AI interview coach helps jobseekers secure entry-level jobs

Gen Z, IT, Healthcare and Social Care workers are most likely to use AI to help them prepare for a job interview, according to new data.

Since launching in June, Adzuna’s free AI interview coach tool Prepper has gained momentum among jobseekers, with daily users topping 2,000 just 10 days after the tool went live. Based on the advances in large language models (LLMs) alongside Adzuna’s proprietary data and expertise, Prepper allows jobseekers to prepare for job interviews at any UK or US company, by generating questions, based on information from the job ad, as well as coaching them on how to best respond.

The research analysed Prepper users to reveal which sectors are most likely to use AI within their job search, as well as which companies those job seekers are interviewing for. Workers within the IT sector are most likely to use AI to prepare for a job interview, with Software Engineers, Product Managers, Software Developers, Data Analysts, and Data Scientists all featured within the top 20 roles using the tool. The Tech sector has been widely affected by the recent downturn, with June 2023 seeing 101,768 IT vacancies in the UK, down -41.3% year-on-year, fuelling jobseekers’ interest to get ahead of their competition.

Gen Z is becoming more reliant on AI to make up for their lack of interview experience and secure entry-level roles ahead of their competition. Previous Adzuna research found that around 44 graduates will be vying for every available opportunity in summer 2023, up from 36 graduates per role a year ago, with 570,000 UK students set to graduate this year according to figures from HESA.

Health and Social Care workers are also proving to be early adopters of AI for job search, with Care Assistants, Hospital Porters, and Healthcare Assistants among the top 20 roles using Prepper.

Prepper users were most likely to simulate job interview questions for Amazon, the NHS, and Google. The Civil Service and the UK Police also ranked among the top 10 companies for simulated interview questions.

Adzuna data also reveals an explosion in employers seeking job seekers with generative AI skills in the last year. The US currently boasts the highest number of generative AI vacancies, with 3,575 job openings requiring related expertise in June 2023, up from 1,698 a year ago. Germany (819 in June 2023) and the UK (353).

James Neave, head of data science at Adzuna, said: “Jobseekers are jumping on new AI tools to help them get ahead of the competition and land a job. Interviewing in particular can be one of the more stressful processes when finding a new role, so AI tools like Prepper that can help jobseekers build their confidence and prepare for tricky questions ahead of an interview are proving popular. In an increasingly competitive jobs market, this can help set jobseekers apart from other candidates.”