AI cheating fears push employers back to in-person interviews
Virtual hiring sped up recruitment and supported remote work. Now the rise of AI is sending many employers back to face-to-face interviews to keep the process honest.
Recruiters say candidates are increasingly using off-screen tools to generate answers in real time, especially in technical tests. A smaller but growing risk involves AI enabled impostors who interview under false identities. In response, companies including Cisco and McKinsey have added at least one in-person round before offers. Google has reintroduced onsite interviews for some roles this year to verify skills such as live coding.
The shift reflects a broader AI arms race in hiring. Employers adopted screening software to cope with a flood of online applications. Job seekers countered with generative tools that customise résumés and apply en masse. Deepfake audio and video now make deception easier. The FBI has warned about remote work scams, including foreign operatives posing as U.S. tech workers.
Demand for in-person checks is rising. Dallas recruiter Mike Kyle says the share of his clients requesting onsite interviews jumped to about 30 percent this year, up from 5 percent in 2024. McKinsey began encouraging at least one face-to-face meeting a year and a half ago to assess rapport and trust, and now leans on it more due to AI risks.
Employers are also tightening identity verification. Tomo, an AI powered mortgage lender, flags signs of fakery in video calls, such as off-screen whispering or long pauses before answers. Hiring platform Greenhouse is rolling out optional ID verification with airport security firm Clear. Cisco has piloted biometric checks to confirm candidates are who they claim to be. Some candidates ghost once an onsite is requested, a signal companies say helps weed out bad actors.
Surveys hint at the scale of the problem. In a poll of 3,000 job seekers by Gartner, 6 percent admitted to interview fraud, either posing as someone else or having a stand-in. Gartner forecasts that by 2028, one in four candidate profiles could be fake.
The net result is a hybrid model. Video remains useful for early screens and global talent searches. Final stages are increasingly in person, supported by stronger digital identity checks. For candidates, the message is clear. Real skills and real presence are back at the centre of the hiring process.
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