Job interviews increasingly include tests of AI use

In short: Employers are increasingly asking job candidates to prove they can use AI tools as part of the interview process.

What's going on

Some companies are adding AI tasks to interviews, even for jobs that are not “tech” roles. The idea is to see how someone would use AI at work, not just whether they have heard of it.

McKinsey, the consulting firm, says it started adding an AI component to recruitment interviews late last year. Candidates may be asked to use AI to research a problem, look at data, and improve their ideas. McKinsey says it is judging the candidate’s decision-making, like how they check and use what the AI produces, rather than testing memorized “prompt” tricks (a prompt is the instruction you type into an AI tool).

Recruiters say the change is spreading. Doug Rode at recruiter Michael Page says interviews for roles in consultancy, strategy, research, legal, and marketing are more likely to include questions like “three ways you would use AI,” or a practical task. One example described was a construction operations candidate asked to show how AI could improve site management.

Some employers also see these tasks as a way to make interviews more realistic. Arjun Kannan at ResiDesk, a property management start-up, described using an AI-assisted exercise that created a sharper discussion, similar to working together on a real draft. He compared it to judging a musician by listening to them play, rather than asking them to only write sheet music.

What to watch

This may push more applicants to arrive prepared to explain how they use AI day to day, including how they double-check results. Employers also say they still value curiosity and willingness to learn, since the specific tools may change over time.

Source: Financial Times