New Tool Uses OpenAI to Generate Job Interview Questions

There’s no doubt about it, skills-based practices are becoming more mainstream with many employers and states making commitments to drop degree requirements. But is it important to remember that skills-based hiring must extend beyond dropping degree requirements and updating job descriptions. Interviewing candidates is an important part of the hiring process and sometimes hiring managers don’t have time to create unique questions for each role. This can lead to them relying on generic and often biased interview questions. If you are tired of asking, “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses” read on!

Some job seekers, career coaches, and employers are exploring new tools like AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bard to help them prepare for job interviews and update job postings and resumes. But for many of us, figuring out which tool to use and how to get the information you need can be daunting.

A new tool from Rework America Alliance member SkillsEngine called the Interview Question Generator, creates role-specific interview questions. Powered by SkillsEngine x OpenAI GPT technology, the tool develops questions that help the interviewer focus on what relevant skills the candidate can bring to the role rather than basic information about their background or work experience. “SkillsEngine is actively exploring the opportunities to use recent advancements in A.I. to help deliver new value for our existing users and engage a broader community of workforce and education professionals with the world of skills-based practices,” said Max Miner, Executive Director of Product and Design at SkillsEngine.

In two quick steps, the tool produces 10 customized interview questions. We tried it out and here’s why we like it.

1. First, we visited the website and entered the job title and a brief description of the role we wanted interview questions for. For example, we entered “Food Service Manger” and a description of the role.
2. Second, we hit “generate” and the tool produced a list of 10 interview questions specific to the role. Here are a few of the questions we received for the Food Service Manager role:

• Can you give an example of a time when you had to solve a problem related to food service operations?
• How do you prioritize tasks and manage multiple responsibilities as a food service manager?
• How do you handle customer complaints or feedback related to food quality or service?
• Can you describe your experience with inventory management and ordering supplies for a food service operation?

What we like about the questions that the tool provided is that they are specific to the skills needed to be successful in this role. It also helps guide hiring managers through a more skills-based approach to interviewing by asking for examples of the candidate’s skills and experience, rather than relying on traditional interview questions that give hiring managers little insight into the candidate’s experience and expertise. Used in conjunction with a skills-based job posting and interview rubric, this tool helps make the hiring process a bit easier to navigate.

This tool can also be a great resource for job seekers or career coaches working with job seekers to prepare for interviews. They can use the Interview Question Generator to produce sample questions a job seeker might be asked during the interview process and help them think through their answers and provide examples of their skills.

As this tool continues to be improved and more Rework America Alliance partners create resources to help make the transition to skills-based practices easier, we’ll update this article, so be on the lookout for the latest developments and what they could mean for your organization.