focus.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Ani Filipova on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on July 11, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →