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I tried the software that uses AI to scan job applicants for companies like Goldman Sachs and Unilever before meeting them - and it's not as creepy as it sounds

I tried the software that uses AI to scan job applicants for companies like Goldman Sachs and Unilever before meeting them - and it's not as creepy as it sounds

Larson showed me what a recruiter would see when analyzing my answers.

I met with Larson the next day to go over my results.

I came in second place, according to my "Insights Score," which was 65%. This meant that according to the software, I had 65% of the qualities of the perfect customer service rep.

Recruiters don’t have to restrain their applications to pure video. I was given a text question, where I was asked to send an email to an anxious customer with a product question.

I was provided the answer and tasked with presenting it in the clearest and most assuring way.

As soon as I saw my face reflected back at me on the screen, I felt uncomfortable.

I had 30 seconds to prep my answer, and then a couple minutes to give my response. Most importantly, I was given unlimited tries, as all HireVue users are.

With the unlimited answer feature, you can review your recorded response before moving onto the next question, giving you the chance to decide if you'd like to give it another shot.

I made liberal use of this feature, and the estimated 25-minute application soon stretched into 45 minutes. Larson told me they experimented with unlimited and limited tries for questions, and said they found that the majority of users preferred unlimited.

In recorded videos, HireVue employees asked questions like, ‘How would you describe your role in the last team you worked in?’

These particular videos were low resolution, and HireVue CTO Loren Larson told me this was intentional, so that applicants could focus on the question itself. Other companies choose to have their recorded material be sleek and high resolution, he told me. It's all a matter of customizing the experience to suit your branding and needs, he said.

The interface was intuitive. I was told I'd be given 11 questions, and that the application would last 25 minutes.

The screenshot above is, obviously, not from my interview (I did not take screenshots of images as I went through the experience), but it's similar to what I saw.

I found an empty conference room and propped up my phone with my water bottle.

Applicants can choose to take the application on their desktop or laptop and use a webcam, or use their smartphone or tablet. I downloaded the HireVue app to my iPhone 7 Plus, which has a large, sharp screen.