Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled self-recorded job interviews are on the rise globally as part of the hiring process, and has become useful for hiring managers and job applicants.
Some of the AI-enabled platforms used to facilitate this are HireVue, Spark Hire, and Interview Stream.
This was recommended by a Harvard University career advisor, Gorick Ng who also described the platforms as being able to use these pre-recorded interviews to quickly filter through a roster of candidates, then transcribe and score an applicant’s answers.
HireVue for instance, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to enable its clients conduct digital interviews as part of the hiring process, allowing job candidates to interact with a computer rather than a human interviewer.
Gorick Ng however indicates that the challenge with an AI interview is that applicants have one shot at an answer, as it’s not a conversation.
“The challenge with an AI interview is that you have one shot at an answer, and it’s not a conversation,” he says.
Passing job interviews is part of the recruiting process which can be quite demanding considering the amount of effort needed to practice and provide the right answers to a hiring manager.
It is more so in a unique clime like Nigeria where the selection process is more rigid because of the fewer jobs compared to the unemployed youths.
One of the best ways to leave the stage in grand style is to adequately prepare and take advantage of the latest trends in scaling through an interview process properly.
Here are some of the tips which Gorick Ng recommends for self-recorded job interviews:
Appearance and Setup are Important
Although you may not be speaking directly to a human during your interview, your appearance still matters, Ng says. Ensure that your attire, sound quality, lighting, visual background, and internet connection are all in order, as these elements can be assessed as indicators of your professionalism.
Maintain Eye Contact with the Camera
Maintaining eye contact with your computer’s camera may seem less crucial when there’s no one on the other end, but Ng advises otherwise: “When in doubt, look at your webcam, not your screen.”
“Looking directly at the camera will make a stronger first impression on playback, signaling to reviewers that you are not reading off a script.
“This is particularly important for companies concerned about job applicants using AI text-generators like ChatGPT for real-time interview assistance, Ng adds.
A clear giveaway for reviewers is if an applicant’s eyes move left or right as if reading from a teleprompter, he explains.
Get to the Point
Ng advises applicants saying,
“Unlike a conversational interview with back-and-forth dialogue, your responses in a recorded evaluation take the form of a “monologue.
“With possibly only a minute to answer each question, your monologue must be concise and substantive”
Ng therefore advises putting yourself in the reviewer’s shoes, whether a machine or human: If you’re not prepared and succinct, your transcript will appear as a “rambling mess.”
The good news, he says, is that you can expect any filmed job interview to cover standard behavioral questions asked in a conventional one — an introduction, your future aspirations, why you’re interested in the organization and role, and recounting specific situations such as when you demonstrated leadership or disagreed with a manager.
The same rules for acing a question in a conventional interview apply even when you’re not speaking to a person, Ng says. He recommends using the STAR method, an interviewing technique that involves describing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result to structure your anecdotal response.
Since these taped interviews occur at the earliest stage of the process,
“The the glass-half-full way of looking at this automation trend is that you’re actually getting a lot more practice in something that people would otherwise have to put themselves in a super high-stakes interview to be able to practice for real,” Ng says.