Article

Virtual recruitment and the use of AI in interviews

Guidance and tips on virtual recruitment and situations where candidates deploy AI during remote interviews.

22 August 2025

This guidance is designed to support employers, recruiting managers and interview panels to recruit effectively, remotely. It also addresses the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by candidates during virtual interviews. There are questions and suggestions to consider at each stage of the process, to help ensure a positive candidate experience that maintains the principles of your recruitment process and organisational values.

Supporting your candidates before the interview

What technology will you need to use to interview candidates?

Find out which platform is your organisation's preferred choice for video conferences. Many NHS organisations use either MS Teams, Zoom or Skype. Consider if the chosen platform has all the features you need; or if you need to access a license for more advanced functions.

Have you spoken to shortlisted candidates before the day of interview?

Speaking to shortlisted candidates before the day of interview gives you the opportunity to understand more about them and their motivation for applying for the role. It also offers the candidates the chance to ask questions, gives a good impression of your organisation, and shows that you are people-focused.

Find out what support the candidate may need on the day to give the best account of themselves. Do they have the necessary device, software and camera for the platform you are using? Are you able to adapt if they don't? You should also check if the candidate has accessibility requirements, such as screen reader compatibility, live captioning and documents in plain text format.

Let the candidate know how long the interview will last and what documents they will need to have at hand. Recommend they find somewhere quiet and private for the interview and check they are happy for the interview to be recorded (if you intend on recording it). Some organisations provide an applicant toolkit or handbook.

Have you thought about how to help the candidate settle into the interview?

It is possible that your candidates will not have experienced a virtual interview before, so it is important to make them feel at ease. Make sure you have prepared an introduction for the candidate that explains how the interview process will work and any additional information you think will be helpful for them.

Do you have a single point of contact for candidates?

This could be the recruiting manager, or someone else in the team, depending on capacity. Having a single point of contact for candidates means that any queries or difficulties can be responded to efficiently, which in turn provides a positive experience of your organisation.

Post-interview and induction

Have you confirmed the candidate's identity, right to work and other checks?

Employers must complete the full range of pre-employment checks. Some of these can be undertaken digitally, however employers must ensure their processes meet the requirements of the NHS employment checks standards.

How will you keep in touch with successful candidates?

It is important to keep new recruits engaged by staying in touch with them while they wait for their pre-employment checks to clear. Consider who is best to check-in with the individual before they start. It could be the recruiting manager, a buddy or both. By keeping in touch, you will help your new recruit to settle quicker and be on hand to answer any queries they may have.

Have you planned the successful applicant's induction?

Starting a new job can be an overwhelming experience and it may be even more so if new starters won't be meeting with their new colleagues face-to-face straight away.

Map out how you would usually onboard new starters and consider how you can replicate the process online. Some of this may be straightforward to achieve, such as organising catch ups throughout the first week with yourself and others in the team. This will help them get to know people quicker and feel more comfortable in their role.

Make sure the new starters have everything they will need to get going on day one. This includes all the IT equipment they will need to do their job.

Gather feedback from candidates on how they feel their onboarding went. Factor in this feedback as you continue to develop and improve your onboarding process.

Will you provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates?

Candidates are likely to value an open and honest assessment of why there were unsuccessful on this occasion, which will also give a positive image of your organisation.

Be constructive in your feedback and consider maintaining a relationship with the unsuccessful candidates. You could add them to your recruitment mailing lists and points out ways they can keep up to date with the latest opening in your organisation.

It is also important to ask unsuccessful candidates how they found the process. This will help you to assess the process through their eyes so you can continually improve the candidate experience.

AI usage during interviews

Does your organisation have information and/or a policy about candidate use of AI?

Candidates should be informed in advance that the use of AI tools/assistance is not permitted during interviews, unless specified by the recruiting manager for a particular reason. Members of the recruiting panel should be sufficiently trained to deal with situations where this may arise.

What are the signs that AI is being used by a candidate?

Indicators of AI manipulation could be if the candidate is noticeably reading and answering questions quickly, providing unnatural responses and there is interruption to the flow of conversation.

Employers should check for discrepancies between interview responses and what is in their application and look out for situations where the candidate cannot elaborate on examples given in the application.

How can employers deter or counteract the use of AI during interviews?

Employers could consider adopting the following practices into their interviews and assessments:
•    comprehensive (multi-layered) and open-ended questions
•    scenario-based questions
•    encouraging the discussion of personal experiences
•    probing questions to get a better understanding of an example provided
•    using follow-up questions to refine/re-test responses.

Other things to consider

Requesting that background filters are turned off during video interviews could help expose potential deepfake or AI-generated candidates by revealing inconsistencies or staged environments that might be hidden by filters. This isn’t a definite rule but can expose details like poor lighting, unusual backgrounds, or the presence of other people, which could be indicators of a deepfake or a candidate using a fake environment. General backgrounds could suggest pre-recorded scenarios.

For senior or high-risk roles, it may be worth considering applying a policy that mandates in-person interviews.