Interviewing for AI Fluency

I would expect any prospective new hire that I speak to today to be embracing AI to make themselves more effective.

Similarly, I would also expect any hiring manager I speak to be thinking about how their business will evolve (it goes both ways!).

At this point, hiring or working for someone who isn’t proactively thinking about how their job/organization/industry is changing is a risk. Given the disruptive potential across so many business functions, having a strong perspective on both sides of the hiring process is critical.

Questions I would ask as a hiring manager:

• How do you think AI will impact your function?

• An example of how you propose using AI to make yourself more effective at job and/or how do you plan to ID opportunities for AI and automation in this role?

• Any examples of how you use AI at all outside of work?

• How do you plan to stay in the loop on future advancements in cutting edge technologies like AI?

• (If senior hire) Can you share a framework for evaluating AI-driven projects in your team?

• (If senior hire) How will you drive collaboration with AI in your team?

• Can you share an example of an AI-related ethical challenge you've encountered, and how you handled it?

Questions I would ask as a candidate:

• What is your organization’s AI Policy? Including tools available, what is considered allowable vs off-limits use cases etc.

• How does your organization promote sharing and collaboration through AI (ex. sharing use cases within team, prompt library, showcasing wins)

• Examples of impact today?

• What is the biggest risk AI presents to your company?

• How is leadership integrating AI into strategic decisions? (Ex. product roadmap)

• Can you describe a recent success in leveraging AI, and how the team responded?

• Can you share a framework for evaluating AI-driven projects in your team?

• How will you drive collaboration with AI in your team?

Bonus: Using AI to Ace Job Interviews
I expect candidates to use every tool available to win. And I love to see candidates that lean heavily on AI use throughout process. Some examples….

• Be absurdly prepped: Take notes (either by hand or with a tool like Granola), summarize them using ChatGPT, and build extensive prep docs. Always remember a hiring manager’s kid’s or dog’s name.

• Use AI-Powered Mock Interviews: Practice with AI chatbots that simulate interview scenarios, helping you refine responses and improve communication.

• Explore No-Code Prototyping: Try using Replit or Bolt instead of slides to tell a story. Its orders of magnitude more compelling. If you’re asked to build out a strategy, try building it as an interactive website instead of slides. Check out this article for more:

• Stay Current on AI Trends: Come with a perspective on how the industry is changing. Follow AI thought leaders, read newsletters, and engage with online communities to stay updated on the latest innovations and best practices. Some ideas here: