(Radio Iowa) – More Iowa employers are using chatbots driven by artificial intelligence to conduct their first rounds of job interviews, and an A-I expert at the University of Iowa says it might rattle you at first, but try to treat it like any other interview. Jim Chaffee, executive director of learning innovation and technology at the U-I’s Tippie College of Business, says this new-tech style of job interview can take many forms. Chaffee says, “It can be typed in, it can be where you’re speaking to kind of a unknown entity, kind of an ether, and they’re responding back on a chat, or it can be where you are interfacing with an avatar.” If you were expecting to be interviewed by a person and find yourself chatting with a ‘bot, Chaffee says to give it the same respect and attention you would a human, or you likely won’t get a follow-up call.

“Just treat it as any other type of interview where you are talking to a person,” Chaffee says. “If you’re having to type it out, then just type out what you would say to the person. If you’re recording it or you’re talking to the avatar, act like they’re a real person, because the AI is really looking for that kind of interaction.” The first interview chatbot was introduced just two years ago, Chaffee says. It asks basic questions that don’t require complex or complicated answers from candidates, answers that are reviewed by human managers who decide who to interview in person. It’s a tremendous saver of time and money for employers.

“If you’re getting 5,000 applicants a week, you need something to weed it down, and the applicant tracking systems that have been out there for many years just aren’t cutting it to the point that we need nowadays,” Chaffee says “It’s a great tool to figure out who are your best candidates for that next level of interviews.”

A survey done last year by Resume Builder that was reported by Forbes found nearly one in five employers use — or plan to use — chatbots for interviews within the next year.