For job seekers and human resource managers, artificial intelligence is an inevitability.
No longer just a buzzword, AI is stepping in to perform interviews along with a variety of more complex tasks. It's changing the way both candidates and employers are approaching hiring.
Michael Moran, a UX/Product designer based in Austin, said he started noticing the AI-powered interviews in 2024. Video applications, prompts with recorded responses and the AI phone interviews. More recently, a video interview with an AI avatar.
"It looked pretty real. I mean, it was obviously an AI in that it was like something a little unnatural about it, but his mouth moved perfectly with his voice. His voice sounded natural," said Moran.
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Moran knew he'd be interviewed by an AI avatar and was told to set up in a quiet place 10 minutes beforehand. The experience was not unlike interview practices he'd done online, given a prompt and then received summarized feedback.
Except this time, he'd only have one take.
Moran has mixed feelings about the experience. He said the interview at times felt more conversational than ones he's done with humans who were tied to a script. The AI bot remembered details from his previous answers and referenced them. He was also able to ask the AI bot to rephrase questions.
But in a tough job market with a low response rate to applications, the AI interviews can feel like another frustrating barrier to getting hired.
"To me, it feels like they don't respect me as an applicant, as a job seeker, and it's probably going to be a waste of my time," Moran said.
His experience is becoming the new norm.
A recent survey from Resume Now found that 91% of employers use AI in their hiring processes.
"We're seeing employers use it for a wide range of things like writing and optimizing job descriptions, candidate sourcing, resume analysis, interview scheduling, identifying and sourcing passive candidates, automating follow-up emails, and even kind of analyzing video interviews that candidates might submit as well," said Keith Spencer, a career expert with Resume Now.
Spencer was surprised by the prevalence of AI in hiring, but said it makes sense.
"We are in a highly competitive job market, especially if you look at different segments of the job market," Spencer said.
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Remote jobs, for example, can attract thousands of applicants, and AI tools can help hiring managers whittle the pile down to top candidates.
But he stressed that transparency is key for both the candidates and the employers.
For employers, that means telling candidates if AI is being used and how, so an AI interview isn't a surprise. But also to avoid biases that exist in the data AI is learning from.
"The hope is that AI can help eliminate hiring bias altogether, take it out of the hiring process, but there's growing scrutiny over how some of the biased training data that you're potentially using for these AI tools can lead to some unfair outcomes," Spencer said.
For candidates, it means being authentic to a personal style, skills and responses in interviews.
"A lot of employers think that there should be sort of rules established for AI-generated job application content," said Spencer. "But then at the same time, they want you to know how to use AI tools to be more productive and efficient."
Moran no longer takes phone calls from AI recruiters – unless it's a job he really wants. He uses AI tools to help him apply for jobs and structure resumes to be more readable to applicant tracking systems. But in general, he applies to smaller companies that are less likely to use AI tools for their interviews.
Spencer's advice? Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to crafting your applications.
"You hear often that you have to beat the ATS (applicant tracking system) or beat the AI, beat the bots. And that's not really accurate because whether it's a human or a software program that's reviewing your application materials, your goal is to demonstrate that you are a good fit for that role."
