A study, by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Gender Studies, published in the journal Philosophy and Technology, found that AI robot interviewers discriminate while making hiring decisions.
Initially, AI entered the recruitment arena to create a fairer, and faster way, to hire new staff members. This tech came out fighting with successes across sectors. Global companies such Amazon, Google, Starbucks, Hilton, Ikea, and many more are known for their use of AI in their recruitment processes. In fact, some research shows that 99% of Fortune 500 companies have adopted AI tools for recruitment purposes.
The benefits of AI recruitment software along with the boost in their use during the pandemic where in April 2020 46.6% of employees worked from home, led to an overall acceptance for being invited for an AI bot interview.
Even though many job seekers had an increase in job interview anxiety when being interviewed by a bot instead of a human, applicants also liked the benefits of the AI recruitment process: being able to choose your own date and time of the interview, short and snappy interview questions and the ease of being interviewed from their own home.
Do AI Robots Make Wring Decisions?
A large number of AI-powered software companies claim that the robot hiring managers will lead to a more diverse workforce and the hiring of staff that fit the culture of the company. Importantly, the sales pitches explain that AI won’t bring unconscious bias into the recruitment process, something humans cannot achieve.
The study by the University of Cambridge disagrees. The data found that minor details such as the interviewee’s clothes, lighting, and background influenced the interview outcome. The study also found that the AI bots favoured backgrounds with art or bookshelves, applicants who wore headscarves and judged applicants wearing glasses as less conscientious.
It seems apparent that interview technology hasn’t been effectively tested which will result in many changes over the next few years. In March 2020, HireVue discontinued the facial expression reading element of its recruitment algorithms after controversial concerns about AI robot assessment process and a complaint to the federal trade commission.
At the same time is clear that virtual job interviews are here to stay, with many believing that the evolution of recruitment will find job hunters involved in an interactive hiring process in the metaverse.
Chris Delaney
Chris Delaney is one of the leading job interview coaches in the country, helping career professionals to successfully pass job interviews. Delaney is the author of several job interview reference books including ‘what is your interview identity’
Everyone, at some point or other, will attend a job interview. In fact, most people will attend 20-50 job interviews over their lifetime.
These 10 amazing job interview facts will help you to better understand the interview process and help you to land the job of your dreams.
The first job interview ever was conducted by Thomas Edison in 1921
Job interviews are conducted every day, for every job role, in every job sector, and in every country around the world.
Why are job interviews so popular and how did they originate?
In 1921 the New York Times headline read: “Edison’s questions stir up a storm” To gain a better level of employees Edison created the ‘Edison test’ – the original job interview.
There were hundreds of questions that could be asked, with people complaining that you needed to be a ‘walking encyclopaedia’ to be hired.
After being interviewed, Edison would take successful candidates out for dinner to be tested by eating soup. The famous ‘soup test’ was simple; Edison would watch if the candidate would salt the soup without tasting the soup first. This is because Edison wanted to hire ‘curious’ people and felt that people who salted the soup without testing it – as Edison didn’t want to hire people who replied on assumptions to make opinions.
Since the pandemic, 86% of recruiters have been conducting virtual interviews
Prior to the pandemic recruiters had stated to use virtual job interviews. Covid, which kicked off the work from the home initiative, simply sped up the use of video technology in job interviews.
Online job interviews include human-delivered Q&A interviews, online psychometric tests and AI bot interviews – being interviewed by a robot.
Virtual interviews save time, no travel is required but do require an investment in technology and good internet speed.
Many HR professionals say that virtual interviewing is the new standard with an additional increase in AI bot systems being a major factor in hiring decisions.
The average time for a job interview is 45 minutes
The interview process is in the process of change, especially for high skilled roles.
Previously one or two job interview rounds were enough to highlight enough of the job criteria to gain a job offer or rejection.
The structured interview, which is adopted by most employers, is the key recruitment intervention in the hiring decision. In a structured or formal interview, each applicant is asked a series of job-related interview questions within a 45-minute time frame.
In the main, the applicant is asked 8 interview questions, which are verbally answered by the applicant. Each answer, on average, lasts for around 3 minutes. Some research shows how the longer the duration of the answer the more likely you are to score higher on the interview scorecard, as long as the answer is relevant to the job criteria.
Interview identities, with a high position on the confidence axis, are more likely to give a self-promoting and detailed reply.
Most applicants expect to hear back from an employer within 5 days of the interview
We have all been to a job interview only to wait days, weeks and sometimes even months to hear back from the employer.
There are numerous reasons for a delay in response; multiple interview rounds, staff sickness, and job offers need to be signed off by senior leaders, to the requirement of a DBS check.
Currently, with an increase in job vacancies due in part to the great resignation, job seekers are becoming restless – they want a quick turnaround.
In fact, the late response is affecting the recruitment of first-choice applicants. First-choice applicants, those candidates who are offered multiple job roles won’t hold out for job offers, even for recognised brands.
The average time for hearing back from an employer following a hiring round is 1-2 weeks.
