Demonstrating how you use AI to solve problems will be key in job interviews. Tips to stand out with relevant and practical stories.
The number one question every candidate should expect in 2025 is: How familiar are you with AI, and how do you use it? Here’s how to prepare for and answer the new, most-common job interview question.
As with any job interview question, the best answer usually involves a story. As soon as you say, “I’m very familiar with AI,” the interviewer is going to ask you to prove it. You can present yourself as a genius, empathetic, trustworthy, or the fastest developer in the world—the hard part is proving it. Saying you know something isn’t the same as proving it. That’s where soft skills like communication come into play.
When faced with questions in a selection process, stories serve as a fast track to your thought processes and experience. So when you’re asked how you apply AI, the best answer may start in the most unexpected places.
Every story begins with a problem
Applying any technology (including AI) comes to fruition when we’re trying to overcome a specific challenge. Being faster or more efficient is always a goal, and one that AI can almost always help with. Rather than launching into a series of adjectives to describe how familiar you are with AI, talk about how you apply it to solve problems. What exactly is the problem it helped solve?
Start by describing your experience, as all employers are looking for «problem solvers.»No matter the industry, a problem-solver is always needed. How does AI help you reach solutions faster, more efficiently and more accurately than before? What have you discovered as a result of working with AI?
Relate your current experience working with AI to the challenges you might face in the company.Connect your familiarity with possibility by demonstrating knowledge of what the position requires.
If you’re not sure how your experience connects to the role, your interviewer can help. «I think those skills would translate pretty well, but I’m curious: how does this experience fit into the position?» Asking for their input is a great way to confirm that you’re on the right track and turn the interview into a conversation.
The challenges of implementing AI
Within every good story, there is conflict. In the case of AI, there are many conflicts, including hallucinations ( cases where AI makes up information) and lack of explanations (where it is not always clear how results are created and delivered).Another word for conflict is «challenge» or «obstacle.» Within a good story, there are always obstacles to overcome, and they exist to prove your prowess.
How did AI help you achieve an outcome, expand your capabilities, create new discoveries? What role does AI play in your current or previous role? An area of challenge could be your level of confidence with the results you receive. Or the integration of AI into your current (or previous) company. Remember that the hero’s journey is always full of discovery. What did you discover while working with AI?
The question that is already appearing in job interviews, and that will increase in 2025, focuses on what you discovered by working with AI.
If you’re looking for a new position, consider how AI could help you find it. It’s not just another aspect of your story, it’s an opportunity to build experience around finding your next job.
The key to developing competence in any field (including your job search) starts with familiarity. When answering job interview questions about AI, look for ways to tell stories around the problems you can solve.
