Using GenAI in interviews: What students need to know
By: Mary Lynne Bartlett
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping how students prepare for job interviews. Like any tool, GenAI works best when used strategically and responsibly.
The University of Waterloo’s Centre for Career Development (CCD) helps students to explore opportunities and build a meaningful future, which can include navigating the hiring process. Recently, CCD has added new CareerHub resources to help you make informed decisions about when and how to use these GenAI tools in the interview process.
Your 24/7 interview practice companion
Do you want to practice for an interview, but it’s late, or no one is available? GenAI tools can generate practice questions, help you build structured answers and prompt you to brainstorm examples that highlight your strengths.
However, keep in mind that recruiters want to get to know the genuine you. Interviews often include both behavioural and non-behavioural questions. Scenario-based questions help employers get authentic answers from candidates. Global talent acquisition manager at Miovision, Justin Krulicki, believes they're an essential strategy when interviewing candidates.
“We will ask questions based on past experiences and ask them (candidates) to describe how they would apply that experience to a Miovision problem,” Krulicki said. “It’s difficult for a candidate to put all that information into ChatGPT in five seconds and have it come up with a well-rounded response.”
Employers genuinely want insight into candidates’ thinking and perspectives. Andrew Alkema, a senior software developer at D2L and co-op student employer, noted, “We care more about how you use your skills than simply finding the correct answer.”
GenAI doesn't replace genuine reflection or personal preparation. Take control of how you show up and add your own perspectives in interviews to help you stand out from the competition.
The dynamic duo of GenAI: strengths and limitations
As with most technology, GenAI has benefits and limitations. It can help you think through how to present your skills and experiences, but it can also miss important details or misrepresent your qualifications. You're responsible for representing yourself honestly and ethically on your résumé and cover letter, as well as during interviews.
“An interview is meant to be a genuine conversation where both you and the employer are getting to know the real person you might work with,” said Vanya Gnaniah, a career advisor in CCD. “GenAI can help you prepare and organize your thoughts, but it shouldn’t speak for you. Imagine if an employer used GenAI to answer your questions about the role and you later discovered the information was wrong.”
Consider these strengths and limitations when using GenAI in the recruitment process.
Strengths:
- Creates starting points for answers you can refine and develop.
- Suggests interview questions an employer might ask.
- Recommends ways to structure responses and highlight key information.
Limitations:
- May generate false or inaccurate information about you or your experience.
- Cannot represent your voice, perspective or personal experiences.
- Can produce responses that sound rehearsed or generic.
In interviews, employers may use probing follow-up questions to test your depth of understanding. Misrepresenting yourself by using AI answers as your own or falsifying information can result in employers disqualifying you for the position.
Make AI work with you, not for you
Working together with AI tools can help spark creativity, uniqueness and authenticity. CCD suggests using the situation, task, action and result (STAR) method to answer behaviour-based questions in interviews. GenAI can help you structure responses, generate answer variations and identify keywords in a job description, but you should draft the initial response yourself. Creating your own response with your own words demonstrates your ability to think independently.
Many jobs now require employees to know how to use GenAI on the job for things like improving productivity or supporting decisions. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what an employer wants. Employers want to know how you think and problem-solve, not how fast GenAI can spit out an answer.
“Trust from developers in the industry is going down with GenAI because it gives you almost-right answers, but it’s deceptive,” said Alkema. “You really need critical thinking skills and the ability to discern the output, which means we still need people with solid skills.”
Employers like Miovision look for bold and independent thinking candidates. “We want people who are open to using AI on the job, and we ask that in the interview, but we don’t want you to use it to be a robot during the interview process and not showcase who you truly are. We want bold thinkers,” Krulicki said.
Your career, your choice
It's up to you to decide if you want to use GenAI to help you through the complex process of searching for, applying to and interviewing for jobs. We recognize that some students may choose to limit their use of GenAI because of ethical or environmental concerns. Ultimately, the approach you choose should feel right for you.
Learn about these alternative resources from CCD to help you navigate the job search and interview process:
- Write your résumé using guidance from CareerHub to ensure your application authentically represents your voice, skills and experiences.
- Design your own practice questions to strengthen your preparation by revisiting key material.
- Develop your answers independently for insight into how you respond to questions. If you’re not sure how your answers might land, book an appointment with a career advisor.
- Prepare independently to develop answers that draw from your knowledge and experience.
GenAI can’t replace your judgment, creativity, or most importantly, your integrity. This powerful tool can create a lot of efficiencies, but it can’t tell the story of your life - that’s up to you!