Our approach to AI in hiring

We hire humans

Behind the technology, we are humans first. We believe in the power of human connection. This is what our customers and users buy into and this is what we buy into, at the interview stage. While technical expertise is crucial, as a consultancy, communication and collaboration are at the heart of what we do. For this reason, we want to see your thought process and how you respond in the moment during interviews. Relying heavily on AI to script your answers may go against you and hinder you from showcasing these qualities. Although it might feel a little uncomfortable, it allows us to truly understand how you respond in real time.

Our social contract: How we use AI (and how we don’t)

We use some automation and AI platforms to streamline parts of the application review process, but from the moment you are invited to meet with us for an initial screening, all decisions are made by humans at every stage of the process.

To ensure a timely and efficient experience for the high volume of talented individuals who apply to us, we use AI-driven tools to assist in our initial application review. These platforms help us identify candidates whose experience and skills align most closely with the core requirements of the role.

To ensure fairness and accuracy, our Talent Team performs regular quality assurance audits on these automated assessments. Beyond this initial sifting stage, humans remain at the heart of our process. All subsequent evaluations, from in-depth CV reviews to final hiring offers, are conducted by our team members. We remain proud members of the Circle Back initiative, reflecting our deep respect for the time and effort you invest in your application. We value your interest in joining us and are committed to a recruitment process that is both innovative and equitable.

We are AI Inclusive

We understand the benefits AI can offer at the interview stage, especially for inclusivity. We won’t assess you based on whether you’ve used AI, but rather on your authenticity and ability to demonstrate your experience. However, there are times when AI use could impede your performance, be used with the intent to misrepresent yourself or with malicious intent in mind. We’ll dive into more detail on how you can avoid this later on…

Support for Neurodivergent Candidates

We understand that interviews can be especially challenging for neurodiverse candidates. We want to help you feel comfortable using AI safely in the interview process and encourage its use to help you showcase the best version of yourself.

If AI tools help reduce anxiety or support communication, we welcome that in certain parts of the interview process (we’ll go into more detail on the specifics later in this article). Use what helps you showcase your strengths more fluidly. We just ask that you stay authentic, transparent, and true to your experience. Please let us know if you’re using AI tools and why it helps you – this helps us understand how to best support your experience. You can also let us know if there’s anything else (outside of AI tools) we can do to make you feel more comfortable. If you want to learn more (link to blog posts for case studies). 

Using AI in your interview

Your privacy and the confidentiality of our interview discussions are extremely important to us and is part of our duty of care. 

While we won’t be actively assessing your AI usage, we encourage you to use AI as a supportive tool to bring out the best in you, but always remember to be authentic. Here’s how you can use AI effectively and ethically:

Notetaker AI Tools: 

• If you plan to use an AI notetaker tool, please inform the panel members and receive their consent before the interview begins. This is crucial as confidential information may be shared during the discussion. This rule applies equally to our panel members, who will also seek your consent before using any note-taking or recording tools.

Before the Interview (Prep, Setup, Rehearsals):

• Refine your answers: Using AI to help you rephrase or format an answer in preparation is absolutely fine, as long as the content is based on your real experiences. We love to ask follow-up questions, so be prepared to elaborate. Fully scripting answers might make you less able to deal with follow-up questions, so consider what level of prep is best for you as an individual. 

Prepare your setup: 

• Test your setup, including your camera and microphone, well before your interview. If you plan to use an AI tool (such as an AI notetaker), we recommend running a mock test setup with the AI enabled to understand how it works and avoid technical issues during your interview.

Practice and reduce anxiety: 

• Use AI to help you structure your thoughts, for example, by practising with the STARR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflections). Rehearsing can help reduce anxiety and allow you to showcase your best self.

During Technical Interviews

• We know that as part of an engineer’s normal day, AI can be used for code generation, code completion, code analysis and debugging, however it’s important we leave the interview with a clear understanding of your abilities. For this reason we don’t allow people to use LLM code assist or agents during technical interviews.