Some companies are starting to let AI screen video-interviewed candidates. Here’s how to prep for Big Brother face scanning.
The trend started in the ’90s with resume screening bots, and AI became the invisible gatekeeper in hiring. Those days are laughably innocent. Algorithms today are getting baked into every nook of staffing.
Witness how artificial intelligence is infiltrating performance reviews — assessing against metrics and data points aplenty. Seem like human input matters less?
Soon you may get video-interviewed remotely and scored solely by AI using facial scanning. Talk about degrading. Like other techno-conscripting tools, the way to outflank them is to know what to expect.
How It Works
An employer lets you know they want to distance-interview you. They’ll ask if you have a device with a video camera. Then you’ll receive a link to their app. Download and open it.
Start the interview when you’re ready. The camera tracks your facial movements, word choice and speaking voice. AI ranks the performance and spits your secret score to the employer.
You’ll never see that score, or know what you did right (and where to improve). Makes you wish for the days when, if rejected, you could contact a real person for feedback.
What To Expect
It seems a standard face-scanning interview lasts about 30-minute. They’ll ask at least a half dozen questions, probably more. Your answers yield several hundred thousand data points.
What’s known as “Facial Action Units” can make up about 30% of a person’s score. That covers stuff like mouth movements, eye contact and expressions, e.g. do you look pissed off when asked a tough customer service question? Audio factors like tone, pace, pauses and word choice make up the rest.
Types Of Questions Asked
According to folks who’ve been tortured this way, and now know how to answer behavioural questions. These are some examples of those questions:
- Tell me about a time you worked on a team
- Give me a pitch on something you are passionate about
- What does integrity mean to you
- Talk about a recent headline that you read in the news
Scamming The Scanning?
There’s little chance of second-guessing the bots here. Current face-scanning algorithms are so tricky that even their vendors can’t fully explain how they arrived at those results. The best you can do is prep for the format.
That boils down to nailing a virtual interview. Practice talking into a camera and pretend it’s a real person; Act naturally, speak slowly, stop scowling, sit up straight, and get a haircut!
Facial Scanning May Be Hokum, But More Employers Will Use It
Pity the video-interviewed candidate who has a thick accent. Or whose English vocabulary’s limited. People who sweat like a monsoon should worry too.
Critics of AI facial scanning for employability say it’s bulls***. Machine learning’s nowhere near able to predict performance or fit based on someone’s mug. But if the employer insists, might as well say cheese nicely.
Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?
Video-interviewing via mobile devices is becoming more common. Knowing how to spruce your appearance and keep your composure makes a lasting impression.