College students might think twice before telling their professors how much they use AI. But in a job interview, the incentives can flip: Suddenly, having an AI story to tell is something to brag about.
But what if you don’t have much experience with AI — or simply aren’t sold on it?
Felisha Case was laid off as a program manager at LinkedIn in May. Now, she’s regularly asked during job interviews how she used AI in her previous role. Case said she has limited experience to draw on because LinkedIn only pushed employees to really adopt the technology soon before she left.
“It can feel like we’re being asked to go back and get a whole new education in AI,” she said.
As employers embrace AI and look for workers with experience using it, some job seekers say they’re feeling pressure to demonstrate enthusiasm for the technology — even when they have reservations about its limitations and societal impacts. They’re learning AI tools in order to have examples to discuss in interviews, playing up their interest in the technology, and trying to read the room to figure out just how much enthusiasm prospective employers want to hear.
AI skills are appearing in more job postings, and some of the companies investing most heavily in the technology are also adding the most workers. A recent study by Ramp and Revelio Labs found that companies making the biggest investments in AI tended to see more employment growth than companies with smaller or no AI adoption
How enthusiastic about AI do you need to be?
A Big Tech employee currently looking for a new job said AI tools have helped him with small coding tasks and reviewing documents, but he’s skeptical of the broader hype around the technology.
“If it all magically disappeared tomorrow I wouldn’t shed a tear,” he said.
Nevertheless, he believes AI roles are “where the money is” and where much of the tech industry seems to be headed, so he’s applied for several of them.
He believes his AI skepticism may have worked against him during one interview, where he couldn’t feign enthusiasm for a company he thought had an outlandish AI strategy. But if he were more desperate for work, he might have tried harder to do so.
“I do have a bit of luxury in that right now I’m job hunting while currently employed, so I don’t feel such overwhelming pressure to conform too much,” he said.
Unemployed job seekers don’t always have that luxury. Cristina Estupiñán, a laid-off software developer, previously told Business Insider that she felt pressure to sound enthusiastic about AI during job interviews, despite her concerns about its environmental and social impact, and its use in workplace surveillance.
“I have to make up something about what excites me about AI because, frankly, nothing really excites me about AI,” she said.
Kareem Osman, a vice president at staffing firm Robert Half, previously told Business Insider that hiring managers want to understand how candidates have used AI, including examples of how they used it to overcome challenges or streamline processes. He added that many employers are interested in candidates who can use AI without relying on it entirely, and that asking about a company’s approach to AI during an interview can signal curiosity about where the business is headed.
“Employers are really trying to see individuals that are adaptable, that are embracing new technologies,” Osman said.
Jacob Zinkula writes about how workers in tech and other industries are navigating their careers. Share your story with him by filling out this form, emailing him, or reaching out via Signal at jzinkula.29. Follow his work by clicking here.
Job seekers are learning to read the room on AI
Figuring out what employers want to hear about AI can also mean keeping tabs on how the broader conversation around the technology is changing.
A former communications professional at a Big Tech firm said most companies he interviews with want to know how he can use AI tools for PR roles, so he’s experimented with the technology, including ways to use AI to track media coverage and sentiment.
“Leadership everywhere seems to think AI is the magic bullet for everything,” he said. “It’s important to be able to speak like an AI native and dazzle the right folks.”
In recent months, however, he’s noticed growing concerns about the cost of AI and overuse of the technology. So he’s tried to change his tune accordingly during interviews, focusing more on identifying where the tools are most useful.
Of course, job seekers can’t share their thoughts on AI if the subject never comes up. Former Microsoft employee Mody Khan said he earned a certificate in AI and machine learning in hopes of adapting to a changing tech industry. He added it to his résumé, but said interviewers haven’t shown much interest in it.
Mody Khan
Aaron Laniewicz, who’s been looking for work after being laid off from his consulting job, believes AI can make someone dramatically more productive if used correctly. But AI doesn’t always come up in his interviews.
“If they don’t mention it, I ask if the position or company supports AI tools such as Claude Code,” he said.
You can be skeptical of AI — to a point
Job seekers don’t necessarily need to love AI to discuss it effectively during interviews.
Hiring experts interviewed by Business Insider’s Madison Hoff and Tim Paradis said candidates can be honest about their reservations while focusing on ways they’re comfortable using the technology.
Josh Bersin, an HR analyst and consultant, said many companies are still assessing how to best use the technology, so it might be helpful to ask questions about their approaches rather than write them off.
But if you tell a recruiter you don’t believe in AI, “you may have just lost your opportunity to get a job there,” he said.
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