AI Interviews Explained: What Candidates and Recruiters Need to Know
Whether you’re an interviewer or an interviewee you may know it's no secret that AI tools seem to increasingly be integrated into both ends of the interview process. From skill assessments, to conversational AI interviews - this concept of integrating AI end-to-end throughout the hiring process is becoming more and more attractive to not only companies, but hiring managers, and candidates too.
Let’s explore exactly what AI interviews are, offer tips for candidates, and highlight how hiring managers can leverage AI tools for efficient recruitment processes:
Understanding AI Interviews
AI interviews have increasingly become a norm in the recruitment process, as companies try to stay ahead of the AI-curve, they’ve begun adopting systems to conduct initial candidate screenings through one-sided video-interviews from companies like HireVue, text interviews similar to Paradox AI, conversational AI-powered interviews like HeyMilo AI, and skill assessments through platforms like Pymetrics. For candidates to feel confident throughout the interview process when some parts may be automated by AI, it’s important to educate, inform, and provide guidance so candidates have an idea of what to expect, and can perform to the best of their abilities.
Candidates: Tips to Ace an AI Interview
Research the Technology:
Understanding the specific AI interview platform you will be using is crucial. Each platform has unique functionalities, and familiarity with how the platform interacts with users can ease anxiety going into the interview
Use AI tools to your Advantage:
We’re fortunately living in a digital age where there are AI tools to assist both ends of the interview process, and tools like Final Round AI, and Huru AI are making candidates’ lives easier by offering mock interviews, live interview interview co-pilots, and even after employment resources like salary negotiations, and work from home resources.
Use the STAR Method:
One of the most useful ways to structure your answers mid interview is using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to seal the deal on clarity and coherence. This method seems to be particularly effective during AI interviews as it provides a clear and concise framework for responses for the AI to follow.
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Step 1) Situation: Describe the context within which you performed a task.
Step 2) Task: Explain the actual task you were responsible for.
Step 3) Action: Describe the specific actions you took to complete the task.
Step 4) Result: Highlight the outcomes of your actions.
Highlight Keywords:
An incredibly underrated tip is using keywords directly from the job description and using them throughout your interview. CBS News highlights how companies have trained these AI systems to often scan for specific keywords relevant to the job description, so take full advantage of that and incorporate those keywords in your answers to align with the role's requirements.
Technical Setup:
Possibly the most obvious tip, but try to ensure your internet connection is stable, and your camera and microphone are functioning properly. Conduct a test run to avoid technical glitches during the actual interview as it may disrupt the flow of the interview and increase anxiety if some technical glitches do occur.
Currently companies are adopting AI interview tools mostly to pre-screen candidates in order to allow their human recruiters to focus on quality over quantity. Yes - there are definitely tips to help candidates’ perform better in this new age of AI, but AI can only do so much. The true authenticity, and experience relating to a specific industry or role that candidates bring are most of the times the ultimate deciding factor, and focusing on delivering that to the best of your ability is probably your best bet to ace an AI interview.
Leveraging AI Interviews for Recruiting:
As hiring managers and recruiters continue to navigate an evolving and unpredictable job market, AI I offers numerous benefits for hiring managers, enhancing efficiency, bias reduction, and candidate experience in recruitment.
Efficiency and Speed:
The most obvious benefit is that AI can handle high volume recruiting, 24/7, providing reports on candidates interviewed, and scoring them based on predefined criteria. This accelerates the initial screening process, as HeyMilo highlighted, AI recruiting tools are saving recruiters approximately 65% of their time, allowing them to focus on more strategic and relationship-building tasks.
Bias Reduction:
It’s no secret that companies over the years have been blasted in the media for discriminatory hiring practices, but now with AI, companies can specifically design the interview process reduce human biases by evaluating candidates solely on their performance and qualifications. Forbes actually goes into detail about how AI interviews and screenings can lead to decreased gender gap by 30%, and how AI is actually promoting a fairer and more inclusive interview process.
Improved Candidate Experience:
First impressions matter, and the initial interaction a candidate has with a company is sometimes the most crucial of the entire process. From the 2024 CareerPlug Candidate Experience Report, job seekers were asked how important the hiring process it to them on a scale of 1-10, and an overwhelming majority answered between 7-10:
When asked about the company they work for (or most recently worked for), 83% of employees rated the candidate experience in the hiring process as positive. And 76% of candidates said that a positive experience influenced their decision to accept an offer. Seeing how meaningful the hiring process is for candidates, if they’re given flexibility to conduct an interview at their convenience, are engaged throughout the interview process, and are able to perform better because of less anxiety, then wouldn’t it make sense to consider an AI-driven interview solution?
Data-Driven Insights:
We all know that data leads to more informed decisions, and with AI, it can provide detailed analytics and data-driven insights directly from candidate interactions. Finding top talent is a gruelling process, and keeping mental notes of all the candidates interviewed leads to jumbled decisions, and in order to combat that, taking advantage of AI tools to provide reports and data-driven insights on candidates leads to hiring managers making more informed decisions.
Are AI interviews Here To Stay?
Short answer - yes. AI is slowly being integrated throughout existing workflows, and knowing how to use it to your advantage, especially in a position where you’re either an interviewer or interviewee is incredibly important in order to stay ahead of the AI-curve. For instance, generative AI interview solutions like Heymilo AI, offer a real-time conversational AI that conducts initial interviews. And as AI technology evolves, more and more AI tools will begin to make an impact on the AI interview process as a whole.
However, while AI interview tools exist for both interviewers and interviewees, it is essential to maintain a balance between AI and human interactions in the entire interview process. AI can handle repetitive tasks and initial screenings, but human hiring managers are crucial for building relationships and making informed hiring decisions. A balance of both ensures that the interview process becomes more efficient in this new digital age.
If you’re curious to see an AI interview tool live in action then feel free to go to https://www.heymilo.ai/ and start interacting with your very own AI-powered interview agent.
