5 ways you can clear AI-led interviews in 2026

Companies today are increasingly using AI-tools to streamline their recruitment to cut through the clutter. Madhu Rajputra Peravalli, Co-founder and CEO, Troogue, an AI enabled Enterprise Contract Platform, suggests five winning strategies for acing an AI-led interview, which, he says, are far easier than human or face-to-face interviews and much more fair as AI doesn’t carry any inherent human biases or pre-conceived perceptions.

Originality pays. Since the advantage with AI is that it’s non-judgemental, remain true to yourself when answering questions. Say what you actually think and feel – and not what you may perceive the interviewer wants to hear. Given how we are trained to respond, it’s easier said than done. The trick to overcoming this mental block is to take a leaf from the actor’s handbook, of how they prepare for their monologues or dialogues by rehearsing in front of a mirror. The reason they do that is because the mirror never lies. So if you imagine an AI interview like speaking in front of a mirror, you need to be honest in your replies. No one expects you to know the answer to everything, which is why it’s better to say what you know and admit what you don’t know if it’s not part of your core competency. Honesty demonstrates integrity which is ingrained – knowledge can always be gained.

The biggest advantage with an AI interview is that it’s dynamic, meaning, each follow-up question stems from your reply to the preceding question. That firmly places the power to steer the interview in your preferred direction, in your hands. For example, if the questions asked relates to core tech, which is not in your domain of skills, you can point out that the topic is not your skill set and suggest in its stead a subject that you have knowledge of. This will enable AI to shift the line of questioning your domain knowledge, allowing you to perform better in the interview. An AI-interview therefore allows you the freedom to showcase your expertise.

Never forget that AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, which means it’s pre-programmed for certain human traits, like enunciation and eye contact. It’s essential therefore that when you speak, you focus on the screen in front and not get distracted or be shifty-eyed and possess clarity in your speech. A corollary to that is to ensure that your surroundings are devoid of any ambient noise which may interfere when you talk. Enunciation is different from pronunciation – most AI tools are programmed to recognise accents, so you don’t need to worry about that. You also don’t need to fret too much over grammar as AI isn’t testing you for that. Be aware that you are talking to a machine and not a live human, so articulation matters. Remember to stress or emphasise on key words and offer examples, preferably from your own experience or real-life, to illustrate your point.

In an AI-interview, coding the 800-pound gorilla. That means coding enjoys a higher weightage vis-à-vis other skills. So don’t skip it. An AI-interview will test you for logic rather than writing the perfect code or a lengthy one for that matter. Be succinct and simple – there are no brownie points stylisation or detailing. As long you can demonstrate algorithmic logic which showcases your idea and possess clarity of intent, you can be sure to ace the test.

Remember Thomas Alva Edison? The man credited with inventing the incandescent bulb – well, his first 10,000 attempts ended in failure. His take: he hadn’t failed but found 10,000 ways the bulb won’t work. So if you at first don’t succeed, don’t give up. Many AI platforms in fact offer multiple interview opportunities to candidates and even mock interview sessions. You can even request for a mock interview before the actual one to acclimatise yourself with the process and bolster your confidence. Remember, most AI-interviews are designed to select and not reject which means that you can ask that the interview report be made available to you before being published.