Interview best practices

Congratulations on making it to the next step of the hiring process! It's time to bring those carefully selected candidates in for an interview. Your main goal is to assess potential hires and show them why joining your team is the best decision they'll ever make. Here are some best practices to help you evaluate candidates fairly and get the most out of your interview time.

Preparing for your interviews

Before you begin interviews, it is important to be prepared to discuss the following with your interviewees:

Start date, end date and working hours (see our suggested co-op work term start and end dates).
Work term location.
Expectations for in-person, remote or hybrid work.
Salary (view typical co-op student earnings).
Other details to help the student(s) with their decision-making.

Best practices for AI in co-op interviews

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly used for recruitment and interview preparation across all industries, including by students. Used thoughtfully, AI can support efficiency and preparation. Used poorly or without transparency, it can undermine fairness, trust and candidate assessment. The following guidance outlines best practices around AI and interviews for co-op employers and students.

Transparency: Be clear about how AI is used in your recruitment and interview process and what your expectations are for student use of AI interviews (e.g., we expect students to answer the questions themselves in the interview, not using AI. Using AI during the interview may take you out of the running for this position).
Fairness and consistency: Interviews should assess each candidate using comparable criteria and conditions.
Authenticity: Interviews are designed for both candidates to assess employers and for employers to assess candidates—not AI-generated responses.

These best practices align with the University of Waterloo’s provisional AI principles and guidelines. We encourage employers to apply their organizational AI policies to co-op students as you would with other employees.

Interviewing in an AI-influenced environment

If your organization uses AI tools in your recruitment process, inform candidates by adding a statement in the job description and throughout the process. These tips can help if you experience students using AI during interviews in a way that does not align with your expectations:

Set expectations early: Clarify interview format, tools and any permitted or restricted AI use.
Be transparent about your own AI use: Build trust and fairness by informing candidates about how you use AI in screening, assessments or interviews. Include it in your job description, so candidates know what to expect from the beginning. Avoid surprising candidates by requiring them to interact with unfamiliar AI tools without notice.
Design questions that reveal thinking: Ask follow-up or reflective questions, even in technical/coding interviews, that require explanation, not just polished answers that they might get from AI (e.g., “How would you adapt this approach?” or “What trade-offs did you consider?”).
Watch for authenticity, not perfection: Interviews are about real-time reasoning and communication. Natural pauses and thoughtful responses are expected.
Consider in-person options when feasible: In-person interviews can reduce ambiguity around AI use and make it easier to assess communication and engagement. Our co-operative education team can help support your in-person interviews on campus.
Address suspected AI use respectfully: If responses seem overly scripted or generic, invite the candidate to elaborate or apply their answer to a new scenario. Refocus the conversation on the candidate’s reasoning rather than making assumptions (e.g., “Tell me why you think that?”, “Tell us more — Can you elaborate on your response with your own personal perspective?”).
Prioritize human oversight: Keep human reviewers accountable for interview outcomes and let students know if using AI answers will negatively impact their success in the interview/role.

Once you've set clear expectations for how AI will (and won't) be used in your interview process, its helpful to understand how student candidates may be using AI as they prepare for interviews.

Student use of AI: what to expect

If students choose to use AI in the interview process, we encourage them to use it as a preparation tool only and not as a substitute for their own thinking.

Our Co-operative Education team advises students that, unless explicitly permitted by the employer, using live AI during interviews may raise concerns about authenticity or misrepresentation and can negatively impact their chance of being hired.

Read more on CareerHub, our online resource for students, about how we are talking to students about GenAI during interviews.

Key takeaway

Interviews are about understanding how candidates think, communicate and reflect in real time. AI can support preparation, but it should not speak for the candidate—or the employer. Clear expectations and transparent practices help ensure a fair, meaningful interview experience for everyone.

Best practices for conducting your interviews

The University of Waterloo's Work-Learn Institute is dedicated to researching the development of talent through work-integrated learning programs. Through their research, they have developed best practices and strategies to help ensure a positive interview experience for all involved. Here are their top tips:

Assess candidates fairly

Use a system to standardize your interview process. It will save you time and keep the process equitable for all candidates. Reduce bias by asking questions that relate to the essential functions of the job, using a structured interview format and ensuring your organization's cultural fit criteria are measurable.

