How to stand out in job interviews — using Artificial Intelligence
Virtual humanlike mentors are already helping job seekers to better prepare for their interviews
Originally published on Medium
You’ve probably all been there - a stressful job interview, with some crazy questions, an unpredictable interviewer and a discussion about your weaknesses. The stakes are high. This job interview is your ticket to a successful career. And the problem is that you cannot really prepare for it.
Artificial intelligence to the rescue
This is where Artificial intelligence comes to the rescue. Trenario is now offering its new virtual avatars, that help job seekers prepare for their interviews. The avatars look and talk like humans, and they simulate dozens of real-life interview sessions.
“Studies have shown that practice and experience are one of the main drivers of success in job interviews,” said Dina Shatner, CEO of Trenario, “We offer a set of virtual interviewers, that simulate the real thing. They provide a safe environment, where it’s OK to make errors. Our virtual mentors provide feedback, and job seekers can change their reactions accordingly. In some sessions we flip sides, and the avatar is being interviewed by the learner. In this way the learner can see how things look from the other side of table.”
The benefits of practicing with AI-based trainers
Trenario’s virtual mentors are highly effective. According to a recent study, they increase the job seekers’ chances to pass an interview by 32%. How do they achieve these results? Here are several benefits Artificial Intelligence based trainers add to the equation.
1. Real-life simulation
Job seekers say that Trenario’s sessions are “as close as you can get to an actual interview”. The sessions are conducted over a smartphone or a browser, led by humanlike avatars. The whole experience is highly engaging, sometimes even stressful like a real interview.
2. Get honest, personalized feedback
In real life you can rarely ask your interviewer what went wrong or even what you did right. In Trenario’s sessions, virtual trainers always provide feedback and guide the user to an optimized reaction. With personalized feedback the user can understand how things look from the interviewer’s perspective.
3. Safe environment
A safe environment means that you’re not afraid to make mistakes. This means that you can explore different paths and reactions. In fact, 25% of Trenario’s users are doing just that. They re-run the session, and see “what would happen” if they react differently. Again, studies show that a safe environment is key to effective learning.
4. Build confidence
In reality job interviews can be unpredictable, and waiting for an answer is not a pleasant experience. This can undermine the job seeker’s self-confidence when going to the next interview. Nevertheless, Trenario users report a significant increase in self-confidence, following their dozens of sessions with virtual trainers. When going to an actual interview they feel more prepared for both the easy and the more challenging questions.
5. Meet numerous types of interviewers
Experience is all about interactions with all sorts of people. And with AI-based trainers you can easily get that. In fact, the trainers themselves explain how to best cope with their approach of interviewing.
6. Learn to control your emotions
With popular questions like “what is your biggest weakness” and “why were you fired” it’s not easy for applicants to control their emotions. During the session, AI-based trainers focus on this point and help applicants contain their emotional reactions.
7. Cope with crazy questions
With so many applicants competing on each position, interviewers often ask “crazy” questions. These are questions that have no real answers, and their goal is to test the applicant’s creativity, personality and analytical skills. With Trenario’s AI-based trainers, many of these questions are covered and practiced.
8. Learn from best practice
The virtual trainers are programmed to lead the learner towards answers and reactions that are considered “best practice”. For example, they can optimize the applicant’s salary discussions by providing feedback and guidance.
Stand out in your next job interview
The AI revolution is already here. AI-based trainers have the patience and the time to work with job seekers until they are ready for their interviews. If you want to stand out in your next interview — find yourself an avatar to practice with.