Jakob Dubois is redefining the talent acquisition landscape by moving away from the static, often misleading world of paper resumes. As the CEO and co-founder of Fika Jobs, he has channeled his frustrations as a recruiter into a platform that prioritizes human personality and grit through video-first interactions. Having recently secured a $4 million pre-seed investment from heavyweights like Luminar Ventures and the creators of Candy Crush, Dubois is steering the startup toward a future where AI and short-form video replace the traditional application “black box.” Our discussion delves into the mechanics of their AI-driven interviews, the shift in recruitment economics, and the challenges of mitigating bias while humanizing the digital hiring experience.
Traditional resumes often fail to capture intangible traits like grit and ambition. How does a video-first approach change the way employers recognize these qualities early in the process?
We realized early on that a piece of paper is a poor mirror for the human spirit, often feeling cold and one-dimensional in a high-stakes hiring environment. When my brother Alexander and I were building our previous social app, Gaff, we nearly missed out on a brilliant hire because his CV was completely unremarkable and lacked any spark. It was only during an impromptu conversation that his grit and drive became palpable, transforming a dull document into a vivid picture of a must-hire candidate. By using 10-minute video interviews, we allow that same energy to radiate through the screen, giving employers a visceral sense of a person’s communication style and passion before they ever step into an office. This method turns a static screening into a living conversation, ensuring that talented individuals aren’t discarded by a heartless keyword filter.
Could you walk us through the technical journey a candidate takes from the moment they sync their LinkedIn profile to the creation of their live video-first profile?
The process is designed to be frictionless, moving away from the hours spent agonizing over cover letters that often disappear into an abyss. Once a candidate connects their LinkedIn profile, our AI reviews their professional history and generates a series of personalized interview questions tailored to their specific background. The candidate then engages in a roughly 10-minute session with an AI agent, currently powered by Google’s Gemini models, which creates a structured yet conversational environment. Afterward, the platform automatically parses the responses into concise video clips and organizes them into a searchable profile. This creates a “live” presence in our ecosystem, allowing the 100-plus companies on our waitlist to discover talent organically rather than waiting for an application to land on their desk.
With over 100 companies waiting to join and 50 already testing the platform, what feedback have you received regarding the shift from traditional recruiting fees to your 10% model?
The response from our initial testing partners, including companies like Plenty Labs and Kognity, has been incredibly encouraging, particularly regarding the transparency of our pricing structure. Traditional headhunters often demand a staggering 20% to 30% of a candidate’s first-year salary, which creates a massive financial barrier for growing startups and mid-sized firms. We decided to disrupt that by taking just 10% upon a successful hire, making it a much more accessible and sustainable partnership for everyone involved. It feels like a win-win because it lowers the entry risk for the employer while keeping the platform entirely free for the job seeker. We want the focus to be on the quality of the match itself, not the administrative overhead that has plagued the industry for decades.
Introducing video so early in the process naturally raises concerns about unconscious bias regarding race, age, or appearance. How are you balancing the need for human personality with the necessity of fair, unbiased screening?
This is a challenge we take very seriously, as we are acutely aware that seeing a face can trigger deep-seated biases that a text-based resume might partially obscure. We acknowledge that the move toward blind screenings in recent years was born out of a genuine need to protect candidates from discrimination based on their physical traits or accents. However, we believe that by providing AI-evaluated metrics alongside the video, we can offer a more holistic view that actually champions candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. Our goal is to use the AI to highlight objective communication skills and cultural alignment, providing a data-driven buffer that helps recruiters focus on potential. It’s about creating a richer data set so that an employer can see the person’s talent clearly, even if their path to the job didn’t follow the typical corporate trajectory.
As you look toward expanding from Sweden to the international market and growing your team to 10 employees by year-end, what do you see as the biggest hurdle for AI adoption in hiring?
The biggest hurdle is undoubtedly the “black box” fatigue that both candidates and recruiters are currently feeling due to the flood of generative AI applications. Candidates are tired of feeling like they are shouting into a void, while recruiters are overwhelmed by a sea of AI-generated resumes that all look and sound exactly the same. We are trying to flip that script by making the AI the bridge rather than the barrier, using it to facilitate a genuine human connection through the medium of video. It requires a significant shift in mindset to trust an AI agent to conduct an initial 10-minute interview, but the efficiency gains for companies like SICS.ai and Rebtel are already becoming undeniable. Our mission is to prove that technology can actually make the hiring process feel more human, not less, by focusing on the sensory details and traits that matter most.
What is your forecast for the future of the traditional resume over the next five years?
I believe the traditional, static resume will eventually become a secondary reference rather than the primary gatekeeper of professional opportunity. We are moving toward a world where a candidate’s “proof of work” and personality are demonstrated through interactive, multi-media profiles that provide immediate proof of their capabilities. With the backing of our $4 million pre-seed round and the expertise of investors who built global hits like Candy Crush, we are betting that video will become the new standard for early-career recruitment. Employers will increasingly prioritize cultural fit and adaptability—traits that a PDF simply cannot convey—leading to a more dynamic and equitable global job market. The “paper” era is fading, and the “presence” era is just beginning.
