Be the "Glue": Build AI Projects That Solve Real Problems to Get Hired

Bashiri Smith · Facebook reel · 2026-09-25 · 1:21 · 3,910 views · Open on Facebook

Topics: Portfolio Projects, Resume, Job Search & Interviews · Level: beginner

Summary

Bashiri Smith starts from a quote by Microsoft's CEO: even with heavy automation, humans do the "glue work," and new glue work will keep appearing. He argues that the most valuable AI engineers are the "glue": people who spot a real problem, build a solution, and get it to the people who need it. His advice for job seekers is to pick portfolio projects by the problem they solve, not by how many buzzwords (RAG, agents, harness engineering) they can put on a resume. The video ends by pointing to his full tutorial on building projects that get you hired.

Key points

• Microsoft's CEO said that even with all our digital systems, humans do the "glue work," and automation will create new glue work.
• Being the glue means three things: see a problem, find a solution, and get that solution to the people who need it.
• This skill keeps you valuable whatever happens with the job market or the newest AI trend (RAG, harness engineering, loop engineering, agents).
• Don't choose projects just to stack buzzwords like RAG, agentic architecture, workflows or harness engineering.
• Start with the problem and let it decide which tools you use.
• Be able to explain what your project solves and why a company should care. Adding RAG or agents means little without that.
• Show people what you built and how it helped. That gives you real proof in interviews that you can do useful work.
• The creator says this mindset is what lands $100K–$200K+ AI engineering roles.

Resources mentioned

• How to Build a Coding Project That Will Get You Hired in 2026 [FULL BLUEPRINT] · video · youtube.com · free
  Bashiri Smith's full YouTube tutorial on planning and building portfolio projects that solve real problems and show employers you can do useful work.
  Also in: Build Side Projects With Real Users to Stand Out to Employers (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Stop Writing AI Keyword Soup: Build Projects That Solve Real Problems (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Beat the Hiring "Trust Recession" With Public Proof-of-Skill Projects (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), 90-Day AI Engineering Job Search: Targeted Companies, Outreach & Loom Pitches (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes) and 2 more

Try this

• Find a real problem before you choose any technology for a project.
• Build a solution and get it into the hands of people who need it.
• Stop choosing projects based on how many AI buzzwords they add to your resume.
• Prepare to explain what your project solves and why a company should care.
• Show people what you built and how it helped, and bring that proof to interviews.
• Watch the creator's full tutorial on building projects that get you hired.
• Pick a real problem that real users have, build a solution for it, put it in their hands, and record the impact so you can show it in interviews.