How to do well in an AI interview, recorded or live

Some employers now screen applicants with an AI interview. What happens in one, what the software checks, how to structure answers, and what to avoid.

Some employers now use an AI interview as an early step in hiring. You answer questions on video, by voice or in a chat, and software looks at your answers before a person does. If an employer sends you a link to one, here's how it works and how to give it your best.

What happens in an AI interview

There are two common kinds. In a recorded one, a question appears on screen, you get a short time to think, and then you record your answer on camera. In a live one, an AI asks you questions by chat or voice and follows up on what you say. Hubert, an AI interview software company, explains both kinds in its guide.

Read the invite closely before you start. It should tell you how many questions there are, how long you get for each answer, and whether you can practise or record an answer again. The employer sets those rules, so they change from one job to the next.

What the software actually checks

You may have read that the software scores your facial expressions. HireVue, one of the best-known AI interview companies, dropped that: SHRM reported in February 2021 that HireVue had stopped using facial analysis in March 2020, after its own research found that the visual analysis no longer added much once language analysis had improved. Hubert says recorded AI interviews are scored on content and language, and sometimes on facial expression and tone.

So prepare your words first, and still set up your camera properly. In practice that means answering the exact question you were asked, with a real example, in plain language.

How to structure each answer

Use STAR: situation, task, action, result. Give the situation in one sentence and say what you were asked to do. Spend most of your time on what you did, then end on what happened because of it.

"I'm a proactive communicator" gives the software nothing to weigh. Compare it with this: "Two clients were booked into the same slot, so I called the second one that morning and moved them before either arrived." That one has a situation, an action and a result in a single sentence.

Before the interview, write down four or five moments from your work with a result you can count, like hours saved, appointments booked, errors caught or videos delivered on time, and use them wherever they fit.

Answer the question in your first sentence, then give the example. Watch the timer on screen too. If an answer gets cut off before the result, the software never hears how your story ended.

What to avoid in an AI interview

The same habits help in interviews with people. Our job interview tips for remote jobs cover the video call itself (/blog/job-interview-tips-for-remote-jobs), and our guide to the first question has three example answers (/blog/how-to-answer-tell-me-about-yourself). When you're ready to apply, the roles hiring now are at /jobs.

Sources

Questions

What is an AI interview?

A job interview where software asks the questions or reviews your answers before a person does. Some are recorded video answers to questions on screen. Others are a live chat or voice conversation with an AI.

Does an AI interview read my face?

It depends on the tool. HireVue stopped using facial analysis in March 2020, SHRM reported, while Hubert says some tools still look at facial expression and tone. Set up your light and camera properly either way.

Can I practise for an AI interview?

Yes. Record yourself answering three common questions on your phone, watch it back and fix one thing at a time. If the platform has a practice question, use it.

How long should each answer be?

Use most of the time the screen gives you and finish before the timer ends, so your result doesn't get cut off.