AI Job Interviews Are a Brand Killer

When you’re hiring, you’re not just filling a role. You’re building your brand.

Every touchpoint, from the first recruiter email to the final interview to the exit conversation when an employee moves on, is an opportunity to show who you are as an employer. The companies that get this right are on their way to becoming employers of choice. They attract great people in good times. They retain them in tough times. They build cultures that are resilient, healthy, and magnetic.

A critical first connection.

When you get it wrong? You erode your brand from the inside out.

That’s why I find the emerging trend of AI-run job interviews infuriating. The New York Times profiled this emerging trend yesterday. It’s not just a poor use of the technology. it’s a missed opportunity to build your employer brand.

The interview process is one of the most important ways to make someone feel respected and valued. It’s a chance to build connection. Done right, the process creates advocates—even among the people you don’t hire. 

The way you treat candidates is part of your reputation. And reputation is earned, moment by moment, interaction by interaction.

Now imagine being a company that couldn’t even bother to talk to a candidate. 

You handed that first, pivotal conversation to an algorithm. 

You made me tell my story to a chatbot. 

You couldn’t answer my questions. 

You didn’t value me.

Why would I ever consider you a company worth valuing?

The point of using technology in hiring should be to make the process better. But this is colder, less human. Maybe a bit more streamlined. But it isn’t better for the candidate. And it’s not better for the reputation of the company. 

AI can and should make hiring more efficient behind the scenes. Use it to schedule interviews. To streamline workflows. For training and skills development. But don’t mistake efficiency for connection. Don’t outsource one of your most human brand moments to a chatbot. 

Because when you do, you’re not building an employer of choice.
You are building a company people walk away from.