Should You Use AI in Job Interviews? What Candidates Need to Know

AI in job interviews is becoming increasingly common. I recently interviewed someone who was clearly using AI to answer my questions. I won't pretend I didn't notice.

There was a delay before each response. The answers sounded unusually structured. And, most importantly, they didn't feel like answers from someone having a conversation with me.

They felt generated.

And it made me think about something candidates should probably hear more often:

AI can be a great tool for preparing for an interview. But using it to actually answer your interview questions can work against you.

I understand why candidates use it

Let's be honest: interviews are stressful. You don't know exactly what you're going to be asked. You want to make a good impression. You might be interviewing for a role you really want. And now you have access to tools that can help you prepare for almost anything.

You can ask AI to research the company, analyse the job description, suggest questions, structure your answers and even practise with you.

All of that? I'm completely on board with.

In fact, I'd encourage candidates to prepare properly. The problem starts when preparation becomes substitution.

An interview isn't an exam

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is treating an interview like there is a “correct” answer they need to give. There isn't.

When I'm interviewing someone, I'm not looking for the most impressive-sounding answer.

I'm trying to understand the person sitting in front of me.

How do they think?

How do they communicate?

What have they actually done?

What motivates them?

How do they respond when I ask a follow-up question?

And most importantly:

Can we have a real conversation?

That's difficult to demonstrate if you're waiting for AI to formulate every response.

The problem with AI-generated answers

AI is very good at producing answers that sound professional. Sometimes too professional.

You can end up with answers full of phrases like:

“stakeholder alignment”

“cross-functional collaboration”

“strategic impact”

“data-driven decision making”

All perfectly reasonable phrases.

But if I ask you what you actually did, I want to hear your experience.

Not a beautifully constructed paragraph that could have been written for anyone.

The strongest interview answers usually contain details.

What happened?

What was your role?

What went wrong?

What did you do?

What did you learn?

What would you do differently?

Those details are what make an answer believable and interesting. And they're also what allow the interviewer to have a conversation with you.

Here's what happens when I notice it

When I suspect someone is using AI during an interview, I don't necessarily call them out.

Instead, I start asking follow-up questions. If you've genuinely done something, you should be able to talk about it.

I might ask:

“What was the most difficult part of that?”

Or:

“What did you personally do?”

Or:

“What happened next?”

Or:

“Can you give me a specific example?”

And that's where the difference often becomes obvious. Because an AI-generated answer might sound great. But if the candidate can't naturally expand on it, explain their thinking or give a specific example, the polished answer doesn't help them.

It can actually hurt them. I've actually had people literally read the AI generated answers on their screen thinking I won't noice - I do.

And here comes the next shocking thing......

Hiring managers know

This is probably the most important thing I want candidates to understand.

Hiring managers know. Recruiters know. We interview people all the time.

We know what a natural conversation sounds like. If every answer is perfectly structured, generic, overly polished and slightly disconnected from the question, it can be pretty obvious what's happening.

And once an interviewer starts wondering whether you're using AI, you're no longer just being assessed on your answer.

They're also wondering:

“Can I trust what I'm hearing?”

That's not where you want the conversation to go.

AI can actually be a good tool for interview preparation

Just before the interview, rather than during it.

Here are a few ways I'd use it:

1. Understand the job description

Give AI the job description and ask it to identify the three or four most important things the company is actually looking for.

Then ask:

“What questions could they ask to assess these skills?”

This gives you a much better idea of what to prepare for.

2. Practise your answers

This is probably one of the best uses of AI.

Give it examples from your real experience and ask it to challenge you with follow-up questions. You can even ask it to play the role of the hiring manager.

But don't memorise its answers.

Use it to practise your answers.

And ideally, practise them out loud.

3. Find the gaps

Give AI your CV and the job description and ask:

“Where might the interviewer want more evidence from me?”

Maybe you've got the right experience but haven't explained it clearly on your CV.

Maybe there's a requirement you haven't addressed.

Knowing this beforehand gives you time to prepare a genuine example.

4. Research the company

AI can help you get up to speed quickly on a company, its market and its competitors.

But don't stop there.

Go to the company's website. Read what they've actually published. Look at what they're currently doing.

You want to walk into the interview with questions and opinions, not just facts.

5. Prepare your own questions

AI can help you brainstorm questions based on the role.

But choose the ones you're actually curious about.

Because a question is much better when you genuinely want to know the answer.

Your personality is part of the interview

This is something candidates sometimes forget.

You're not just being assessed on whether you can perform the tasks listed in the job description.

The company is also trying to understand what it would be like to work with you.

Are you curious?

Do you listen?

Can you think on your feet?

Can you explain something simply?

Do you have opinions?

Do you take ownership?

None of these things require a perfect answer. In fact, sometimes the slightly imperfect answer tells me much more about a candidate.

A moment where you pause and think.

An answer you have to correct.

A story you clearly remember because you lived it.

A genuine opinion.

That's the stuff I want to hear.

The irony is that AI can make you less memorable

Think about it from the interviewer's perspective.

If ten candidates have all used AI to prepare perfectly structured answers, they're going to start sounding remarkably similar. The candidate who tells a genuine story, gives a specific example and has an interesting conversation may actually stand out more.

You don't need to sound perfect.

You need to sound like yourself — on a really good day.

That's what preparation should help you achieve.

Not turning you into a robot.

Use AI to prepare. Don't use it to pretend.

That's really the distinction.

Use AI to help you think.

Don't use it to think for you.

Prepare with it.Practise with it.Challenge yourself with it.

Then close the laptop and have the conversation yourself.

Because ultimately, the interviewer isn't trying to meet your AI assistant. They're trying to meet you. And if you get the job, you'll eventually have to be the person who shows up every day and does the work. So let the interviewer meet that person.

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