The questions you ask decide how much AI help a candidate can use. Here is how to stop AI during an interview by changing your questions, with examples for several roles.
Why some questions are easy for AI
A question such as "How would you design a URL shortener?" has thousands of example answers online, so an assistant can answer it before the candidate has finished listening. AI tools are weaker when the question depends on the candidate's past work, on what was said earlier, or on a situation that changes while you talk.
Ask about the candidate's own work
Pick something from the candidate's résumé and ask for details only they would know.
- "You mention moving the billing system to a new database. What was the hardest part of the move, and who did you have to convince?"
- "What would you do differently if you started that project again?"
- "What did your manager disagree with you about?"
The second and third questions about the same project usually tell you the most.
Change the problem after the first answer
Change one condition and ask what changes.
- Engineering: "Now the data doesn't fit in memory. What would you change?"
- Sales: "The buyer has just told you their budget was cut in half. What do you say next?"
- Support: "The customer has already tried that and is now angry. What do you do?"
- Product: "Engineering says the feature will take three months instead of three weeks. What do you cut?"
A candidate who understood their first answer can usually adapt it straight away, while an assistant has to hear the new condition first.
Ask for short answers and for reasons
A question like "Which of those two options would you pick?" needs one sentence, and a long pause before it is easy to notice. After a good answer, ask "why?" AI explanations tend to repeat general points, and the candidate has to read them out while you wait.
Show written questions in a harder format
dontapplyai draws a written brief or coding problem so that people read it easily and AI tools have much more trouble, with a decoy question beside it. An answer that fits the decoy is easy to notice.
Questions to avoid
- Questions from well-known interview lists.
- Brain teasers and trivia with one correct answer.
- Long written prompts read aloud word for word.
Frequently asked questions
Will these questions stop AI during an interview every time?
No. They make AI help slower and easier to notice. The other steps are in how to stop AI use in interviews.
Are these questions fair to nervous candidates?
They are often easier than trivia, because people know their own work. Tell candidates a short pause is fine.
Do I need to change all my questions?
No. Add one or two follow-up questions to your main ones, since that is where AI help is easiest to notice. See the signs a candidate is using AI.
