Virtual Reality Interviews

Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) technology, your next job interview could be with a computer.

18:36 02 November 2022

Thanks to recent advances in the fields of virtual reality and artificial intelligence technology, applicants may soon have the option of getting an interview with a computer in the comforts of their own home. 

 

Students at Sandwell College in West Bromwich have tried the technology to do some mock interviews last year using VR headsets. Their avatars were put through their paces by another talking avatar representing the AI software system. 

 

Engineering student Ayyan Ahmed said: "I'd never had an interview before in my life. But because there was no human judging me, and it was all online, I could actually express myself.

 

"And then, at the end of the process, he [the VR interviewer] told me what I did wrong, and what I did right. It really helped me to know what to do in my next interview."

 

Christopher Mallet, the chief executive of Bodyswaps, the VR technology used by the students, said that the technology could be used to simulate job interviews that can help applicants prepare for the real-life one. 

 

He said: "Things like communication, empathy and leadership are the secrets to success [in interviews], but how can you practise those? If you are rich, you can get a coach. Otherwise you have e-learning [such as watching videos on the topic], but that doesn't work as you are lacking immersion.

 

"Using VR and AI we now have a way to immerse you safely in a simulation where you can practise interview conversations."