For most of my career, I hired people the way almost everyone does: read a résumé, scan the schools and the company names, form a quick impression. Over time I noticed how often that impression was wrong — in both directions. Some impressive résumés masked people who couldn't deliver, and some of my best hires looked unremarkable on paper. That gap is exactly why I, Howard Davner, founded Provieo, and it's reshaping how I think hiring should work.
The résumé is a weak signal
A résumé is a self-reported summary of credentials. It tells you where someone has been, not what they can do today. In a market where everyone has learned to write the same polished bullet points, the document has lost most of its power to distinguish people. Worse, it systematically rewards pedigree — the right schools, the right brand names — over raw ability, which quietly shuts out talented people who never got the early break.
Work is the strongest signal there is
The most reliable predictor of whether someone can do a job is whether they can show you something comparable they've already done. A real project — something built, shipped, and explained — carries information a résumé never can. You see how the person thinks, what they choose to prioritize, and whether they can actually execute. That's the premise behind Provieo: help people build genuine, job-relevant projects so they can compete on demonstrated ability rather than on the names in their history.
Proof is also fairer
There's a fairness dimension I care about. Pedigree-based hiring compounds advantage — those who already had access get more access. Proof-based hiring opens a door for the person who can clearly do the work but lacks the pedigree to get noticed. It doesn't lower the bar; it moves the bar to the right place. You still have to be good. You just no longer have to be pre-approved by an institution to prove it.
Where this goes
I don't think the résumé disappears overnight. But I do believe the center of gravity in hiring is shifting from claims toward evidence, and that AI is accelerating it by making it possible for almost anyone to produce real work. The employers who adapt — who ask "show me" instead of "tell me" — will find better people and miss fewer of them. That's a future worth building toward, and it's the one I'm building at Provieo.
Learn more: provieo.com
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