Career coach Herman Koh says companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence to screen job candidates. AI is being used in cover letter screening, psychometric tests, and even video interviews. What you should do to pass these screenings.
Career coach Herman Koh says companies are increasingly using artificial intelligence to screen job candidates. AI is being used in cover letter screening, psychometric tests, and even video interviews. What you should do to pass these screenings.
Herman Ko worked as a banker at JPMorgan for about 3.5 years, but joined HR and education technology startup Career Hackers in March 2024. He currently serves as the company's chief coach and chief program officer, where he helps develop and administer AI hiring assessments.
Recruiters are increasingly using AI to screen job candidates, he says . This saves time because they don't have to sift through hundreds or even thousands of applications. "In just five seconds, they can tell if a candidate is compatible and competitive enough," says Ko.
He argues that the first 30 seconds of a video interview matter . That's how much time a recruiter spends sampling random candidate videos during the hiring cycle.
“We’re seeing people only listen to the first few seconds, 10 to 20 seconds, to gauge how candid you are, how confident you are, how you present information, and then rely on the AI-generated transcript, so they don’t have to watch the whole video,” says Ms. Ko.
The coach says that “a very compelling opening statement” can make a strong impression.
According to him, candidates should give answers that can distinguish them from other applicants as top-level professionals . To do this, they should spend some time thinking about their answers, rather than starting with the first points that come to mind, says Ko.
“You need to think about what the average job seeker would say. Usually, the first few points that come to mind are the first. Our AI tools compare candidates’ theses and give them a score,” says Ko.
Although AI assessments are often conducted in-home, Ko says candidates should try to project a professional image through their attire and surroundings .
"Some firms are interested in whether you are upfront and professional enough to represent the firm. As for professional attire, of course you shouldn't wear a T-shirt to a video interview," says Ko.
He also advises conducting video interviews in a clean and tidy environment, not "in a bedroom with clothes scattered around."
Candidates should not try to read from a slip of paper during a video interview. Artificial intelligence algorithms can detect when a person is doing this.
"If you're reading from a script, your eyeballs will move in a zigzag pattern. This is easy to notice, even for a human," explains Herman Koh.
Some candidates, Ko said, will try to include certain keywords in their answers to trick the AI and get a higher score. Ko said such tricks won't work because there are usually anti-cheating mechanisms in place to track such behavior.
“Sometimes when candidates are nervous, they just give quick answers. But the thing is, if they do it too fast or not very clearly, the AI won’t be able to capture your speech and create an accurate transcription for analysis. So be sure to speak a little slower to make sure the AI can clearly understand what you’re saying,” said Ko.
Just because candidates are being assessed using AI doesn't mean they should use AI tools to prepare for interviews, Ko noted. He added that most assessment platforms have built-in mechanisms to detect AI-generated answers.
“When you use AI, there is a unique language pattern for the responses that the AI generates. For example, their arguments and examples are the same. Even the sequence and wording are exactly the same when it comes to named examples,” the coach warned.
Ukrainian IT professionals are also starting to encounter AI in job interviews. Recently, Technical Program Manager, IT Project Manager Nataliya Oblovatska spoke about her experience of such an interview.
Previously, Emily DeJo, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and an expert in communication and etiquette with artificial intelligence, also gave some tips on what to do in an interview with AI .
