Plain Old Interviews

I recently applied for a job at a large publishing house and was pleased to clear the first hurdle. They sent me an email:

We were impressed with your application for our Editorial Assistant role, and would like to invite you to our Hirevue stage. You may have already used this virtual platform before, but it may be useful anyway to hear the info below.

I had to film myself answering three questions, each with a three-minute time limit and two minutes preparation, at a time of my choosing within the next week. They recommended I download the Hirevue software, dress professionally and retain eye contact: ‘Even virtually this is incredibly important!’

Hirevue was founded in Salt Lake City in 2004 by a twenty-year-old undergraduate, Mark Newman. In its infancy, the company sent webcams to candidates for jobs, allowing them to record interviews from anywhere in the world. As it grew, Hirevue was integrated into the hiring process of many large companies and evolved into an AI-driven biometric software platform. In a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission in 2019, Hirevue was accused of bias, deceptive use of facial recognition technology and a lack of transparency and accountability in its use of AI for ranking candidates’ employability.

On the day of my interview I shaved, closed the window to muffle the roadworks and buttoned up my shirt. The first question appeared on the screen next to my face. I was interviewing myself. The question on problem-solving was straightforward. Though there was nothing to smile about, I smiled hard. Yes, I am that good at working intuitively, but boy, you should see me in a team! The next question had my hands waving about, which though unrehearsed felt expressive in a good way. I glanced away thoughtfully as I embarked on my final answer. Returning to the screen, I saw I had ten seconds to go and I’d not quite finished my anecdote about good timekeeping.

Consigned to the before world is the interviewer’s reminder to ‘ask us questions’, which was disappointing because I did have a couple: was that the interview? Is anyone out there? I ended the recording and went about my day with the carefree relief that usually comes from having cheated death.

I later discovered that Hirevue responded to the official complaints by announcing a plan to drop its facial recognition technology. Companies that use Hirevue for recruitment have the option to use its AI assessment features or to use the software with no algorithm, which is referred to as ‘just plain old interviews’. I don’t know if my potential employer was using AI or not, or whether I was chosen or rejected for a longlist, or indeed whether a human being ever saw my smiling face, the panic in my eyes or my lucky white shirt. In any case, I didn’t get the job.

by Alfred Nunney, London Review of Books | Read more:
Image: uncredited via

[ed. See also: Are ChatGPT conversations private? (iLind):]

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The author described what started as a typical interview, which went well. Then at some point, one of the interviewers said they had been trying a different method to get to know candidates better.

The next question: “Do you use ChatGPT?” He answered that he did have some experience with it, as most people do.

Then came the unexpected.

“That’s when they asked me to take out my phone and open the app.

They wanted me to type this prompt:

“Based on my past conversations, can you analyze my behavioral tendencies?”

When the job candidate declined, the interview abruptly changed.