Ricardo Barriga

What serious candidates need to understand now

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future concept in recruitment. It is already embedded in screening, shortlisting, and even interviewing. For many professionals, this creates anxiety.

“Will a robot reject me?”
“Am I being assessed fairly?”
“How do I stand out if a system is filtering me first?”

The reality is simpler and more strategic: AI is not replacing human judgment. It is shaping how that judgement is informed.

If you understand how it works, you can position yourself intelligently and confidently.

Where AI Shows Up in Hiring

AI typically appears in four stages of the recruitment lifecycle:

1. CV screening and ranking
2. Automated skill matching
3. Video interview analysis
4. Psychometric or behavioural assessment tools

It is not making final hiring decisions in most professional environments. It is narrowing fields, identifying patterns, and assisting hiring managers to focus their time.

The key shift is this: clarity and alignment now matter more than ever

1. Be Clear, Not Clever, in Your CV

Many candidates still try to “stand out” with creativity in formatting or abstract descriptions of their achievements.

AI systems prioritise:

• Clear role titles
• Measurable outcomes
• Industry-aligned terminology
• Consistency in career progression

Instead of writing:

“Oversaw strategic initiatives to drive operational excellence”

Write:

“Led a team of 12 to reduce operating costs by 18% within 9 months”

Precision performs better than poetry.

As someone with over 20 years in recruitment across blue-collar, IT, sales and executive search, I can tell you this: clarity has always mattered. AI simply amplifies that truth.

2. Understand Keyword Alignment (Without Gaming It)

AI screening tools compare your CV to the job description. This does not mean stuffing keywords artificially. It means reflecting the language of the role if you genuinely have the experience.

If the role asks for:

• P&L accountability
• Stakeholder engagement
• Change management
• Data-driven decision making

And you have done those things, state them explicitly.

Think in terms of alignment, not manipulation.

Hiring systems are becoming more sophisticated. Inflated or misaligned claims often surface later in interviews or assessments.

Integrity remains your greatest asset.

3. AI Video Interviews: Presence Still Matters

Some organisations use asynchronous video interviews with AI-supported analytics. These systems may assess:

• Speech clarity
• Structure of response
• Relevance to question
• Communication patterns

This does not mean you must sound robotic or overly rehearsed.

It means you should:

• Answer the question directly
• Structure responses logically (Situation → Action → Result)
• Avoid rambling
• Demonstrate self-awareness

Emotional intelligence is increasingly valued in hiring. Even in AI-assisted environments, your ability to regulate nerves, communicate clearly, and demonstrate composure makes a difference.

Technology may screen. Humans still decide.

4. Authenticity Beats Performance

There is growing concern that candidates are using AI tools to generate answers in real time during interviews.

Be careful.

If your answers are overly polished, generic or disconnected from lived experience, experienced interviewers will notice. Particularly at mid-to-senior level roles.

AI can support preparation. It should not replace personal insight.

The strongest candidates I work with do three things:

• They know their numbers
• They understand their patterns
• They can articulate their thinking under pressure

No algorithm can fabricate depth.

5. Develop Meta-Skills, Not Just Technical Skills

As AI automates routine tasks, employers increasingly assess:

• Critical thinking
• Adaptability
• Learning agility
• Self-leadership
• Emotional regulation

In interviews, this shows up as questions about:

• Ambiguity
• Failure
• Conflict
• Change

If you are preparing for interviews in 2026 and beyond, focus less on memorised answers and more on reflective awareness.

How do you respond when challenged?
How do you make decisions with incomplete information?
How do you recover from setbacks?

These are human competencies.

6. Regulate the Anxiety Around AI

Often, the biggest barrier is psychological.

When candidates believe “the system is against me,” their confidence drops. Their communication tightens. They second-guess themselves.

Reframe it.

AI is simply another filter. It is not personal. It is not emotional. It is not judging your worth.

Your responsibility is to:

• Present evidence clearly
• Align your experience to the opportunity
• Communicate with structure and confidence

The rest is outside your control.

And control is where energy should be focused.

Final Perspective

Technology has always reshaped recruitment. LinkedIn did. Online job boards did. Applicant Tracking Systems did.

AI is the next evolution.

The professionals who thrive will not resist it. They will understand it.

If you approach interviews with clarity, measurable impact, emotional intelligence and self-awareness, you will remain competitive regardless of the technology used in the background.

The interview process is still, at its core, a human decision about trust, capability and fit.

And those qualities cannot be automated.