More and more businesses are using artificial intelligence to handle early-stage job interviews, so if you haven’t been interviewed by a robot, you might soon. 

Bots weed out less-qualified applicants and send on only the best candidates to a human hiring manager. Jim Chaffee, business analytics associate professor of practice, said it’s a more efficient and effective way to manage thousands of job applications. 

The interview technology has caught on quickly. Introduced just two years ago, more than half of businesses globally surveyed by TestGorilla reported using AI to conduct job interviews in 2025. 

Tippie student Eleanor Scott was one such applicant. She interviewed with a bot for an internship as a junior and didn’t care much for the experience. 

"It felt very impersonal, and it wasn’t easy to come across as myself,” said the senior business analytics and management double major from Council Bluffs, IA. 

An animated character asked her questions and her responses were recorded, but she never felt connected to anything and felt unable to showcase her best side.

"It's easier to show strengths I have and how I can help a business when I’m talking with a person, and I couldn’t do that,” she said.

If someone is interviewing with a bot, should they approach the interview differently than with a real person? 

For the most part, no. Chaffee said the same values apply whether someone is talking with a bot or a human. Know your resume, tailor your answers to reflect your alignment with the company’s values, and point out your key achievements and relevant soft skills. Demonstrate how you would add value if hired. Do the interview in a quiet room with good lighting and a neutral background. 

It’s unlikely the bot will make the final decision about who to hire, Chaffee said. While useful as a screening tool, he said human participation will always be vital because bots are not properly equipped to get more in-depth with a candidate. 

In the end, Scott’s uncomfortable interview didn’t matter because she was offered a summer internship and full-time job upon graduation with a Kansas City analytics firm. 

That interview was with a human. 

More tips and tactics for AI interviews:

• Chat bots are always on and always looking at you, so focus on clarity of speech, facial expressions, body language, and eye contact because it will capture these behaviors in its report. Chaffee said if someone looks shifty-eyed during the interview or struggles to complete sentences, the bot will notice.
• Schedule a practice session before the actual interview so you’re comfortable with the software.
• Speak naturally and authentically. Keep a conversational tone.
• Try to forget you’re talking to no one. “Pretend there’s a person there—you just can’t see them,” Scott suggests.

Uplevel your prep with Big Interview

Free online lessons and practice tools for students and alumni offered through the Pomerantz Career Center.

This article appeared in the Spring 2026 edition of Tippie Magazine.