While we’re all on the edge of our seats waiting for the next big leap in AI, I’ve got a surprise that’s as surprising as that friend who always shows up unannounced. But when they do, they bring a robot that’s eager to interview you at 7 AM. Talk about an eye-opener!
After we all got comfy doing everything online thanks to the pandemic — shopping, ordering food and groceries, zoom calls, interviews — I was totally vibing with the fast-paced tech upgrades. That is, until AI crashed the scene like an uninvited guest at a wedding, breakdancing on the tables. The next thing I knew, I was nervously chatting with a robot voice that glitched out like a fridge on the fritz.
So get this — I applied for a job in the dead of night, only to get an electrifying wake-up call at 7 am — it was the AI wanting to interview me and introduced itself with a full-blown human name! Can you imagine, an AI with a last name? It’s like they’re planning its future family tree!! No heads-up, no courtesy email to check my availability — just a sudden, unexpected call out of the blue And here’s the kicker: the entire booking process was automated. I got messages like, “Hello Juhee, how are you doing today? I’m here to interview you for the role you applied for. Let me know when we can proceed.” I mean, the job seemed intriguing, so I thought I’d grit my teeth and go through with it. The canned response assured me the AI’s questions were pre-vetted as if that was supposed to make me feel better.
And then came my second experience, which was a whole new level of weirdness. It started off normal enough, asking me to schedule an interview, but then it revealed it was going to be an AI video interview using some fancy online AI assessment tool. To prepare, I was given a laundry list of rules: wear formal attire, no headphones, keep the volume at a decent level, no external mic, and make sure I’m in a well-lit, quiet area.
So, the system with a voice asked me five questions with my video turned on, giving me just a few seconds to mentally prepare before answering each question in three minutes or less. And guess what? No do-overs! I mean, I already struggle with making decent eye contact with humans and often end up staring at their noses or ears instead. But in this case, it was just me staring into a camera. I rarely look directly into the camera; my license photo always ends up with me looking slightly off-camera. I can’t even manage eye contact for selfies sometimes, haha. And now they want me to stare into the camera while an AI asks me intriguing questions? Absolutely ridiculous!
While answering, I had to use the Situation, Task, Action, and Result (STAR)method, all while maintaining eye contact with the camera and pretending I was actually talking to a human being. The system was analyzing everything: my words, how I said them, my facial expressions, and even my eye movements. If my eyes strayed too much or for too long, my score would plummet because it assumed I was reading from notes.
I mean … overall the AI did ask all the right questions, just like a real recruiter would! After the interview, they said a hiring agent would review the conversation. Like what’s the point?!!
We’ve already got ATS (applicant tracking systems) screening our resumes with bots when we initially apply for a job, and now AI is doing our interviews too, only for humans to review them later. Is that good? If this is what interviewing has become, I’m annoyed. It was ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT.
I swear, during one of these AI interviews, I think I broke the system. It kept repeating the same question over and over until it got stuck in a digital loop. Maybe I’m just too good at breaking things, even in the virtual world.
Every new business these days thinks they’re Google and forces you to take countless personality tests. Are we applying for a job or joining a cult? We need to collectively refuse to participate in this nonsense.
And then there’s Jobot. Yep, the high-tech way to ask you pre-screening questions with multiple-choice options. If I had been skimming, I might even miss that I’d be chatting with a glorified chatbot. A lot of companies are now using AI to screen applicants and sort through resumes before any human ever lays eyes on them. That’s why the advice about creating unique resumes to stand out isn’t as popular anymore.
What a crazy world we’re heading into!Right? Jobot even reached out to me once, offering to streamline my recruiting tasks. Thanks, but no thanks, Jobot. I’ll pass on the robot-recruitment revolution. What’s next? My job search turned into a bizarre episode of Black Mirror where microwaves are sending me connection requests on LinkedIn. I’ll just pass on this interview and the job. Thanks, but no thanks.
I remember reading an article three years ago on Reddit where people mocked the idea that AI would take over interviews. They said it would never happen. Well, look at us now! Apparently, AI can be both the interviewer and the interviewee. So, let’s just let the robots handle everything while we all go sip mai tais on the beach.
Honestly, it’s brutal that an AI interview could wash out a great candidate just because some manager thinks dehumanizing the hiring process is a brilliant idea. It’s like playing 20 questions with a vending machine that only takes yes or no answers. And you know the worst part? No chance to charm the algorithm with my wit and charisma! With a human, I can at least pause for dramatic effect before answering the weakness question. But with AI, it’s like speed dating with an impatient stopwatch — three seconds to impress or its next candidate, please!
Sure, AI brings efficiency, consistency, and all that jazz. But where’s the human touch? I’d rather have a real conversation than feel like I’m chatting with a dialogue tree that thinks it’s people. And let’s be real, if a company can’t spare a human for the initial interview, what does that say about their company culture? Probably that they think we’re all just interchangeable cogs, which is so last-century, honey!
In my experience, about 20% of interviews get canceled or rejected because the interviewer is out of the office, and another 20% are unaware of the scheduled interview. Another 20% seem to be merely a pretext to have you come in and submit the same information in person. Then there's another 20% where the roles have already been filled or have visa sponsorship issues. And that final 20%? That's where they straight-up lie about the pay. Welcome to the jungle of job hunting and it is good AI is here to stand on business. It is an awesome innovation, but leave the interview process out of it.
In conclusion, while AI has its perks, let’s not let the robots steal all the fun out of job hunting. After all, we’re not applying to Skynet here(Skynet is a fictional artificial intelligence system from the Terminator movie series that becomes self-aware and starts a war against humanity. It represents a dystopian scenario where AI poses a significant threat to human existence.) — I want to know who I’m potentially working with, not just impressing some algorithm. So, until my toaster starts recommending job offers, I’ll pass on the AI interviews. Appreciate the offer, but I’ll take a rain check!
