Checking a senior candidate when the CV might be AI-written
In today’s day and age, and even more so in the sector we work in, it’s highly likely the candidate you’re interviewing has used AI somewhere in their application. I personally think that’s fine, and would no doubt do the same. But the issue is that a well-written CV and a well-prepared interview used to tell you something about that person - they’re articulate, informed, prepared etc - and now they tell you a lot less.
In Morgan McKinley’s 2026 Global AI Report, four in ten UK employers said candidates’ use of AI had made skills and backgrounds harder to verify. I imagine the figure’s far higher in reality, particularly at a senior level where the candidates are naturally savvier. But what this means is that the work needs to move from reading a CV and taking it as gospel to testing what’s in it.
I do it in three parts: a first call, a scorecard and references. Which I outline below, so that you can do all of it yourself.
The first call
This is the time to test the CV. A senior operator will usually be polished, and can sound good for 30 minutes with ease - so it’s the detail that matters.
Ask for numbers they owned. If someone says they took gross margin from 40% to 55% for example, ask how they did it, who else was involved, what they personally did to achieve that result, what they changed first and what didn’t work. The detail is key.
Answers prepared with AI can hold up for the first question but by the second or third follow-up they’ll no doubt be getting thin.
Listen for “I” and “we”. “We grew revenue 3x” is fine, but you need to know which part they owned. Ask who else was in the team and what each person did.
Make sure to write down the specific claims they make - you’ll need them for references.
The scorecard
I score every candidate on the same five traits, the Suma Five. The full guide has the questions for each trait, so I won’t repeat them here, but one of its rules is particularly relevant now that CVs are AI-written.
A score only counts if you can point to the evidence behind it. Each trait is scored 1 to 4, and to get a 4, the candidate needs to give you a specific example with enough detail that you can check it. A fluent answer with nothing checkable in it is a 2, however good it sounded.
References
References should only come after a conditional offer - and only with the candidate’s agreement for each person you speak to - and it should go without saying, but never go near their current employer unless they’ve told you that you can!
Speak to referees on the phone. An emailed reference is barely worth the paper it’s written on.
Something else to be aware of: some companies’ HR departments have a policy of only issuing factual references - confirming that so and so had X job title between Y dates - to minimise legal risk. This is worth even less. If that happens, ask the candidate for a personal capacity reference instead - for example, can they connect you with a former peer who’d be willing to give a reference in a personal capacity? If they aren’t prepared to do that, then that can be a red flag in itself.
And then it’s time to check the claims from the first call. Start with scope: “What was their remit, and how many people did they have?” Then get into specifics: “I understand they took margin from 40% to 55%. How did they achieve it?” A referee will rarely say a claim is false, but you’ll hear the difference between “yes, that was all them” and a pause.
And ask the last reference question from the Suma Five guide: would you hire them again, for this kind of role, at a company this size? Plenty of people are a yes at a 500-person company - but a no at 15.
Where AI helps
I want to be clear that none of this is an argument against AI - it can be hugely useful, but where it falls down is judging people. That part stays with you - or me if I’m running your search.
Common questions
Is it a problem if a candidate used AI to write their CV?
Overall, I don’t think so. What’s important is whether the claims in it hold up when you ask for detail and check with references.
How can you tell if a senior candidate’s experience is real?
Ask for specific numbers in the first call and follow up on each one at least twice. Only score what they can back with a checkable example, then test the specific claims with referees by phone.
When should you take references for a senior hire?
Only once you’ve made a conditional offer, and only with the candidate’s agreement for each referee. It’s imperative that the candidate’s job search stays confidential, and that the references can still change your decision to hire them.
Can you contact a candidate’s current employer for a reference?
Only if the candidate explicitly says you can. Most senior candidates are looking confidentially, so contacting their employer without consent is unacceptable.
If you’d rather someone else ran this part of a senior hire, drop me a note at simon@suma.ventures.