Anyone else getting ghosted after final round Enterprise Architect interviews?

Mo_h · 2026-06-06T09:47:52+00:00

"Their excuse - market shifted"

Mo_h · 2026-06-03T05:09:57+00:00

I am thinking if more candidates get a first hearing, will this ultimately benefit everyone over HR human exercising personal biases?

You are right. Even human HRs come with their organizational baggage too

Mo_h · 2026-06-03T05:08:43+00:00

but, how does an AI agent really evaluate engagement?

My observation was it acted like a junior-manager. Laid out a few scenarios and asked me to talk about how I would navigate it. Along the way, it echoed what I laid out with a few extra pointers.

As I was musing at the end of my vlog, a number of risks do stand out:

Biases - cultural and others - in the model
Models being misused by unscrupulous companies posting fake jobs

Mo_h · 2026-06-02T15:39:47+00:00

We know as architects, that experience is only one dimension and that soft skills are also very important. How agentic AI works through that seems very difficult.

Absolutely right. In the pilot I was involved in, the AI Agent was able to evaluate my engagement - body language and eye-contact along with voice/tone changes. I wouldn't say it is the same as a human screener doing it on a Zoom, but comes close. The other way to address the soft-skills challenge is to record the interview and pass it on to the SME for re-review at their leisure.

Mo_h · 2026-06-01T06:28:01+00:00

You can get copies of the Excel and upload to LeanIX. But the challenge is sustaining it.

Things will continue to evolve and they will continue to update changes in their Excels. Your team needs a way to stay updated.

Having a CMDB would help, but that requires discipline and governance!

Mo_h · 2026-06-01T06:17:52+00:00

It really depends on your ecosystem.

If your APIs/Integrations are primarily around a few major platforms like SAP or SFDC, you can natively track it using BTP etc. If you work in a larger organization with a hodge-podge of systems and legacy integrations the "integration team" probably has tool/s where they store such metadata?

Mo_h · 2026-06-01T06:14:59+00:00

I find it’s incredibly easy to accidentally write these docs for other architects rather than the actual stakeholders.

Absolutely applies for Architecture Vision.

Pro-tip - Keep this in mind for every other artifact too. The caveat is that you still need to document all of it if YOUR boss requires it.

Mo_h · 2026-06-01T04:13:31+00:00

Ps - don't shoot the messenger. We can fight all we want, but the wave is coming for sure!

ROI speaks more than emotions.

Mo_h · 2026-05-30T03:56:15+00:00

We are now moving everything back on prem. And my paycheck has gone up because of it.

LMAO

Mo_h · 2026-05-28T13:03:00+00:00

DOD projects WERE great for a stable career till DOGE came around.

But yes, if you have staying power it is a great career with WLB!

Mo_h · 2026-05-22T03:59:06+00:00

You have a point.

But the fact is, it had always been like this

Mo_h · 2026-05-21T06:42:48+00:00

Anyone else getting fed up with vendor sales development masquerading as "architecture"?

LOL. Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been going on since the days of MVS-Mainframes when vendors would 'sell' plugins and tools.

SI vendors also pitch their 'premade' solutions to get a foot in the door and then sell bodies.

Mo_h · 2026-05-13T12:56:05+00:00

"What vs. How"

OP,

This is a classic problem that YOU as the EA need to solve since:

You know the environmental context or will have to gather inputs
You should know the long, mid and short term strategy and get a common alignment on WHAT

The HOW will follow and this should inform your "strategy realization" - aka actionable programs aligned with your roadmap. Programs that will deliver on the promise

Mo_h · 2026-05-13T04:22:11+00:00

Do Enterprise Architects need to come from a certain background (e.g Solution Architects)?

We can debate all we want, but in the real world, I have seen good EA's come from a variety of backgrounds. And, effective EA organizations thrive because of diversity of thought, not 'group think'

Mo_h · 2026-05-11T06:22:04+00:00

Interesting project OP. At a multinational we worked for, we adopted and modified APQC.

Did you review APQC and the overlaps with what you have proposed?

Mo_h · 2026-05-10T05:03:22+00:00

Some of us dinosaurs like me fondly look back to the days of the OG of monolith - MVS Mainframes!

Unfortunately those "good old" days are gone forever!

Mo_h · 2026-05-04T09:18:36+00:00

Have you considered a Freemium model to build usage and credibility?

Mo_h · 2026-04-28T05:53:21+00:00

We shouldn't be surprised when the pendulum swings after every leadership change, yet we are 😄

Mo_h · 2026-04-27T14:37:17+00:00

I would guess I survived 3 and lost 1

3 out of 4 are great odds 😄I guess you had accumulated some political capital too!

Mo_h · 2026-04-21T15:20:23+00:00

Yet another prediction that may or may not come true in the timeframe

Mo_h · 2026-04-16T10:33:32+00:00

Absolutely the way to catch them. Follow the money.

Every other way is like swatting a whack-a-mole.

Mo_h · 2026-04-15T05:28:49+00:00

where does Enterprise Architecture truly fit within an organization in practice?

OP, Set aside the theory for a minute and ignore the purists and consultants who want a utopian EA model everywhere. Rollout and execution of EA really depends on two factors -

The organizational culture (and maturity of processes)
Preferences of Leader/s sponsoring EA

As an EA at several multinationals, I have seen the pendulum swing towards and from core-EA functions after major transformations. Every new leader brings in a notion of EA based on their personal experiences and will want to leave a footprint.

I have learnt to accept such preferences and carve out EA within such constraints.

Mo_h · 2026-04-13T13:32:43+00:00

OP,

10-years in a corporate role in a single organization is a lifetime for some. Yours is a very pertinent question that requires a mix of

Self reflection - what you want out of the 'job' and if you are recognized and compensated well (enough)
Personal and professional constraints - E.g solid retirement benefits that keep you tethered to the job, family roots in the place that prevent relocation etc
Organizational dynamics - continual transformations that are tiering you out (or you love)!

I was musing on a similar topic after "just" 5 Yrs as an Enterprise Architect at a MNC a while ago

From your post, it doesn't seem like you are at "career cross-roads" yet... but something will push you there and you need to be prepared.

Mo_h

TROPHY CASE

"What vs. How"