Thinking in Public
I just went through a job interview and the interview was an AI agent that ran it. It went through a set of interview questions and it asked follow-up questions on my answers. It was impressive to see it in action. I've set up customer service agents before, and it's always impressive when you see one perform in a new direction, such as running an interview.
The one thing that was tough for me: as the person being interviewed, I really wanted to catch a feel for the company. How do they operate? What are their goals? It provided answers, and it didn't have soul.
I've been in the workforce for many years and I've learned that money is the initial motivation but it's not the only motivation. It's who you work with that gets you to stay and connect. That's hard to come across in an AI presentation. I need to connect to where I'm going.
Soul, culture, vibe, whichever word you prefer, companies are going to have to put more focus on it, so it comes across in all of their mediums, especially job interviews. It shows up in sales and in onboarding new members.
Greenhouse surveyed 2,950 job seekers in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany and Australia for its 2026 candidate report. 46% of US candidates want the option to request a human interview, though the report says most will not use it. 70% of US candidates were not clearly told AI was involved before their AI interview, and 57% believe employers should be legally required to disclose it.
Picture a person whose job is to make the culture visible. The AI interview ends with a ten minute call with the future manager. The careers page shows a real day on the team. Onboarding starts with a person. I wrote about what culture is in another post.
If you hire, add one human conversation to the end of your process this month.
Companies are going to need a chief soul officer, or a chief vibe officer. Someone who gets you to catch a feel for where you're going to be working.