Can I Use AI To Prep for Job Interviews?
Let's see if AI can make job interviews go more smoothly!
To my colleagues who read this, don’t worry, I’m not planning on leaving my job anytime soon! However, with layoffs happening all over the place and my own sister asking me for help prepping for a job interview last week, I wanted to see how AI could help!
The Challenge: Preparing to Crush an Interview
Interviewing is one small part of the job search journey, but it’s the part where you don’t have much opportunity for editing. You can pause and rephrase, but your best bet is going in as prepared as possible for the conversation. So how do you actually prepare for that?
Historically, I spend quite a bit of time researching potential interview questions. I’ll do things such as:
Look up the company on websites like Glassdoor where people post interview questions they were asked
Use Google to search for “common interview questions for [job role]”
Go through my own memories of past job interviews for other questions that came up
Review the job description and think of questions that could relate to the job description
Now none of these strategies are particularly difficult, but they do take up a lot of time, time that could be better spent thinking about how to actually answer those questions if they come up in an interview situation.
The Solution: Having AI Do the Research and Development for Prep Questions
Most recently, I was helping my sister prepare for a job interview in a field I don’t know much about, so I wanted to give her helpful suggestions that were relevant to her goals. So I asked ChatGPT to help me:
Based on this job description [job description link], please put together 10 interview questions that would likely come up in an interview for this role. Focus on questions that suss out the relevant experience for the tasks listed and the required experience for the role.
Now since this particular effort was for someone else, I stopped there and passed along the questions and my advice at that point. However, if I were doing this for myself, I think I would try going a step further and having AI help me think about how my resume could align to the questions. To do that, I would follow up with a prompt like:
Based on my attached resume, how could I best answer the questions you just listed as I’m interviewing for [role title]. Help me think about how to tell a compelling story in my answers. Please make suggestions on what additional information I would need to best answer the questions if there isn’t enough information in my resume.
The second part is a bit hypothetical, but I think it could definitely help jumpstart interview prep.
The Results: What Worked and What Didn’t
What Worked?
This was definitely a more simple use case, but I do think it was worth the time. I know when I’ve been interviewing in the past, trying to customize my prep for each company could be a challenge. I think if you are in this situation, you could do a few other things that would likely help, such as asking AI to:
Give you a summary of the company and how your experience could connect to things like company mission, values, etc.
Research public forums, like Reddit, to surface any insights about the interview process at this company that others have shared online.
Find the names/titles of people who are most likely to be involved in the hiring process so you can look them up on LinkedIn and maybe reach out to connect.
As always, fact check! But gathering relevant information is so much faster with AI. Use it to your advantage!
Things To Watch Out For
While there wasn’t anything about the particular prompt and results that didn’t work, I think there are definitely things to be wary of when using AI for these types of situation:
Don’t lose your unique voice. Having your personality shine is often key in helping you stand out in interviews (and anywhere else where you want to stand out honestly).
Don’t lie. Obviously. AI still hallucinates, so double check that whatever story it suggests you tell actually aligns with your experience.
Double check everything by getting out of your own mind. The advice I gave my sister was to practice answering the interview questions like she would in an interview and then ask herself, “if I were the hiring manager for this role, how would I feel about that answer?”
AI can help with the research, but job interviews are, for the most part, still an inherently human and subjective thing. This section here is more my writing teacher coming out than my AI experimenter, but I’ve found this advice has helped a lot of people. Just add in a dash of AI to make it all a bit easier!
Conclusion
It’s a tough market out there. I’ve seen so many people sharing advice on using AI to navigate trying to find a new job. I can’t tell you that my experience here is perfect or makes it easy, but I do hope that it helps at least a bit!
As a grander statement, my hope for AI still is that it gives us more time to focus on the human things. The nitty gritty details of job hunting can take so long. Doing less of that and spending more time getting comfortable with telling your story seems like an improvement overall. As for the fact that AI is a big reason for why the market is bad though? I have no answers there. We’re all just muddling through together.
Just to build on this, I was helping my teen grandson apply for a position at a local fast food location. I used these prompts to help me prep for my conversation with him.
1. What are the three most likely to be asked question for a teen applying for a part time job at xxxxx.
2. What might be the most appropriate response
3. When asked “do you have a question for us, what are two good ones?
I got this response which I used in helping him prep for the interview. This was in addition to taking him for a haircut and shave :-)
1. Why do you want to work at ______?
Sample Response:
“I really like the atmosphere here—it feels friendly and team-oriented. I’ve had good experiences as a customer, and I’d like to be part of creating that experience for others. Plus, I’m interested in learning responsibility and growing my communication and teamwork skills.”
2. How would you handle a situation where a customer is upset or has a complaint?
Sample Response:
“First, I’d stay calm and listen to what the customer has to say without interrupting. Then I’d apologize for the issue and try to fix it or ask a manager for help if needed. It’s important to show the customer we care and want to make it right.”
3. Can you describe a time you worked as part of a team—or how you think you’d contribute to one?
Sample Response:
“At school, I worked on a group project where we had to plan and present together. I made sure to listen, stay organized, and help others when needed. I think I’d bring a positive attitude and be reliable, especially during busy times.”
When They Ask: “Do You Have Any Questions for Us?”
Here are two strong, teen-appropriate questions to ask:
1. “What does a successful team member look like at Culver’s?”
(Shows maturity and eagerness to do well, not just get the job.)
2. “What kind of training or support will I get as I’m learning the role?”
(Demonstrates a growth mindset and readiness to learn.)