Delhi techie interviewed by AI bot shares pros and cons: 'A female voice greeted me and...'

The AI tool ranked the techie on her technical knowledge alongside metrics like engagement, eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and attire. (Representational image: Unsplash)

A Delhi-based tech professional recently underwent an AI-powered job interview after she applied for a product management role. Describing it as "equal parts fascinating and unsettling," the 35-year-old recounted the advantages, disadvantages, and learnings from the experience to Business Insider.

Radhika Sharma, who began her tech career in 2015 and recently left a product owner role to spend more time with her young daughter, found herself job hunting again for a product management position. She received an email from a SaaS company inviting her to an AI-powered screening interview.

Upon clicking the interview link, Sharma was met with instructions to ensure a quiet environment and not switch tabs, with screen sharing enabled for monitoring. "As soon as the interview started, a timer counted down from about 20 minutes, which I found to be a little distracting," she told Business Insider. "A blank screen with a female voice greeted me and began asking me highly specific questions about product management."

Immediately after the interview, Sharma received a detailed performance evaluation. The AI tool ranked her technical knowledge alongside metrics like engagement, eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and attire. While her technical skills scored highly, the report flagged her as "not professionally dressed" and her eye contact as "occasional," observations she confirmed as accurate. "I underestimated what the AI was capable of scoring me on, so I didn't think to wear a collared shirt," Sharma admitted.

The immediate, detailed feedback was a significant "pro," offering insights into her strengths and weaknesses that are often missing from human interviews, Sharma said. "In a typical human interview, when I ask for feedback, I'm told it'll be shared with HR, but it never reaches me. It's a frustrating reality," she added.

The primary "con" was the lack of bi-directional communication, preventing her from asking clarifying questions. "For example, it asked me how I would manage conflicting priorities between stakeholders. If I had the opportunity, I might've asked if I could share a past instance to make my response more impactful and understandable."

Though she did not proceed with that particular company for other reasons, Sharma is actively using the AI's feedback for her ongoing job search.