Allow the candidate to shine

Ask questions that allow candidates to share the knowledge, skills and experience they can bring to the position, rather than their areas for improvement. A candidate may have limited experience to draw from, but this will allow them to showcase the valuable contributions they can make to your organization.

Sell your experience

Part of your role as the interviewer is to promote the advantages and experience the successful candidate will gain as part of your organization. Candidates use this information to determine if the organization and opportunity are right for them and their career goals. This is especially important if your recruitment operates within a rank-match process.

Save time at the end

There are a few reasons why it’s important to leave time at the end of the interview. To keep the process fair and equitable, make sure you have enough time to get through all your questions and leave time for the interviewee to ask questions. You want to end the interview on a positive note, rather than feeling rushed.

Human rights guidelines for pre-screening and interviews

When adding pre-screening questions and interviewing candidates, please abide by the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act, which prohibit discrimination. It is a human rights code violation to ask any questions regarding:

Age
Ancestry, colour, race
Citizenship
Ethnic origin
Place of origin
Creed/religion
Disability
Family status
Marital status (including single status)
Gender identity, gender expression
Receipt of public assistance (in housing only)
Record of offences (in employment only)
Sex (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
Sexual orientation

Except in limited circumstances, you may not ask for information related to the prohibited grounds listed above. Instead, gather information relevant to determining whether an applicant can perform the functions of the position. Whether or not your discriminatory question was intentional, you could be in violation of the Code.

Ensure that your questions are not discriminatory. The following are examples of questions and comments that may seem innocent but could infringe on the prohibited grounds of discrimination covered by the Code.

Examples of questions and comments that may be discriminatory or inappropriate

Age: “Do you think you can handle this job?” “Your generation is too entitled.”

Comments on an applicant’s age, appearance, and/or health are inappropriate and may indicate discrimination. In the context of co-op employment, age discrimination is more likely to be an issue for older/mature job applicants.

Citizenship: “Are you a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (PR) of Canada?”

Questions about citizenship or PR status may be discriminatory and do not have to be disclosed in an interview. However, you can ask if an applicant is legally entitled to work in Canada.

Race, race-related grounds, sex, sexual orientation: “What is your background?” “Where are you from?” “How long have you/ your family been in Canada?”, “Did you attend the Pride parade this year?”

Questions about place of origin, ethnic origin, race, sex and sexual orientation may be discriminatory. Applicants do not have to disclose this type of information in an interview.

Creed/religion: “What is your religion?” “Are you a practicing Christian/Catholic/Muslim, etc.?”

If an applicant talks about accommodations for religious needs in the workplace, then you may enquire about the nature of the accommodations requested. Otherwise, only discuss accommodation of religious needs in the workplace after making an offer of employment. Any other questions about religious beliefs and practices may be discriminatory.

Disability: “How did you become disabled?” “Is your disability permanent?”

Unless an applicant offers information about their disability during an interview, questions about the disability and its nature and extent are discriminatory. However, if an applicant’s disability becomes an issue during the interview, please inquire about any needs for accommodation (e.g., assistive communications devices). If an applicant discloses information about their disability, ask about accommodation needs and their ability to perform the essential duties of the job with accommodation.

Family and marital status: “Do you have any children or plan to have children?” “Are you married/do you plan to get married?”

With limited exceptions, such as jobs with frequent travel, questions about an applicant’s caregiving responsibilities or family planning may be discriminatory. When deciding to offer someone a job, delays to their anticipated start date due to a maternity, parental, or disability leave should not influence your decision. If your company has a clear and consistent anti-nepotism policy, you may grant or withhold employment to a person who is a spouse or close relative of the co-op employer or another employee.

Record of offences: “Do you have any Criminal Code convictions?”

When hiring, you are allowed to ask about and consider unpardoned Criminal Code convictions. However, it may be discriminatory to ask about pardoned convictions.