Beyond Resumes, Beyond Portfolios: The Next Evolution of Hiring

The hiring landscape is shifting fast. Conversations led by Usman Sheikh, Rob Sheffield, and others highlight a growing consensus:

• Resumes are becoming obsolete.
• Capability portfolios are the new standard.
• AI-driven hiring is reshaping how talent connects to opportunity.

But is this truly the future of hiring? Or are we just scratching the surface?

From Resumes to Portfolios – A Necessary but Incomplete Shift

In a recent post, Usman Sheikh (Resumes are becoming obsolete...) argued that hiring will soon be driven by capability portfolios, replacing outdated career signals like degrees, tenure, and static job titles. Rob Sheffield (The Future of Hiring) expanded on this in his article, explaining how recruiters must move beyond credential-based matching to focus on adaptability and problem-solving.

Sheffield pointed out that recruiters need to assess real-world impact, not just past job titles. AI will play a role in identifying transferable skills and filtering out unnecessary credentials.

But even capability portfolios have limitations. They still focus on the past—what someone has done, not necessarily how they will fit into an opportunity right now.

The Real Hiring Problem: Static Inputs in a Dynamic Market

The challenge isn’t just that resumes are outdated—it’s that most hiring models still rely on disconnected, rigid data points:

• Job descriptions are generic and rarely capture what’s actually needed.
• Resumes and portfolios focus on past achievements rather than contextual fit.
• AI-driven hiring tools often filter out strong candidates rather than bridging gaps.

As Nick Marsh pointed out in the discussion, AI-driven hiring could unintentionally exclude neurodivergent candidates who don’t fit traditional hiring signals. Christian Lippett observed that despite the rise of skills-based hiring, some companies are doubling down on degree requirements.

Jacco Hiemstra raised another critical concern: is hiring based on capabilities really that different from hiring based on past performance? If organizations only hire based on proven abilities rather than potential, they risk missing out on adaptable, high-growth candidates.

Faisal Jan Sarhindi noted that fractional hiring could lead to casual engagement with roles, raising questions about how commitment and company culture evolve in a workforce where employees are treated as short-term assets.

Meanwhile, Viswanathan Ramesh pointed out that organizations relying too much on gig-style hiring may struggle to maintain their values and long-term strategic vision, reinforcing the need for hiring models that balance flexibility with organizational cohesion.

Automating the Past Instead of Redefining Hiring

Current efforts in AI-driven hiring are stuck in conforming to conventional approaches. It’s like someone used to driving a horse-drawn buggy climbing onto the roof of an automobile, cracking a whip, and expecting it to move.

They can brag that they "have a car," but they’re still treating it like a horse and buggy instead of actually driving it like an automobile.

Most hiring platforms today apply AI as an overlay to outdated models:

• They automate resume filtering, but resumes themselves are broken.
• They rank candidates by keywords and credentials, but those don’t predict success.
• They create faster job applications, but the job description itself is still flawed.

These platforms aren’t solving the fundamental hiring problem—they’re just moving the inefficiencies faster.

The Next Evolution: Dynamic, AI-Driven Hiring Ecosystems

The future of hiring won’t be about collecting more data—it will be about orchestrating meaningful connections between talent and opportunity in real-time.

Instead of relying on outdated job applications and static portfolios, hiring needs to become a fluid, continuous process where:

• Candidates aren’t just listed in a database—they’re dynamically matched to emerging opportunities.
• Employers don’t just post jobs—they engage with a constantly evolving talent ecosystem.
• AI doesn’t just screen resumes—it facilitates deeper, real-time connections between talent and hiring teams.

Sortstak: Smarter Screening for Context, Not Just Keywords

Sortstak is the first step toward solving this problem. Instead of filtering candidates out, it surfaces hidden insights—showing not just what a person has done, but why it matters in context.

It’s not just about finding people who check a skills box—it’s about identifying who can solve the right problems, right now.

Fulfils.me: Going Beyond AI-Filtered Portfolios

Sortstak is just the foundation. The bigger vision is Fulfils.me, a fully AI-driven talent ecosystem that goes beyond Mercor and other hiring platforms.

Unlike platforms that still rely on resume databases and AI filtering, Fulfils.me will reshape hiring into a continuous, opportunity-driven experience:

• Instead of relying on job descriptions, it generates customized opportunity narratives based on what the market actually needs.
• Instead of depending on self-reported skills, it evaluates how candidates apply knowledge in real-world scenarios.
• Instead of waiting for candidates to apply, it enables ongoing engagement between talent and hiring teams.

Rather than being just another AI-driven screening tool, Fulfils.me is designed to make hiring dynamic, personalized, and proactive.

The Investor Opportunity: Why This Market is Moving Fast

Hiring innovation is accelerating. Platforms like Mercor are proving that AI-driven hiring is an investable market. But many of these solutions still rely on old models with new automation layers.

The future isn’t about automating the past—it’s about redesigning hiring from the ground up.

Companies that adopt real-time talent orchestration will have an edge in a market where:

• The best candidates are no longer waiting for job postings.
• The most valuable skills are fluid and constantly evolving.
• Hiring needs to happen in real time, not through a months-long process.

We’re building solutions that move beyond passive talent pools and AI-driven resume matching to real-time hiring intelligence—something companies, recruiters, and investors will want to be part of before the market fully catches up.

What Comes Next?

The move from resumes to portfolios was inevitable. But we’re not stopping there.

The future of hiring is:

• Dynamic, not static
• AI-driven, but human-centered
• Built around impact, not history

We’re inviting forward-thinking recruiters, hiring platforms, and investors to be part of this next step.

Where do you see the biggest gaps in hiring today? Let’s keep the conversation going.