The Job Interview Isn’t Just a Test Anymore – It’s a Turing Test

Human Vs. AI

A few of us who are in the business of hiring candidates for their teams have done this too many times by now, especially since the pandemic. We sit in front of the person who’s being interviewed and usually they’re on the other side of your screen, somewhere on this planet.

And sometimes, the other person at the virtual table might be just too good a fit for the role. Of course, the hiring process ensues, and we’re lucky, the person joins the team and sticks around to what you’ve set out to do together. But, I’m getting ahead of myself here.

By “too good” I mean, every answer to your question is polished, well articulated and sometimes too perfect. No pauses, none of the usual interjections like “hmm, let me think” or “I’ve not come across such a situation yet” or even a chuckle at a tough question. The perfection is just suspiciously AI-shaped perfection.

We’re now in an era where candidates aren’t just prepping for interviews – they’re quietly outsourcing parts of them to generative AI. And let me be clear: this isn’t science fiction. It’s happening. I’ve seen it. I’ve tested it. And honestly, it’s easier than you’d think to use a large language model like ChatGPT during a live interview. A quiet second screen, a keyboard shortcut, and boom – we have an instant expert style answer.

So how do we respond to this shift with grace, fairness, and a little bit of street smarts?

Here’s what I’ve learned, and what I now incorporate into every interview I lead or design.

1. Call It Out Before It Shows Up

Set the tone early: “This is an unaided interview. We expect this to be your work and your words – no AI copilots, no assisting devices, no digital whisperers in your ear.”

Candidates aren’t always trying to cheat maliciously. Sometimes they’re just… modern. They’ve spent the last year in meetings where ChatGPT wrote half their emails. They might not realize an interview still means “just you and me, kid.” Setting expectations upfront isn’t combative – it’s clarifying.

2. Behavioral Questions Are Your Truth Serum

If AI is great at sounding right, it’s terrible at sounding real. So lean into behavioral questions – the messy, human, “tell me about a time when…” ones. Ask them why they chose a particular approach. What failed. What they’d do differently now.

You’re not fishing for perfection. You’re listening for personality. For specificity. For scars and stories. After all, we all can live with a person with a great attitude but have terrible skills but not the other way around.

3. Test the Tech – Use the Same Tools They Might Be Using

Want to know what AI would say in response to your questions? Try it. Feed your job description and a sample resume into ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, and then ask your interview questions. See how it answers.

Then, when you hear a candidate give you that same eerily balanced, polished, jargon-rich response? You’ll know.

4. Look for the Ghost in the Machine

Candidates using AI often can’t keep up when you dig just a little deeper. So follow up. Ask “why?” three times. Ask them to walk you through the problem-solving process live. Ask what didn’t work.

And pay attention to the silences. People need time to think. But if someone suddenly fumbles after a perfect opening line? That’s a ghost in the machine.

5. Do a Little “Live Theater”

Especially for technical roles, real-time collaboration is gold. Share your screen. Ask them to build something. Problem-solve with you in real time. It’s hard to fake live work when your fingers are actually on the keyboard.

6. Anchor in Values and Soft Skills

No AI can convincingly fake your company’s values. Atleast, not yet. Ask about moments when the candidate had to show courage, navigate conflict, or advocate for someone else. Ask about failure. About feedback. About a time they changed their mind.

Look for the subtle stuff: humility, empathy, growth. That’s the human layer AI hasn’t quite mastered.

7. Watch for Over-Polish and Inconsistencies

If every answer is a LinkedIn post in disguise, ask yourself: Does this sound like a person? Or does it sound like a blog summary of a person?

Don’t be afraid to pause and say, “Hmm… tell me more about that. What was your exact role?” AI doesn’t like specificity. Humans – especially the honest, vulnerable, curious ones – do.

An online meeting

Bonus: If They’re Nearby, Meet in Person

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the oldest one: get in a room together. One coffee, one conversation, one eye contact moment – and you’ll know a lot more than any resume can show you. Old school is still the best way to connect.

The idea with this approach is we are trying to leverage authenticity in the relationships we want to build. Interviews should be about who someone is, not what they can find via search engines or LLMs. And in a world full of digital echo chambers, your job as an interviewer is to gently, curiously, and wisely find the human voice beneath the static.

So: stay curious. Stay skeptical. But also – stay kind. The people who come to us for work are often doing so in good faith. It’s our job to meet them with wisdom, not just suspicion.

Now, tell me – how are you designing your interviews in this new world? Let’s compare notes. Let’s get sharper together.

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