PHILADELPHIA, PA — Artificial intelligence has moved beyond resumé polishing and cover letter drafting to a more controversial frontier: the job interview itself. A new survey of 3,018 job seekers by resume.io reveals that 24% of candidates in Pennsylvania admit to using AI tools to scrape potential interview questions from sites like Glassdoor, Reddit, and niche forums to build hyper-personalized mock interviews.
The practice, sometimes called “interview hacking,” allows applicants to rehearse answers tailored to specific companies, mimicking the grilling they might face at firms such as Google, Amazon, or McKinsey.
The survey found 36% of candidates credit AI rehearsal with boosting their performance, while employers remain skeptical. Three-quarters of respondents believe companies will eventually learn to spot AI-assisted applicants, and only one in four thinks recruiters will remain unaware.
On ethics, opinions are split. Nearly half (47%) call AI prep a form of cheating, while 53% see it as simply smart preparation. Confidence in the technology is equally divided: 40% trust AI to predict questions accurately, while 60% insist human hiring managers are too unpredictable.
Cost is another factor. About one-third (34%) say they would pay for a premium AI interview coach, but most rely on free tools. And when asked if they would feel guilty about landing a job with AI-scripted answers, only 28% said yes.
Perhaps most striking, 44% of job seekers said they would feel more anxious walking into an interview without AI prep than without researching the company. That reliance underscores how central the technology has become in modern job hunting.
“AI has quickly become an essential part of every career-minded job seeker’s toolkit,” said Amanda Augustine, resume.io’s resident career expert. “The key is how you use them. AI can help you prepare, but it can’t form your opinions or speak with your authenticity.”
For Pennsylvania’s job seekers, the line between preparation and over-reliance on technology appears to be blurring, raising fresh questions about how AI will reshape hiring on both sides of the table.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.