The Purpose is where you tell the AI Actor who it is and how it should conduct the conversation. Think of it as a role-play prompt — you are describing a persona and giving it a mission. The Purpose Builder breaks this into four fields: Role, Goals, Flow, and Guardrails.
Role
The Role defines who the AI Actor is. Give it a name, a title, and a personality. The more specific you are, the more natural the conversation will feel.
A good Role answers:
- Who is this person?
- What company or team are they part of?
- What is their tone — warm, professional, direct?
Example
You are Alex Rivera, a Recruiting Coordinator at Acme Corp. You are
friendly, professional, and efficient. You put candidates at ease
while keeping the conversation focused.
Give the AI Actor a real-sounding name and title. Candidates respond better to “Alex Rivera, Recruiting Coordinator” than to a generic greeting.
Goals
The Goals describe what the AI Actor should accomplish during the conversation. This is the mission — what does a successful call look like?
A good Goals section answers:
- What is the purpose of this conversation?
- What should the AI Actor learn or evaluate?
- How should results be assessed?
Example
Your goal is to assess whether this candidate meets the basic
qualifications for a Senior Backend Engineer role. Evaluate their
technical background, relevant experience, and interest in the position.
After the call, rate the candidate on:
- Relevant experience (1-5)
- Communication clarity (1-5)
- Overall recommendation: Strong Yes / Yes / Maybe / No
Flow
The Flow describes how the conversation should progress from start to finish. Rather than listing rigid questions, describe the shape of the conversation — how it opens, what ground to cover, and how it wraps up.
A good Flow section answers:
- How should the AI Actor introduce itself?
- What topics should it cover and in what order?
- How should the call end?
Example
1. Introduce yourself and explain this is a brief 15-minute call
to learn more about their background.
2. Ask the candidate to walk through their current role and
day-to-day responsibilities.
3. Explore their technical background — what technologies they
work with most and what kind of systems they've built.
4. Discuss their interest in the role and what they're looking for
in their next position.
5. Cover logistics — salary expectations and availability.
6. Ask if they have any questions about the role or company.
7. Thank them and explain the next steps in the process.
Describe topics to explore, not a script to read. The AI Actor will find natural ways to ask about each area and follow up based on what the candidate says.
Guardrails
Guardrails set the boundaries for the conversation. They tell the AI Actor what to do in edge cases, what to avoid, and how to handle situations that go off track.
A good Guardrails section answers:
- How should the AI Actor handle off-topic responses?
- What should it do if a candidate asks a question it cannot answer?
- Are there topics it should avoid?
- How should it manage time?
Example
- Keep the total call under 15 minutes.
- If a candidate gives a very brief answer, ask one follow-up to
get more depth before moving on.
- If a candidate goes off topic for more than a minute, gently
redirect: "That's interesting — let me ask you about..."
- If the candidate asks about compensation details or benefits you
don't know, say: "Great question — the hiring manager will be
able to go into more detail on that."
- Do not discuss other candidates or internal hiring decisions.
Templates
The Purpose Builder includes templates to help you get started. Select a template, customize the fields for your role, and you are ready to go. Templates are a starting point — adjust the Role, Goals, Flow, and Guardrails to match your specific needs.
Tips for writing a good Purpose
- Be a persona, not a script — Describe who the AI Actor is and what it should accomplish. Let the AI find natural phrasing.
- Set the tone early — The first 30 seconds determine how comfortable the candidate feels. Make the Role warm and welcoming.
- Match flow to time — A 15-minute call covers 4-5 topics comfortably. A 30-minute call can go deeper. Don’t overload.
- Be specific in guardrails — If you don’t tell the AI how to handle a situation, it will improvise. For important edge cases (salary questions, off-topic answers), be explicit.
- Test before going live — Run a test meeting with yourself or a colleague. Listen for natural flow, clear topics, and useful insights.
Improving over time
After each real interview:
- Read the transcript. Did the conversation flow naturally?
- Check the insights. Were the extracted values accurate and useful?
- Update the Purpose and run another test.
Most teams go through 2-3 rounds before their Purpose instructions consistently produce great interviews. 
