An AI interview is a first-round job interview run by AI over voice, text, or recorded video. The AI asks questions the company has prepared, listens to or reads the candidate's answers, and scores them against a rubric. A recruiter reviews the results and still decides who moves forward.
HR teams usually want to know whether it suits their open roles, and candidates want to know what it is like to be interviewed by software.
What is an AI interview, and at which stage is it used?
AI interviews are almost always used in the first round, after CVs come in and before the interview with the hiring manager. At this stage most candidates get the same questions: relevant experience, how they handle certain situations, when they can start. That makes it the easiest part of hiring to standardize.
Hiring manager interviews, salary negotiation, and final decisions stay with people. The AI interview replaces the 10 to 15 minute screening call a recruiter would otherwise make to dozens or hundreds of applicants.
Three AI interview formats
| Format | How it works | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| One-way video | Candidates record answers to fixed questions. There are no follow-up questions during the session. | Roles where presenting on camera is part of the job, for candidates with a laptop and a stable connection |
| Chat or text | The AI asks in writing and the candidate types answers. | Chat support, admin roles, or candidates who prefer writing |
| Voice conversation | The AI talks to the candidate like on a phone call, listens, and asks follow-up questions. | Roles that involve a lot of talking: call centers, sales, customer service, retail |
The biggest difference is follow-up questions. One-way video runs on a fixed script. A conversational format responds to what the candidate said: if a candidate says "our team resolved that complaint", the AI can ask what they did themselves.
How an AI interview works, step by step
- The recruiter picks the competencies for the role, such as communication and customer service, then writes the questions and a scoring rubric.
- Candidates who pass CV screening get a link by email or WhatsApp.
- The candidate opens the link on a phone or laptop at any time before the deadline.
- The AI asks the questions, listens to or reads the answers, and adds follow-ups when an answer is too general.
- Once the interview ends, the AI scores each competency against the rubric and writes a reason for each score.
- The recruiter opens the scorecard, reads the transcript, listens to the key parts of the answers, and picks who goes on to the hiring manager interview.
What an AI interview scores, and what it should not
An AI interview scores the content of answers against the criteria you write: whether the candidate gives real examples, whether the answer is well organized, and whether their experience fits the role. For some roles it can also score speaking ability, such as English fluency for call center agents.
It should not score anything unrelated to the job: appearance, the room in the background, a regional accent, or the quality of a phone camera. A good rubric only includes behaviors and skills the role needs. If you cannot explain why a criterion matters for the job, take it out.
AI interview vs a regular HR interview
| Aspect | Regular HR interview (phone or in person) | AI interview |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Has to fit both the recruiter's and the candidate's calendars | The candidate picks the time |
| Questions | Can vary from recruiter to recruiter | The same for every candidate, plus follow-ups |
| Scoring | Depends on the recruiter's notes and impressions | The same rubric, with the transcript as evidence |
| Capacity | Limited by the HR team's working hours | Many candidates can interview at the same time |
| Building rapport | Strong, since the recruiter can sell the company | Limited, which is why a human interview is still needed at a later stage |
What is an AI interview like for the candidate?
Candidates usually get a message with a link, a short explanation of the interview, and a deadline. In the voice format it feels much like a call from a recruiter: a greeting, a question, a pause to answer, then the next question. First-round sessions are usually short.
A few tips for candidates:
- Find a reasonably quiet place and make sure your phone is charged.
- Answer with real examples from your experience. Follow-up questions will ask for details.
- An accent is fine as long as your answers are clear and easy to follow.
- If something goes wrong technically, contact the HR person named in the invitation.
Risks and limits of AI interviews
Bias can still come in through the criteria. If the rubric rewards things unrelated to the job, the AI will apply that consistently to every candidate. Check a sample of results every week, especially for the first few roles you run this way.
Cheating is possible too, for example a candidate getting help from someone else or reading answers off another screen. Follow-up questions help, and some platforms log signals such as tab switching or unusual response times. Treat these signals as something for the recruiter to review. They do not prove anything on their own.
Voice recordings and transcripts are personal data. The company needs a clear legal basis and must tell candidates how their data is used. If you hire in Indonesia, the rules are covered in our guide to Indonesia's PDP Law and AI screening.
When does a company need AI interviews?
AI interviews pay off most when one opening draws hundreds of applicants, the roles are similar (cashiers, call center agents, field sales, warehouse staff), and the HR team is small. If you only hire a few people a month for senior roles, a direct call from a recruiter may make more sense.
To set up the process, start with the guide to building a first-round AI interview. If you are comparing vendors, read how to choose AI interview software.
Where Inhire fits
Inhire (inhireai.app) is an AI screening and AI interview platform for high-volume hiring. Inhire's AI interviews run over voice or text in English, Indonesian, and Malay, with follow-up questions based on what the candidate says. Candidates only need to open a link in a phone browser. Recruiters get a scorecard for each competency, the full transcript, and recordings of the key answers, and make the decision themselves.
See the details on the Inhire AI interview page, or start free with one open role. CV screening and the assessment test are free, with no credit card needed.
