Surprise! Employers are using AI to interview you

One-in-five employers in the US and the U.K. now use generative AI (genAI) tools to interview candidates, according to the results of a TestGorilla survey of 1,084 organizations in the two countries. TestGorilla, an Amsterdam-based pre-employment testing platform company, found that these kinds of hiring tools are no longer experimental, they are embedded in everyday HR and hiring operations.

Twenty-one percent of organizations in the US and 20% of those in the UK use genAI to conduct at least initial interviews with prospective hires, TestGorilla’s State of Skills-Based Hiring 2025 report showed.

Organizations are now refocusing on quality of hiring — and the use of genAI to aid in those efforts, according to TestGorilla and others.

“Right now, AI is mainly a screening tool, not a decision-maker — most commonly for writing job descriptions, screening resumes, and sourcing candidates,” said Wouter Durville, CEO and Co-Founder at TestGorilla. “But we’re also seeing a sharp rise in AI-led interviews, with 21% of US employers now using them. That’s a clear sign these tools are moving quickly from the fringes to the mainstream.”

Seven in 10 (70%) of employers use genAI in hiring, but only 38% seek AI-specific skills — that’s down from 52% last year — as they now value human talents such as critical thinking and communication. Fifty-seven percent of US employers have dropped college degree requirements; 74% use skills tests, according to TestGorilla.

Additionally:

60% of employers surveyed say soft skills are more important in 2025 than they were five years ago.

66% say evaluating candidates holistically (including skills, personality, and values) improves hiring outcomes.

Employers who focus on skills-based hiring are more likely to:

Hire for AI skills (39% vs. 30%).

Upskill for AI (34% vs. 19%).

Use AI tools in workflows (53% vs. 40%).

Use AI in hiring (70%) and use AI for interviews (20%).

GenAI-based talent acquisition software runs the gamut across different areas of the recruiting landscape, according to Lisa Rowan, a vice president of human capital management research at IDC Research. For example, Beamery offers job recruit marketing software. For applicant tracking, there are software and services providers such as iCIMS, Jobvite, Smartrecruiters, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle, and Workday. And for data analysis, firms such as Modern Hire, Seekout, Eightfold, and Phenom are among the leaders.

“Employers want people who can think critically, adapt, and collaborate. That’s why more are investing in tools to assess values, behaviors, and soft skills, not just technical ability,” Durville said in a statement. “The best hiring strategies now combine objective data with a holistic view of the candidate—their skills, values, and cultural alignment.”

According to TestGorilla, 82% of US employers report bad hires due to a lack of soft skills or poor cultural fit.

TestGorilla

A report last year from Indeed on data-driven hiring showed that both employers and job seekers support skills-first hiring over more hiring based on traditional degrees.

Job seekers are also increasingly using genAI, though it appears they’re not fooling hiring managers and HR experts. Of those surveyed by TestGorilla, 76% said they’re seeing more AI-generated resumes; 72% find them easy to spot.

Joel Wolfe, president of HiredSupport, a California-based business process outsourcing (BPO) company, said he’s also seeing a lot of easy-to-catch AI-generated resumes and AI used to answer interview questions. “We’re seeing this a lot with our tech hires, and a lot of the sentence structure and overuse of buzzwords is making it super obvious,” Wolfe said.

 HiredSupport has more than 100 corporate clients globally, including companies in the eCommerce, SaaS, healthcare, and fintech sectors.

Wolfe, who weighed in on the topic on LinkedIn, said he’s seeing genAI-enhanced resumes “across all roles and positions, but most obvious in overembellished developer roles.”

Sixty-six percent of US employers now use genAI to help write job descriptions, 61% to screen resumes, and 52% to find candidates, according to TestGorilla.

TestGorilla

On average, the vast majority of the employers who use genAI in the hiring process say it’s brought efficiencies — 97% for US employers and 92% for UK organizations, the data showed. Even so, not all employers use AI; 30% don’t, citing a lack of importance (44%), cost and complexity (32%), and data security risks (30%).

“Of course, AI interviews are still finding their footing. Some companies have reported efficiency gains, while others are working through the quirks of the technology,” Durville said. “But as we add more safeguards, transparency, and human oversight — particularly to prevent bias creeping in — we can expect these tools to mature and become a well-used tool for busy hiring teams.”

As genAI tools automate routine tasks, remaining jobs require higher skills, so 74% of US employers use skills tests beyond resumes, the survey showed.

Another way genAI is being used by employers is to instantly scan thousands of resumes, identify the most-qualified candidates, and match them to open roles based on skills — not just job titles.

Employer skepticism around using the fast-moving technology is fading, with many now reconsidering genAI tools after seeing competitors attract top talent by engaging applicants more effectively from the start, said Cliff Jurkiewicz, vice president of global strategy at HR tech firm Phenom.

“The outcomes of AI are well-researched, proven and backed by science, and are hard to deny that at this point,” Jurkiewicz siad. “The benefit of AI is felt by both employers and applicants, but the biggest benefactors are the candidates. They have been ignored for so long. Today, they have a more engaging, consumer-grade experience to find their next role.”

Anyone even considering genAI use is already ahead of the curve, according to Trey Causey, Indeed’s Head of Responsible AI. “Adopting new AI tools is the name of the game in the talent industry right now. But as many of you can probably attest, the journey to implementation isn’t always seamless.”

For example, in March, HR tech platform provider Remote released an AI-infused hiring tool that has access to 800 million global candidate profiles using natural language and advanced filtering settings. Based on the provided job description — and other factors like candidate motivations, remote work preferences, employment eligibility — Recruit AI surfaces a tailored batch of matching candidate profiles within seconds.

Other companies have turned to genAI for hiring:

HR tech firm HireVue uses genAI to screen resumes and prioritize candidates based on job fit and likelihood to succeed in the role.

Unilever uses HireVue’s software to conduct AI-powered video interviews, where candidates respond to pre-set questions on camera; the tool then analyzes facial expressions, tone, and language to score responses, leading to a 75% reduction in hiring time and improved diversity metrics, with successful candidates advancing to human interviews.

IBM has said its genAI now answers 94% of HR questions, nearly eliminating HR Business Partner roles except for senior leaders. (The company is eyeing cuts to HR staff and a reallocation funds to sales and engineering.)

Tech giant Siemens has been integrating AI into its recruitment processes to enhance efficiency and reduce time-to-hire. The company uses AI in its recruitment process to conduct initial interviews and analyze candidate responses for quicker shortlisting.

McDonald’s in the US and Australia has been using Paradox’s chatbot “Olivia” to conduct initial interviews via SMS or mobile web, automatically scheduling in-person interviews for candidates who meet basic qualifications, with the goal of speeding up hiring for high-turnover frontline role.

Hiring assistant vendor Eightfold AI recently unveiled AI Interview, which conducts real-time, conversational assessments with candidates. The company also released its Digital Twin, which uses a personalized large language model (LLM) to capture each employee’s skills, experiences, and contributions by integrating workplace tools.

Tata Communications and Postmates used Eightfold AI to match candidates to roles based on skills and potential, not just experience.

Beyond those efforts, genAI is clearly streamlining hiring — 92% of users say it’s improved their processes — and it’s prompting a shift toward more holistic evaluation, according to Durville. With 76% of US employers spotting AI-generated applications, resumes alone aren’t enough. The trend is clear, he said: “Organizations are using both human judgment and AI to assess skills, motivation, and fit, moving toward a more well-rounded, multi-measure approach.”