When hiring, employers need to evaluate sector knowledge, level of expertise, and essential soft skills needed for the advertised position.
The structured job interview is proven to be the best way to predict job performance. Two common types of interview questions, within a structured interview, are behavioural and situational questions.
Situational questions are based on future scenarios and behavioural questions are based on previous behaviours in past job roles. These questions include the famous opening: “give me an example of using X skill”
This type of questioning does have a downside. The best way people learn is through making a mistake. Also, job maturity changes the way a person would approach a similar work base situation. The framing of the question in the past can limit how the applicant responds and promotes their skills.
On average 250 applicants apply for every advertised job
If a future me were asked how many job applicants apply for every advertised position, I would likely say 500, 1000 or even 5000.
These large figures may sound ridiculous. But it wasn’t that long ago when the average number of applicants was around 25 per position. Further, we have already seen some companies receive over 25,000 applications for a job role.
The number of applications increases because of two key reasons. One, technology and globalisation are allowing people around the globe to apply for roles. Two, it is much easier and quicker to upload a resume, CV or application than it was to hand write an application as was previously required.
60% of skilled workers will quit in the middle of an application if it is too lengthy
Applications are boring! The biggest killer of talented and high-skilled applicants is having a long and boring application process with various steps, assessments and uploads.
These days job seekers want to apply for lots of jobs quickly. Ideally by uploading an application, CV and Resume for various positions.
Some large organisations have already recognised this barrier to recruitment. Companies like the NHS allow a job seeker to upload one application that they can then send off for various NHS roles – each application can be edited if the applicant prefers.
Other research shows how having a count down ‘only two questions to go’ or ‘page 2 of 3’ can keep candidates engaged, as they know the application process is soon coming to an end.
The top 2% have what it takes…to write a good application.
The problem with job hunters wanting a quicker application process is that the targeting of individual applications is highly reduced. A reduction in targeting, and therefore meeting the job criteria, reduces the perceived value an applicant can bring to the company which results in a higher number of rejection letters.
The acceleration in AI bot automated tracking systems, where the AI bot scans an application searching for job criteria before deciding whether of not to offer the applicant a job interview, has a big impact on those job seekers who use the same generic application for all roles and for various organisations who have their own specific criteria based on that company’s values and vision.
Recent research found that 98% of fortune 500 companies now use an application tracking system.
Only, around, 8 applicants receive a job interview. This means competition is high. Some sectors will have a more flexible approach to recruitment as there is a need for staff but in others, where recruitment is less of a problem, a generic application just isn’t good enough.
40% of employers decline interviewees who show no enthusiasm during the recruitment process
The logical hiring process, scoring interviewee answers against the interview scorecard, isn’t that logical.
All logical hiring decisions are influenced by the emotional section of the brain. It is this part of the mind that uses unconscious bias as a starting point in the recruitment process.
The research for the interview prediction grid model – a framework to reflect on how an interviewee is perceived during a job interview and therefore the outcome of the recruitment process, states the importance of confidence within a 1-2-1 or panel interview.
Confidence creates likeability and is associated with other positive attributes; being enthusiastic, intelligence and teamwork.
It is clear then that a lack of confidence during the interview reduces the chances of a job hire.
90% of people who use an interview coach get a job offer as twice as fast as job seekers who don’t prepare
More and more people are now booking job interview coaches. This is especially true for high-skilled roles where competition for positions is high.
Interview coaches increase confidence through role plays, feedback and sharing job interview techniques.
The main reason why job seekers turn to professional interview coaches is that public speaking is cited as the number one fear in the world.
Chris Delaney
Chris Delaney is one of the leading job interview coaches in the country, helping career professionals to successfully pass job interviews. Delaney is the author of several job interview reference books including ‘what is your interview identity’
The number of online job interviews has rapidly increased over the past two years and only seems to be becoming ever more popular. In a recent Indeed poll, 82% of employers said they are using virtual interviews.
A virtual interview, from an employer’s perspective, is quicker, easier, and cheaper. The convenience of being interviewed at home also has similar advantages for the potential employee – no travel required, saving transport costs, and having to put time aside to travel. But it also has a downside, the hiring manager gets a glimpse at the applicants’ private lives.
This sneak peek is a peephole into an applicant’s personal life. Just like a face-to-face job interview, where the candidate’s clothes create an unconscious bias, the background of a virtual interviewee can influence the employer’s hiring decision-making process.
Background Matters
Many online platforms offer fake backgrounds; a beach, a beautiful countryside, or an office setting. These backgrounds either look fake, seem inappropriate for a job interview, or create a ghost effect – where the applicant’s body has a white shadow around it.
The number one rule for a virtual job interview is to use a real background.
3 Background choices
With a real background there are three obvious choices:
Clean space (often a white wall)
Single item (plant)
Full view (able to see the whole room)
It is common for interviewees to choose a clean space, a close-up camera that captures the applicant’s face with a blank background – a painted wall.
The camera position is highly important as discussed in our ‘online interview tips’ article. But a blank background can be boring. A white wall doesn’t say anything about the candidate’s personality. Some hiring managers may even feel the applicants are hiding something.
