Technology drives almost everything today. Manual processes have now been automated, integrated, and innovated. According to Forbes, The Fourth Industrial Revolution is in full swing, as artificial intelligence (AI) begins to permeate established systems and the recruitment landscape. Industry 4.0 is here.

But many are asking, "Is that a good thing?" According to The Guardian, AI will affect more than 40% of jobs. We've seen the failures of Google and Amazon's AI interview tools, the bias that tools like Gemini and other systems perpetuate, and the factual inaccuracies ChatGPT and other conversational AI include in their responses. On the other hand, artificial intelligence (AI) is helping teams eliminate biases, predict applicant success, and automate tasks that make entire industries more efficient and effective.

To many, AI feels like a bit of a "double-edged sword" at the moment. But let's shift our focus to how AI is affecting the recruitment space. In this article, we're going to talk about how AI recruitment tools are changing the game. We'll discuss some pros and cons and take a closer look at what AI interview tools are their purpose, and their relevance in today's fast-paced recruitment landscape.

Video interview tools go all the way back to the early 2000s when Hirevue and Montage were developed as the first one-way platforms available. Tools like Skype go back further, but Hirevue and Montage were the first dedicated solutions. As the costs of recruitment increased and WiFi made hiring worldwide possible, a whole new set of tools was needed to meet the demands of recruitment teams across the globe.

At the same time, the world became far more complex. Organizations became less reliant on generalists and needed specialized skills to overcome the obstacles they faced. However, this shift perpetuated workforce shortages in many industries and left recruiting teams navigating an increasingly competitive market for top talent. The rise of cultural fit also shifted the recruitment landscape as companies realized they needed better analysis to gauge an applicant's fit for a role.

Enter AI recruitment tools. Most of the world knows "AI" from ChatGPT's launch in November of 2022, but artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been quietly shaping different aspects of our daily lives for at least a decade. Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and so many more use ML and AI to deliver better search results, recommend videos, or even predict your next purchase. What AI does is process large amounts of data quickly and recognize patterns that carry out a task better than most humans? They use algorithms to learn from past interactions and continuously improve performance.

In recruitment, AI-powered tools can sift through thousands of resumes in minutes, eliminating the need for manual screening. It can analyze text and eliminate bias in job descriptions. Interview intelligence powered by AI can help you create interview guides with structured interview questions, better assess candidate skills, predict job success, and deliver more objective interview results. In short, AI is beginning to touch every step in recruitment- making the process faster, and cheaper, and delivering data to drive decision-making.

Preparing for AI-Assisted Interviews

Let's talk about the interview itself, and the most important step, preparation. Preparing for AI-assisted interviews is easier than ever with tools like Pillar's structured interview guides. If you'd like to see how they work, click here, paste your job description into the text field, and in a few minutes you'll have a comprehensive structured interview guide in your inbox, ready for your next interview.

Now, you may be thinking, "Why structured interviews?" It's quite simple really, a structured interview is a standardized set of questions designed to evaluate candidates based on the same criteria. This makes the interview process simpler for the interviewers, and fairer for candidates. The best virtual interview tools should all offer some type of structured or standardized interview feature.

Now that you've got a standardized process in place, you have to practice to improve. AI interview practice is easier than ever with today's technology. Your candidates will probably be using AI-powered mock interview solutions such as aiApply and Final Round AI which use conversational AI to simulate real interviews, so it's important to be familiar with them.

Practicing interviewing could be as simple as sitting down with a colleague and running through some common interview questions, or you could use tools like Pillar and the ones mentioned above to practice. The goal of any interview process is to get the most qualified candidate for a role, so ensure that you're practicing to that end. AI technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and incorporating it into your interview preparation can give you an edge in today's competitive job market.

Once you've sharpened your skills, and implemented AI-interview prep tools, the next thing to master is the setting. People want to feel comfortable when being interviewed. If the atmosphere you set feels like an interrogation, you'll struggle to get good results. If it feels like two friends meeting for coffee, you'll struggle to collect the right data and keep the interview on track. Having an opening, introduction, interview questions, time for candidate questions, next steps, and a close outline is super helpful to make sure you can set a relaxing atmosphere without going off the rails.

Finally, check your tech. I can't tell you how many times I've juggled one Airpod while the other was charging, had my WiFi cut out, or forgot to plug in my laptop before an interview. Make sure your tools are charged, tested, and ready to go well ahead of time. It's a simple step but can make all the difference in having a smooth and successful AI-assisted interview.

It's important to note that there's not much fundamentally different between a traditionally well-crafted interview and an AI-assisted one. However, when the connections fail, the tech breaks or unforeseen glitches occur, things can go off the rails quickly. It's kind of like comparing an old car to a new one. The new car is more comfortable, safer, equipped with more amenities, and maybe even faster, but with one broken fuse, you could find yourself sitting on the side of the road. This is something to keep in mind as you prep for AI interviews.

AI Job Interview Questions

Now, to one of my favorite topics, job interview questions- specifically, AI job interview questions. Interview questions (and the way that they're asked) separate master interviewers from those at an average skill level. Here are two very similar questions to illustrate this:

Lower Skill Level Question:

"Can you describe a challenging project you worked on?"

Master Skill Level Question:

"Walk me through a challenging project you managed. Talk about your objectives, your approach to problem-solving, the strategies you implemented, and your outcomes.

The second question is a great representation of an open-ended, structured interview question. A question like this will help you gather interview insights to make better hiring decisions. The first question is what you'll face in the vast majority of interviews today. It's open-ended but lacks the specificity to allow the applicant to successfully showcase their skills and fit for a role. Interview AI tools like the questions generator Pillar put together will help you level up your interview questions game.

AI tools for interview preparation turn the 15-minute "scattered scramble" between interviews into a structured process that ensures efficiency, consistency, and objectivity. And, what may be even more important is that the interviewer enters the interview free from the mental clutter caused by rushing through scattered preparation. Automated systems and AI tools for interview preparation enhance the interview process by creating tailored, context-specific questions that focus on a candidate's qualifications and experience.  Tools like these also offer realistic interview simulations with immediate feedback on responses, helping both candidates and interviewers improve. The result is a more effective and equitable interview process, increasing the likelihood of hiring the best talent.

In conclusion, let's shift our focus for a moment to the future of AI tools for interview preparation. First off, this marketplace is rapidly changing. The tools that are available today may be outdated tomorrow as new solutions come to market- while this is a bit destabilizing for people in the space, it's the process of innovation. Second, keeping up to date on these new innovations will be a game changer as the rapid adoption of these technologies speeds up the hiring process and gives those at the "bleeding edge" a competitive advantage for top talent. Finally, these tools won't always be perfect. They're "in process" - improving just like we are as human beings. So it's important to keep human interviewers continually involved in the hiring process to ensure fair and objective hiring. It's all about finding the right balance and leveraging AI tools to enhance, not replace our human abilities.

If you'd like to see how Pillar can help your team make better hiring decisions more efficiently and effectively, book a demo today and discover how interview intelligence can work for you. Happy Interviewing!