Attack Of The Robots! How To Prepare For The AI Job Interview

You may have seen recent headlines about Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven apps like ChatGBT or Chinchilla. Or maybe you’re familiar with AI image generators like DALL-E2. AI is an exciting, scary, and imperfect game changer — and it’s changing how people get jobs.

The machines seem to be taking over. You may have noticed that the number of digital walls (obstacles) during the job search process has quietly increased. Pre-interview assessments and automated phone screens have joined applicant tracking systems (ATS – employer recruitment software) to put more digital space between you and the recruiter or hiring manager. 

And now, AI is moving out of the shadows and onto the main stage. If you’re scared that you’re going to be interviewed by robots, then you’re not going like this next statement:

Prepare to be interviewed by robots.

AI-driven video interviewing has arrived and it’s inevitable that you will soon be one of its victims. Just like there is an ATS between your resume and a person, AI is now between you and a person. You’ve been demoted from person to inanimate object. Just like you must craft a resume to get through the ATS, you must learn how to get through a HireVue interview.

HireVue is a “talent experience platform.” You are the “talent.” The “experience” used to be called, “interviewing for a job.”  The “platform” is an AI wall that will interview you.

Think of a Zoom interview; now take away the other person – the course of your professional career will partially be determined by an algorithm. Welcome to the warm and fuzzy world of AI video interviewing, where software will be asking you some predetermined behavioral questions and having you play some logic games, then synthesizing your visual, verbal, and cognitive inputs to provide the recruiter and hiring manager with a recommendation about your efficacy as a job candidate.

You can survive a HireVue interview. Here are some general tips on how to get through AI interviews:

1.     The robot is assessing you. AI algorithms are hidden. Just like guessing what keywords will help your resume, you have no idea what data is being mined, assessed, and prioritized. Regardless of the details, the AI video interview approach is both visual and verbal. You must pay attention to every detail. 

2.     Visuals matter. The way you are dressed. The background. Your body language. While these are important factors during a regular Zoom interview, an AI interview reads visual data the same way an ATS reads a resume’s format. The data is quantified and the result contributes to your “HireVue assessment score,” “average rating,” and “average recommendation,” (Yes, No, Maybe). Stay focused on the camera, make good eye contact, and try to minimize unnecessary body motion. 

3.     Questions will be behavioral. Be prepared to answer behavioral questions like, “Please describe a time you had to change your course of action while working on an assignment,” (HireVue, 2023).  Computers are less forgiving than people, and there is less wiggle room than in a regular interview where charisma and a positive connection can overcome some difficulty. You must be ready to go the moment the light comes on. Remember how you answer a question is just as important as the answer itself.

4.     Be focused and succinct. To follow up on the previous comment, the AI records delivery as well as the content. The content is up to you. As far as the delivery goes, you want to have a smooth natural delivery that requires an extra level of polish that can best be achieved through practice. You don’t know what the questions will be but practice some common ones. You’ll want to minimize the appearance of uncertainty.

5.     You can’t make a machine laugh. There are people out there who are so extroverted and personable that they sail through every job interview and they get offers – qualified or not! They are the ultimate example of “winning it in the room.” HireVue is a filtration system. It’s meant to defer human decision-making to the late rounds of the job interview process. You can still win it in the room but now there is an additional obstacle to clear before you can get into the room. That obstacle is humorless. Save your brilliant charm for people. With AI, keep your answers focused, succinct, and all business.

6.     Make human contact. After your AI “talent experience,” take the opportunity to contact the recruiter and thank them. Your HireVue video interview is an assessment. It’s not a decision. People are still making hiring decisions and you can influence those decisions by acting like the professional you are.

7.     Nurture your professional network. Now more than ever, making a regular practice of nurturing your professional network may be the best thing you can do for your career so that you’ve cultivated an advocate within an employer. Getting around the machines is getting more difficult and it’s not going away. If you can circumvent the digital walls through actual human connections, you’ve already won half the battle.

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.