Written by Eric Pemper
For over 25 years, I’ve been hiring people following a pretty similar format of identifying the task, recurring task, that needs to be done, and then writing a job description, hiring them, and then training them to follow some kind of system or process.
So AI has completely changed that formula, and I’m really happy for it. So going forward, employers really shouldn’t be asking who could complete these tasks, but they should be asking which of these tasks should a person still be doing, and where does the human judgment and the human ability of creativity create the most value for the organization.
So, you know, at CuraDebt, we’ve hired hundreds, maybe even thousands of people over the last 25 years, and today when we look at a role, we start by really identifying everything that AI can do or will be able to do with agents. Then we look at really what part is requiring a human to use judgment, connecting with other human beings, or ownership that’s going to get something done.
Start With the Outcome, Not the Task List
And what we do now is we start with the outcome, not the task list. So previously, many job descriptions were built around activity, answer emails, do customer service, do reports, things like that.
And so all of these really do matter, but AI can increasingly assist with them, and some do them completely, or even better. So a better question is to start with what is the outcome, and then what could improve because this person is helping lead that outcome.
For example, for a marketing position, the outcome is going to be more qualified leads that are actually getting the help from one of our partners. And that includes a lot of different tasks, individual tasks that AI can help with, but ultimately leading it across the finish line and coordinating with the partners to make sure they’re happy, that’s something only a human can lead.
So once the outcome is clear, employers can separate the work into two categories. The first are repeatable activities that AI can handle. The second are the human responsibilities of judgment, creativity, quality control, and customer understanding, and continuous improvement, with a clear understanding of what the goal is.
And that gives the employee a more meaningful role and contribution, and ability to grow personally and mentally.
Hire for How Someone Thinks
So while resumes and one’s university background still have a place, they’re not enough. So a resume can show where someone was or what they learned, but it’s all about applying it on a day-to-day level with a certain mindset.
I think one of the most useful changes that employers can do today is to give the new hires, even in the interview process, a small controlled task. And the task should be related to what needs to be done. For example, ask the candidates to use the tools, including AI, to achieve a clear goal. And then ask them to explain their approach and how they overcame any type of challenges that come up.
So the most important part of the exercise is not whether the final result is perfect, because there is no perfection. It’s how the candidate thinks and how they handle any type of resistance to get past it.
Do they understand the goal? Do they go beyond the goal so you can see what really, really the intent is? Can they use AI effectively? And then can they identify what needs a human review? And then can they explain how they would measure the work to improve it?
Make Human Judgment the Job
So AI can generate text, write code, and organize information, and do a lot more. But it doesn’t really understand how a human will interpret the result or feel when they interact with it.
So a human can look at an AI-generated message and say, does this make me feel good? Am I happy with it? Does it create trust? Does it give me more confidence?
So a human can look at a webpage and say, is this easy to use? Does it feel confusing? So these are actually the most important parts because it’s whether or not something is going to succeed or not. Because ultimately, we’re a business to help humans, right?
Build Onboarding Around Improvement
So we want to build onboarding around improvement. So traditional onboarding often focuses on training someone to follow a certain process, and they’re judged based on their ability to repeat things. So in some cases, that is necessary, but I don’t think it’s really the idea these days.
So the employee really needs to learn at the start what the outcome is, you know, what is needed, what tools are available, and how they can be used, what information never to share with AI, and which decisions require human review, and how success is measured, and then how to identify and continuously improve things.
And I think it’s good for the manager to create opportunities for the employee to show what they learned, continuously find out what did you notice, what did you improve, what ideas do you have or are you working on to improve things.
The Goal Is Better Outcomes for Other People
So the goal of AI-driven hiring shouldn’t be to eliminate jobs. It should be to eliminate the low-value, repetitive ones and create more valuable, intellectually stimulating ones.
So the best employees are going to know how to use AI, but also know how to think and to be creative and to go beyond anything repetitive.
So I think that companies that redesign entry-level roles around these abilities will build stronger teams, they’ll also create jobs that give people a more gratifying way, and ultimately people are going to benefit with better products and services.
Author Bio: Eric Pemper is Founder & Managing Member of CuraDebt, a U.S. consumer financial-services matching platform he founded in 2001. CuraDebt helps consumers explore debt relief options and, when appropriate, connects them with independent providers offering debt settlement, tax debt relief, personal-loan consolidation, and business or merchant-cash-advance debt solutions.
With 25 years of experience building and operating CuraDebt, Eric can comment on how consumers compare debt relief options, questions to ask before enrolling, fees and timelines, creditor and tax-debt program considerations, personal-loan consolidation, business-debt pressures, compliance-minded marketing, lead-generation operations, entrepreneurship, and consumer decision-making. He does not present himself as an attorney, tax adviser, credit-repair specialist, or as the direct provider of every service available through CuraDebt.
Eric also founded EverLife Capital in 2025, an independent longevity-biotechnology research publication. His commentary there is educational and is not investment or medical advice.