Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait on Breaking the AI "Doom Loop" in Hiring

In this episode of the RecTech Podcast, Chris Russell sits down with Daniel Chait, CEO of Greenhouse Software, to discuss the company's expanded mission to make hiring work for everyone—not just employers. Here are the key takeaways from their conversation.

The AI Doom Loop: A Problem for Everyone

Chait opens by describing what Greenhouse calls the "AI Doom Loop"—a vicious cycle where both job seekers and employers are struggling. Job seekers use AI tools to automatically apply to hundreds of jobs, while employers are overwhelmed with thousands of undifferentiated applications and resort to using AI filters to narrow them down. This creates a tightening window for candidates and pushes them to apply to even more jobs, perpetuating the cycle.

The key insight: It's not that AI is bad—it's that the current AI tools are making the hiring problem worse for everyone.

Expanding Beyond Employers to Job Seekers

After 14 years of focusing on helping companies hire better, Greenhouse is now bringing job seekers directly into its mission. Chait explains that the problems job seekers face are often the same problems companies face, so solving for both sides is essential.

New Features Driving Change

My Dream Job

Candidates can designate one preferred application per month across Greenhouse customers. This creates a strong signal to employers that the applicant is genuinely interested and reasonably qualified. The results speak for themselves: over 1,500 candidates have gotten their dream jobs, and these applicants convert at five times the rate of other candidates.

My Greenhouse Portal

Job seekers can create profiles, easily apply to jobs, and track their application status in real-time. As candidates move through the hiring funnel, their portal automatically updates—eliminating the dreaded silence that plagues most job searches.

Greenhouse Verified Badges

Employers earn badges for providing timely feedback and completing interview scorecards. This transparency helps job seekers identify responsive employers and avoid wasting time on companies that don't communicate.

Real Talent: A Triple Layer of Trust

Greenhouse recently launched Real Talent, a product that combines three critical trust layers:

1. Candidate Intent Matching — Distinguishes high-intent applicants from those who auto-applied

2. Bad Actor Detection — Uses technical and behavioral signals to identify fraudulent applications

3. Identity Verification — Confirms applicants are who they claim to be in a remote-first world

Importantly, Greenhouse audits these systems monthly through Warden AI to ensure fairness and prevent bias.

The Future: Beyond Resumes

Chait envisions a future where AI agents represent candidates dynamically rather than static resumes. Instead of a one-page document unchanged for years, candidates would have living profiles that communicate their skills, interests, and cultural fit to employers.

AI Interviewing: More Fair Than Human Interviews?

While acknowledging skepticism, Chait argues that AI-driven interviewing has the potential to be fairer and more consistent than human interviews, which have well-documented biases. The key is intentional design with input from legal, HR, and DE&I experts.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Recent lawsuits against companies like Workday and Eightfold highlight the need for transparency in AI hiring systems. Greenhouse's approach: involve legal, HR, and DE&I teams early in product development, not as an afterthought.

The Job Market Reality

The job market isn't monolithic. While healthcare workers and AI-capable engineers are in high demand, other fields face tougher competition. Chait's advice for job seekers: apply early and be strategic. Data shows that early applicants are significantly more likely to get hired.

Scale and Responsibility

With over 60 million job applications processed quarterly and over 1 million daily active users, Greenhouse has both the opportunity and obligation to improve hiring for everyone.

What's Next for Greenhouse

Expect a multimillion-dollar investment in AI-powered solutions throughout 2026, with regular feature releases designed to help both job seekers and employers break the doom loop.

Key Takeaway

Greenhouse's shift to focus on job seekers alongside employers represents a meaningful pivot in the ATS market. By solving problems for both sides of the hiring equation—and doing so with intentionality around fairness and transparency—the company is positioning itself as a leader in reimagining what hiring could be.