If a blank wall is chosen, use a coloured wall. Ideally blue. Blue conveys relaxation, calmness and as discussed in Very Well Mind, blue is associated with stability and reliability.
Your Background Shows Who You Are
The background an applicant chooses says a lot about them, often speaking to the employer’s subconscious decision-making process.
Having one or two items in the background makes the who image a little more interesting. Too many items make a ‘busy’ image that can be distracting.
The question is, what to choose to place in the background? A bookshelf filled with industry-related books can create the impression of authority or knowledge. But bookshelves can be overcrowded.
A few books on each shelf separated by an additional item can make a cleaner and more professional background.
Plants are ideal for an online interview background. Potted plants, especially in bloom, are pleasing to the eye. They look good in the background and help create a calming atmosphere.
Ensure the plant isn’t looking dried up, shriveled, or dead.
Whichever object is chosen should be to one side of the frame, not taking more space than 1/6th of the whole space.
Don’t Show Everything
A full room frame is bad for virtual interviews. One, in a full view, shot the applicant’s face is less clear which leads to less non-verbal communication, facial expressions.
In addition, a full view of the room will either show too much – which is distracting, can highlight mess which doesn’t create a good impression, or has lots of clear space, which is seen as boring.
Camera, Lights, Action
Finally, think about the essentials of creating a video. The virtual interview setup is similar to setting up a space for a video or film.
One of the most important elements of being on camera is the lighting. Some candidates will set up the camera with a large window behind, where the sun blinds the interview panel, hiding the applicant’s face.
Others will set up the video call in a dark room with little like creating dark shadows that create a horror film type of environment.
If a job seeker has the equipment, they can set up lighting behind the camera facing the interviewee which lights up their face. If not, a cheaper option if to have the camera in front of a large window, facing the job candidate, allowing the sun to naturally light up the room.
The idea is to find a well-lit clean room where the job hunter feels relaxed and calm. Ensure the room is clean and add one or two small items in the background, a flower or book.
Employment King delivers a number of job interview courses, including face-to-face courses in Manchester, virtual training sessions, and 1-2-1 online job interview coaching sessions.
The job interview workshops are designed around the 5 key aspects of a successful job interview:
The 3 Rules of a successful job interview
Increasing job interview and public speaking confidence
How to create high-scoring job interview answers
The psychology of job interviews – how to build rapport and the barriers of unconscious bias
Understanding your interview identity – how an employer views you during the recruitment process, based a new book of the same name
Job Interview Workshop Locations
Employment King delivers three types of job interview workshops
Face-to-face workshops delivered in Greater Manchester
The course will cover the 3 key areas to create a successful job interview outcome:
Identifying the job criteria
Be a self-promoter
Communicate with confidence
Sessions are delivered by Author and career advisor Chris Delaney will host a job interview workshop to help career professionals increase job offers, based on his new book ‘What is your interview identity‘.
Delaney will share his 20 years of experience to help you improve your job interview performance.
Identify the job criteria
Learn how to predict the job interview questions – gain the advantage of preparing high-scoring interview answers that meet the job criteria on the interview scorecard
Learn how to structure any interview answer – the interview structure, how you present your answer or example, is the key to gaining a high-scoring answer
Learn how the take advantage of the structured job interview – 99% of employers use a structured job interview process, by understanding the steps an employer goes through can help give better-scoring answers
Also, learn about the new style of 1st round job interviews, delivered by AI interview bots.
Be a self-promoter
Learn how language can impact the interview outcome – increase job offers by framing your experiences in a more positive way, showcasing your unique selling point
Learn how the interviewer perceives you – take the interview identity test, get feedback on how you are viewed as confident or nervous, professional or unprofessional, skilled or needing development
Learn how to sell yourself with each interview answer – job interview promotion is key to winning job roles. Gain an insight to what an employer views as being important
Communicate with confidence
Overcome interview anxiety quickly – increase confidence when speaking in job interviews using techniques from hypnotherapy, NLP, and solution-focused therapy
Increase communication confidence in face-to-face and virtual job interviews – mock interviews are the number one way to increase confidence. Feedback and reflection can double job interview confidence
Build rapport with interviewers to increase likeability – understand the psychology at play and what actions can improve rapport building
Chris will share research on the job interview process and explain the hidden psychology in play that neither the applicant or the interviewer is aware of, and how you can use this knowledge to your advantage.
Understand:
How unconscious bias affects the interview scorecard
What ‘what is beautiful is good’ bias is
Why a structured interview is better placed to predict job performance over an unstructured job interview.
Finally, you will get the chance to ask questions to help you pass your job interview.
Job Interview 1-2-1 Coaching
Employment King also offers 1-2-1 job interview coaching, delivered virtually by a video platform.
Who should attend a public speaker workshop?
Anyone who constantly fails job interviews
Anyone who fails to present their knowledge and experience
Anyone who lacks confidence
Anyone who struggles with public speaking
Anyone who can’t express themselves during their interview answers
Check for upcoming dates for the next job interview workshop here: upcoming workshops.
