On April 15th, AP Hiring for Sales Professionals signs went up at the Vernon Hills, Illinois, store.
Have you applied for a new job? If you are shortlisted, prepare to be interviewed by artificial intelligence.
With an influx of AI-generated job applications from easy-to-apply job sites, recruiters are turning to AI. Companies use chatbots to interview candidates, usually during the selection stage, via phone, text message, or video chat with an on-screen avatar.
Recruiters have been using AI-powered recruiting tools to evaluate job applicants for years, and their use is expanding as technology advances.
Many people feel anxious about interviewing for AI jobs, and this trend seems to continue. A recent survey by hiring platform Greenhouse found that more job seekers are reporting having faced AI interviews. But many applicants walk away from the hiring process because of it, and depending on who you ask, it can be a sign that the person is either creepy, a scammer, or not a serious candidate.
Here’s what to expect in an AI interview and how to do your best.
please do your homework
Regardless of the interview format, the basics still apply, says Amanda Augustine, a career coach at CareerMind, which helps companies help laid-off workers with resume writing and job search services.
Before your interview, review the job description, research the organization, and understand what the organization is looking for.
“The more prepared you are, the easier it will be to coordinate your response, even if you are interacting with an AI rather than a human,” she advised.
get used to the format
If you’ve never interviewed for an AI job before, you might feel nervous or uncomfortable during your first interview.
I did a demo AI interview set up by Netherlands-based TestGorilla, one of the many platforms that provide recruiting tools to companies. There were two questions at the beginning, one testing problem-solving skills and the other assessing work experience. Then, he came face to face with the woman’s face generated by AI.
“My goal is to learn more about you and the experience, skills and abilities you may bring to this role,” he said, adding that he planned to spend about two minutes answering three questions.
Unlike a human interview, there was no warm-up chat or opportunity to build rapport. There was no point in smiling or trying to break the ice.
Experts say the best way to get through it is to be prepared.
“You need to practice out loud,” says Priya Rathod, workplace trends editor at online job site Indeed. “And practicing aloud means saying your actual answers out loud,” she said, because chatbots need to record what you say.
Also note that you are not having a conversation, you are providing information about yourself to the machine.
“You need to be especially descriptive and able to communicate very clearly in your own language so that they can pick up on things that a regular interviewer would pick up on from your facial expressions and tone,” Rathod says.
She added that AI interviewers are “more concerned with what I’m saying than my tone.”
Prepare using our online interview simulator. There are many available. Record responses and provide instant feedback on content, delivery, and pacing. It also helps you get used to speaking on camera, managing time limits, and responding in a structured way without the natural back-and-forth of a live conversation, Augustine says.
Prepare for behavioral questions
In my demo interview, the AI asked me for a role as a communications expert.
One of the questions was how to use AI in “workflows”, including examples of successes and failures. When I told them that using AI transcription tools saved me a lot of time on interviews and other recordings, they summarized my answer and asked me if I wanted to add anything else. I wasn’t sure if I could answer the question satisfactorily.
According to TestGorilla ratings, I received a “below average” score on this question. Test Gorilla says it “didn’t show any concrete metrics” such as time saved. “The claim of improvement is therefore ambiguous,” the company said.
Rathod said AI interviewers ask these “behavioral questions” because they want candidates to provide examples, with numbers and metrics, of how they handled specific work situations.
“These are the kinds of questions that AI relies heavily on, and the trap that many people fall into is giving very vague answers,” she said.
Candidates should continue to rely on proven tactics like the STAR method (which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result).
So be prepared to talk about specific work situations, tasks assigned to you, actions you took, and results, Rathod said.
Setup still matters
Don’t ignore the physical setup of your desk and computer. Even if video-based interviews are conducted by AI rather than humans, it’s still important.
Test your audio and video in advance. Make sure the light is bright enough and shines on your face. Raise your laptop to eye level so you don’t look down at the camera.
“Small adjustments, like stacking books or using a ring light, can make a noticeable difference in how polished and professional your presentation is,” Augustine says.
I don’t want to use AI shortcuts
Job seekers may want to use AI to find answers. After all, they are very easy to use and no one would know unless you were talking to a human, right?
“That’s a big no-no, because it’s obvious,” both to the AI interviewing tool and to anyone who might review the recording, Rathod said. Using AI for answers “could result in immediate disqualification in some cases.”
If you find it difficult to answer, you can always ask a question to clarify or repeat the question.
