Turn pre-interview jitters into confidence with AI interview practice platforms
By Karla Rockhold, Director of Alumni Career Engagement, OSU Alumni Association
Imagine you're standing at the precipice of a job interview, a moment that could shape the course of your budding career. You’re excited, nervous and eager to make a lasting impression.
When it comes to interviewing, preparation and practice are everything. And, like with nearly every other aspect of the job search process, artificial intelligence-powered tools are shaking up how we do business.
The evolution of technology has brought forth new interview preparation tools that offer instant feedback, simulate real-world scenarios and cater to individual needs.
How can AI support your interview preparation?
- Realistic and comprehensive scenarios.
AI mock interview tools simulate real interview scenarios. The platforms can access carefully crafted questions and answer guides based on specific occupations using job descriptions from popular job listing platforms and industry experts. Rather than practicing from a general list of questions, you’ll be able to answer questions customized to your target job and specific needs. Some AI platforms even craft follow-up questions intelligently adapted to your responses to help you prepare for the unpredictable in a safe and low-stakes setting.
Instant feedback, time-saving and self-paced.
Interview prep can feel like a full-time job in and of itself. When you’re working or going to school, it’s important that you can practice your responses on your own schedule and get immediate feedback, even when you don’t have a conversational partner available to be a sounding board. AI interviewing tools will help you adapt and enhance your responses in real time, accelerating the learning curve so you can become more efficient in refining your responses. That’s time and energy saved!
Practice makes perfect.
Do you ever find yourself grimacing and wondering “Did that answer your question?” after giving a response to an interviewer? Try AI interviewing tools that allow you to retake previous practice questions. This iterative process is where confidence builds and your answers become second-nature. Get constructive feedback on how clearly you’ve addressed the question, your speech and grammar, the confidence of your tone and more. Some tools are even specific to English language learners seeking to identify strengths and weaknesses in their spoken English.
Learn how to show your personality through a screen – because, increasingly often, you’ll have to.
Some companies are shifting toward first-round interviews where candidates record a video to be watched later by hiring managers and even AI-led automated video interviews (AVI). Some job seekers have noted that they behave less naturally and are less expressive when participating in AVI. Preparing for this on-screen interview dynamic can help you learn how to follow that age-old (and research-supported) advice: be yourself.
AI interview tools, though impactful, are continuously evolving; so, consider them as one part of your holistic strategy for interview preparation.
Is AI in your arsenal when it comes to preparing for interviews? Check out these additional resources and gain an edge in your interviewing skills.
