A growing number of AI tools can help tech candidates prepare for interviews, with different platforms providing help with different aspects of preparation—from looking at your resume and giving you advice, to providing you with solid practices questions, to conducting mock interviews.
Some of the most popular chatbots candidates are using include:
Ken Sardoni, senior vice president of learning programs at CompTIA, said it's a good idea to try out multiple platforms and leverage their various strengths to ensure you're not falling into the trap of providing boilerplate answers—after all, the idea in the interview is to demonstrate your strengths and get the job by standing out.
"The candidate would want to use ChatGPT or any of these tools as research for brainstorming or thinking through different options, but they really need to personalize the responses for themselves and the job for which they are interviewing," he said.
Jonathan Kestenbaum, managing director at talent strategy company AMS, highlighted several AI tools that can aid IT professionals in interview preparation: "ChatGPT serves as a valuable resource for practicing responses to both technical and behavioral questions, allowing candidates to refine their communication skills.”
For example, Final Round AI's Interview Copilot generates actionable guidance in real-time, helping candidates identify areas for improvement during practice sessions. But ultimately, any candidate will need to come up with their own, very personal stories and examples in order to really sell their interviewer on their suitability for the job.
If nothing else, AI can help ease those pre-interview jitters, especially if you’re certain you have what it takes to succeed in the role from a skills and experience perspective. "These AI tools offer valuable support in honing skills and building confidence for IT professionals navigating the interview process," Kestenbaum added.
Sardoni said the feedback provided by AI could include things like response delivery, as well as the content used to address the question. "It also looks at things like alignments to common interviewing frameworks," he said. "The AI analyzes your responses, and then compares it to standard interviewing frameworks that have been developed, for example the STAR method."
Can AI help me prepare for job interviews?
Courtney Harrison, chief human resources officer at Auvik Networks, suggests that AI can be used for pre-interview research into a company or the role. It can also help with interview prep, provided you provide some additional context about yourself.
Are you fresh out of college? Is this your first virtual interview? Are you changing careers?" she said. "Even informing the chatbot what stage this interview is at helps."
Another good question to ask: "How can I best showcase my skills and my strengths so that I come across as confident versus arrogant?"
"If you are a nervous interviewer, definitely ask the AI tool to do some mock interviews with you," Harrison said. "Candidates today have the most opportunities to successfully prepare for interviews than ever in the history of job searching."
ChatGPT for Interview Prep
ChatGPT offers comprehensive support for interview preparation, aiding candidates in honing their skills and boosting their confidence for the interview process.
Kestenbaum said ChatGPT can be versatile tool for interview preparation. The algorithm can assist in generating a wide array of interview questions, both common queries and those specific to the role or industry. "Candidates can use ChatGPT for role-playing scenarios, simulating the interviewer's perspective and receiving feedback on their responses," he said.
Moreover, ChatGPT can serve as a research assistant, helping candidates gather insights about the company, industry trends, and technical concepts relevant to the role.
Candidates can also refine their answers with ChatGPT, ensuring they are concise, clear, and impactful. "When I am using AI to prepare for an interview, I use ChatGPT to help me with my responses," said IEEE Member Gloria Washington. "I first compare my answers against the program's output."
She finds it helps her fine-tune her responses and allows her to use different vocabulary rather than the same language to describe things over and over; for example, the age-old question that’s always asked in interviews: 'Tell me a time when you were frustrated when working in a team and how you handled it.'
"I would craft my response by borrowing some of the language ChatGPT offered up," Washington said.
ChatGPT Best Practices
When utilizing ChatGPT for interview prep, it's important to follow some best practices to maximize its effectiveness.
Kestenbaum recommended clearly defining your objectives, pinpointing specific areas of focus such as technical skills or behavioral responses. "Customization is key; tailor the scenarios and questions provided by ChatGPT to closely resemble the expected real interview setting," he said.
Finally, continuously review and iterate based on the feedback received from ChatGPT, refining your responses and delivery to enhance your interview performance. Sardoni said he strongly recommends not using just one platform like ChatGPT, but branching out to try multiple platforms. Compare the information each one offers.
"That way, they get multiple perspectives and the way those GenAI models respond to you is different, as well," he said. "Often I'll ask the GenAI model to review and critique its own responses. In that process, I'll get deeper information and other ideas of things to cover."
How to use ChatGPT for Interview Prep
- Define Interview Focus: Determine the key areas of expertise and skills required for the position you're interviewing for, such as programming languages, frameworks, or specific technologies.
