- Survey of 3,018 job candidates.
- 37% of Illinois candidates ask bots to scrape likely interview questions.
- Infographic showing the best gravel drives in the country.
In the “old days,” using AI meant quietly polishing your resumé or letting ChatGPT generate a slick cover letter. But job seekers are now taking things a step further – into the actual interview room. Candidates are using AI tools not just to prepare but to rehearse, by asking bots to scrape likely interview questions from platforms such as Glassdoor, Reddit, and niche career forums. The result? Hyper-personalized mock interviews tailored to firms like Google, Amazon, or McKinsey that mimic the grilling you’d actually face across the table.
A new survey of 3,018 job seekers by resume.io reveals just how mainstream this “interview hacking” has become. Notably, 37% of Illinois job candidates admit to leveraging AI technology to scrape job forums and get themselves interview-ready for the big day.
What Illinois Job Seekers Really Think
Plenty of candidates admit that AI rehearsal has given them an edge. In fact, 36% say machine-polished answers helped them perform better in interviews.
On the employer side, suspicion runs high:
- 75% believe companies will eventually start screening for AI-assisted applicants.
- Only 1 in 4 thinks recruiters will remain in the dark.
The ethics question divides opinion almost evenly. About 47% call AI prep “cheating,” while 53% shrug it off as smart preparation. In other words, there’s no clear consensus on whether leaning on a bot crosses the line.
When it comes to trust:
- 40% put faith in AI to predict the exact questions a company will ask.
- 60% don’t buy it, convinced that human hiring managers are far too unpredictable.
Money is another dividing line. Roughly one-third (34%) would pay for a premium AI interview coach, while two-thirds say free tools are more than enough.
On the matter of conscience, only 28% admitted they would feel guilty landing a role with AI-scripted answers. A comfortable 72% said no guilt, no problem.
And then there’s the hypothetical: if AI could whisper answers into your ear during a live interview, would you take the help? Just over one-half – 52% – said yes, while 48% drew the line there.
Finally, nerves tell their own story. 44% said they’d be more anxious walking into an interview without AI practice than without company research. That stat alone suggests just how central AI prep has become in the modern job hunt.
“AI has quickly become an essential part of every career-minded job seeker’s toolkit,” says Amanda Augustine, resume.io’s resident career expert and a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC). “The key is how you use them. There’s a big difference between leveraging AI to build your confidence and polish your performance versus trying to let it do the thinking for you. AI can help you prepare, but it can’t form your opinions or speak with your authenticity. My advice to job seekers: use these tools to put your best foot forward, but make sure your personality and perspective still shine through when it matters most – during the actual conversation with an employer.”
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