More and more IT companies are returning to in-person meetings to counter AI fraud from candidates seeking jobs at these companies.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, artificial intelligence has so taken over the job search process that employers are resorting to a retro approach — the in-person interview.
It is noted that in recent years, virtual interviews have become the new norm in hiring. This is due to the growing popularity of remote work and the desire of companies to speed up the hiring process. According to recruiters, the problem is that more and more candidates are using AI tools to cheat.
Also, in some cases, AI-powered scammers impersonate job seekers in order to steal data or money after they are hired. So companies are responding by reverting to old methods.
Yes, Cisco and McKinsey are increasingly bringing back or adding in-person meetings with candidates at various stages of the interview process. Google also brought back in-person interviews for some roles this year, in part to ensure candidates have the necessary skills, such as in programming.
"We will definitely introduce at least one round of in-person interviews with people to make sure the basic knowledge is there," Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently said.
Interviews for engineering and programming positions, which typically involve writing code in real time, have reportedly become one of the most challenging. Many of these employees, especially at smaller tech companies, work remotely. This is one reason why the interview process has become largely virtual.
Recruiters say it’s become relatively easy to use AI tools off-camera to write code. Mike Kyle, managing director of IT recruiting at Coda Search/Staffing in Dallas, said the share of employer clients requesting in-person interviews has increased to 30% this year from 5% in 2024.
As you know, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation recently exposed a scam in which thousands of North Koreans posed as Americans in order to obtain remote work and salaries at American technology companies.
The central figure in the investigation is U.S. citizen Zhenxing "Danny" Wang of New Jersey, who is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. His scheme netted the North Korean regime $5 million.
In a survey of 3,000 job seekers conducted by consulting group Gartner this year, 6% said they had participated in interview fraud, either by impersonating someone else or by hiring someone to impersonate them. Gartner predicts that by 2028, one in four job candidate profiles worldwide will be fake.
As we’ve written before, one of the most well-known tools for getting the right answers during interviews is Interview Coder. It’s a startup created by 21-year-old Columbia University student Chung-in “Roy” Lee. The platform helps candidates land interviews at companies like Amazon, Meta, and TikTok. However, when companies learn about AI-based candidate fraud, they rescind job offers. Chung-in “Roy” Lee, who may now be expelled from the university for disciplinary reasons, is defending his development.
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