Clockwork + The Cognitive Integration
The Cognitive integrates with Clockwork so AI interviewing and sourcing run alongside the workflow retained executive search firms already use: you import active candidates from the Clockwork stage you choose, invite them to a live AI interview, and write each score, summary and report link back to the candidate as a note. Of The Cognitive's 60+ ATS integrations, Clockwork is one, connected from the dashboard through one unified integration. Stage moves and decisions stay in Clockwork; the integration only reads candidates and writes notes.
What does the Clockwork integration do?
- Import from a stage: pick the Clockwork stage to import active candidates from, run a sync, and they arrive in The Cognitive ready to invite.
- Results go back as a note: each interviewed candidate imported from Clockwork gets the score, summary and report link added to their record, where the integration can write notes.
- No automatic stage moves: Clockwork keeps every stage change and rejection decision; the integration only reads candidates and writes notes.
- Outbound too: AI sourcing searches ~900M public profiles for people who never applied, so the pool is not limited to who is already in Clockwork.
- Evidence for the longlist: a recorded, scored first conversation sits behind each name the client sees.
- Nothing forks: Clockwork keeps being the source of truth while The Cognitive supplies the interview and evidence layer.
The Cognitive in a Clockwork workflow
Clockwork pitches "Software for Retained Executive Search, done right", with a Client Portal where firms share longlists, search strategy and scorecards, and AI that rates longlist candidates. The Cognitive adds a first conversation with each candidate on the longlist: a live, two-way AI video interview of 10 or 20 minutes, scored on a fixed rubric.
Search firms usually import from the longlist stage of a project and invite the candidates who have agreed to talk.
In retained search the client is paying for judgment, so a consultant's assessment carries the search. The Cognitive gives that assessment a record: each imported candidate who interviews gets a note in Clockwork with the score, a summary and the report link. The read-only report link, with scores, written feedback and the recording, can be shared with the client next to the Clockwork longlist.
How does candidate sourcing get into Clockwork?
That is the gap The Cognitive's AI sourcing fills. A search brief written in plain English runs across ~900M public profiles with contact details enriched from 30+ sources; the role becomes a durable role pool that keeps everyone each search finds. Each candidate a search returns costs 1 credit, an email reveal 5 and a phone number 10, charged only on a successful reveal, so browsing a search result is cheap and only the shortlist you act on is not. People you source stay in The Cognitive's role pool and are not written into Clockwork automatically; you decide who to interview and who to add to Clockwork yourself.
Clockwork keeps a firm's candidate relationships as its database, and The Cognitive searches ~900M public profiles for executives the firm has never met. Those people stay in The Cognitive's role pool, and the consultant adds the ones worth approaching to the Clockwork project.
How does setup work?
- 1. Connect: open the integration from The Cognitive dashboard, choose Clockwork, and sign in with the credentials Clockwork asks for.
- 2. Set the stage: select the Clockwork stage that feeds candidates into The Cognitive.
- 3. Run it: sync to import, invite candidates to interview, then send each result back to Clockwork as a note with the score and report link.
- Your team keeps every stage move and decision in Clockwork; the integration reads candidates and writes notes, nothing more.
Why teams add The Cognitive to their ATS
An ATS tracks candidates; it doesn't find or evaluate them. The Cognitive adds both to Clockwork: sourcing across ~900M public profiles for people who never applied, and a live, two-way AI video interview scored on a fixed rubric, with questions that adapt to each answer. Your team reads the result as a note in Clockwork. AI Sourcing starts at $49/month and AI Interview at $99/month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clockwork have AI interviews or screening?
Clockwork's site describes Agentic AI, an MCP Connector for AI, and scorecards shared through its Client Portal, but it does not describe an AI interview. The Cognitive adds a live, two-way AI video interview of 10 or 20 minutes for longlist candidates, scored 1 to 5 per criterion, with a read-only report link a consultant can share with the client.
Does Clockwork source candidates outside your database?
Clockwork's homepage treats the database as the firm's own: "Your candidate relationships are your IP", and it grows as projects close. It does not describe a search of outside profiles. The Cognitive searches ~900M public profiles for executives the firm has never met, and they stay in its role pool until a consultant adds them to a Clockwork project.
Is Clockwork built for executive search?
Yes. Clockwork's headline is "Software for Retained Executive Search, done right", and it calls itself a project management platform for boutique retained search firms. Retained clients pay for judgment, so the evidence behind each name matters. The Cognitive records a scored first conversation with each imported candidate, and its read-only report link can be shared alongside the Clockwork longlist.
Does The Cognitive integrate with Clockwork?
Yes, it is one of The Cognitive's 60+ ATS integrations. A sync imports candidates from the Clockwork stage you pick, they take a live AI interview when you invite them, and each result is written back to Clockwork as a note with the score and report link.
Can The Cognitive source candidates into Clockwork?
The Cognitive sources candidates alongside Clockwork: it searches ~900M public profiles from a plain-English brief and enriches contact details from 30+ sources. Sourced people stay in The Cognitive's role pool and are not written into Clockwork automatically. Search results cost 1 credit per candidate returned; an email reveal costs 5 credits and a phone number 10, charged only on a successful reveal.
Which Clockwork stage should feed AI interviews?
Search firms usually import from the longlist stage of a project and invite the candidates who have agreed to talk. You choose the source stage in The Cognitive, each role can use its own rubric, and every decision after the interview stays with your team in Clockwork.
Do I need engineering help to connect Clockwork?
No. You connect Clockwork from The Cognitive dashboard in one integration window, using the admin credentials Clockwork asks for, then pick the stage to import from.
Which plans include ATS integration?
ATS integration comes with the Scale and Pro interview plans. Plans are monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
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