- Generate Questions: Use ChatGPT to generate a list of potential interview questions based on the defined focus. Provide prompts like, "What are common interview questions for a Java developer position?" or, "Can you generate technical interview questions related to AWS cloud computing?"
- Practice Responses: Once you have a list of questions, practice formulating concise and coherent responses to each one. Use ChatGPT to refine your answers by asking follow-up questions like, "Can you provide more detail on how to approach this problem?" or, "What are some key points to include in my response?"
- Drill Down into Topics: If there are specific concepts or topics you're unsure about, use ChatGPT to clarify them. Ask questions like "Can you explain the difference between REST and SOAP APIs?" or "What are best practices for implementing security in a cloud environment?"
- Conduct Mock Interviews: Conduct mock interviews with ChatGPT acting as the interviewer. Practice responding to questions in real-time, focusing on articulating your thoughts clearly and confidently. Make sure to request feedback from ChatGPT on your answers and areas for improvement.
- Find Other Resources: ChatGPT can also be used to help you find other AI resources that can help you prepare for your interview—if you want to use another GenAI tool to help you run through a mock interview, for example, ask it to provide you with a list of free tools focused on that area.
Best Prompts for ChatGPT Interview Prep
Sardoni said that, when preparing for an interview using ChatGPT, it's helpful to consider prompts that align with your industry expertise and the specific companies in which you're interested.
"For example, if you're a data scientist in healthcare or financial services, you might ask ChatGPT to provide insights on the top companies leveraging artificial intelligence in those sectors, especially those located in your target geographic area," he said.
Additionally, you can inquire about the tool sets these companies use to gain a better understanding of their technology stack.
"It's also important to prepare your own set of questions for the interviewer, such as inquiries about the company's financial stability, recent projects, and industry partnerships," he said. "ChatGPT can assist in generating questions tailored to uncovering this information."
By leveraging ChatGPT to research both the external landscape and potential interview questions, candidates will bring a more informed and strategic approach to their job search and interview preparation.
Kestenbaum outlined some of the most effective prompts when using ChatGPT for interview prep, which include the following:
- "What are common behavioral questions for a software development role?"
- "Generate a list of technical questions a junior data analyst might face."
- "Simulate a 10-minute mock interview focusing on project management experiences."
- "Provide feedback on my response to a complex problem-solving question."
Great AI Tools to Help You Prepare for a Job Interview
Huru ($24.99/month, $99/year): Huru is a chatbot designed to assist candidates in interview preparation, with the ability to generate interview questions for more than 20 types of mock interviews. The platform, which is available as a web app or for iOS and Android devices, also offers feedback on responses and personalized tips for improvement.
RightJoin ($30/month, $0.89 per interview): RightJoin provides personalized coaching sessions, mock interviews with industry professionals, and performance analytics to track progress. The platform's AI algorithms analyze candidate responses and behavior and identify areas for improvement with specific recommendations. The library of interview questions covers…
Interview Warmup: Google's free platform is designed to help candidates prepare with mock interviews, behavioral assessments, and personalized coaching sessions. Interview Warmup can analyze candidate responses, body language, and tone of voice to provide feedback. It also offers curated interview questions tailored to specific job roles and industries.
Final Round AI (pricing varies): This interview prep tool offers real-time feedback during mock interviews, highlighting the candidate's strengths and areas for improvement. The "Interview Copilot" feature offers actionable guidance on communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and overall interview performance. It also offers personalized recommendations based on candidate responses and behavior.
Pramp (free or "Pro" plan for $29/month): This platform teaches tech professionals how to hone their interviewing skills and prepare for technical interviews. It provides a diverse range of interview questions across various difficulty levels, for data science, system design, and product management, among other areas. Pramp also encourages collaboration and learning through peer feedback, offering users additional insights and perspectives from others in the community.
Conclusion
Kestenbaum said AI offers a unique advantage by simulating diverse interview scenarios, providing unbiased feedback crucial for refining communication skills and crafting polished responses.
However, he added, it's equally important to understand the technology's limitations. "While AI excels in objective analysis, it lacks the nuanced understanding inherent to human interviewers, particularly in gauging emotional intelligence and assessing culture fit," he said.
These intangible qualities often play a pivotal role in the hiring decision, underscoring the role of human judgment in the interview process.
Sardoni said if a candidate is more prepared and feels more comfortable because they've gone through this preparation with AI tools, they will perform better job in the interview. "If they're nervous and they don't feel as prepared, then sometimes they don't interact as well with the interviewer," he added. "I think things like these AI tools can really help."
