Creating an AI Interview

Table of Contents

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Getting Started

There are a few ways to create a job within Apriora. To begin, click the Add Job button in the top-right corner of the Jobs page. On the next screen, choose either Phone or Video, then click Continue. Some accounts may only have access to one modality based on your subscription. 🛠 Prefer to build from scratch? Jump to the Starting from Scratch section.

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Starting from a Job Description

Most interviews will be built from an existing job description (JD). You have three options:

• Input job description: Copy/paste your JD into the text box
• Upload job description: Upload a .docx file containing your JD
• ATS: Enter the Job ID (available for some, but not all ATS integrations)

You can also assign a Template at this stage. Templates pre-populate interviews with your standard structure and question preferences. Once a JD is provided:

• Optional: Use the Interview Creation Notes text box to guide the AI (e.g., “Focus on analytical thinking”).
• Click Generate to build your draft interview.

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Customizing the Interview

You’ll now land on the Create page, where the interview is pre-populated with content from your JD and selected Template. Everything here is editable.

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Introduction and Ending

• These fields come pre-filled but can be customized.
• The Introduction must end with a question, signaling the candidate to begin speaking.
• Use the Add Variable button to personalize greetings.

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Editing Interview Questions

You can fully customize the question list:

• Edit: Click into the question box to make changes. Click the green checkmark to save.
• Reorder: Drag the dots on the left to rearrange questions.
• Delete: Hover over a question and click the red trash icon. Click the green check to confirm (or gray X to cancel).
• Add: Click the gray + icon at the bottom to add your own question or generate one using AI.

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Follow-Up Questions

To guide Alex on how to handle follow-ups:

• Click the + beneath a question to add a follow-up.
• Without specific instructions, Alex may or may not ask a follow-up, depending on how complete the candidate’s response is.
• We recommend adding no more than two follow-up questions per main question to keep the interview structured and easy to follow.

💡 Best Practice:
Use follow-ups to dig deeper, clarify vague answers, or branch the conversation based on the candidate’s response. Keep them short and purposeful to maintain a natural interview flow.

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🔍 Examples

Example 1
Main Question: Have you ever worked in a fast-paced startup environment?

• If yes: Can you describe a time you had to adapt quickly to shifting priorities?
• If no: Are you comfortable working in environments where priorities change quickly?

Example 2
Main Question: Do you have experience with customer support tools like Zendesk or Intercom?

• If yes: What did your typical day look like using those tools?
• If no: Are you open to learning new software on the job?

Example 3
Main Question: Are you comfortable leading cross-functional meetings?

• If yes: What’s your approach to ensuring everyone is aligned after the meeting?
• If no: What would you need to feel more confident doing that in the future?

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AI Question Suggestions

Click View Suggestions to explore AI-generated questions based on the job description (JD) you provided.

• Skill Categories will automatically appear — Alex extracts these from the job description to identify the key competencies for the role.
• Click a Skill Category to view related questions.
• Click +Add to insert a question into the interview.
• To create your own Skill Category, click the gray + icon, type in a name (e.g., Communication), and click the green checkmark.
• To generate a new set of questions for a skill, click the Circular Arrow icon within the Skill Category.

When regenerating, a pop-up will appear with options to refine the suggestions. You can guide the output by selecting:

• More concise
• More open-ended
• Or type your own custom prompt in the input box
  (e.g., “Make it more technical” or “Focus on conflict resolution”)

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Context

The Context box allows you to give Alex background information about the role and company. Alex uses this information to answer candidate questions at the end of the interview.

⚠️ If you leave this box empty, Alex will not ask the candidate if they have any questions.
This is intentional — sometimes job descriptions include sensitive or internal details that shouldn’t be shared directly with candidates.

Use this field to include only the information you’re comfortable having Alex share with candidates.

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Recommended to Include:

• Remote/in-office expectations (e.g., “Hybrid, 3 days/week in NYC”)
• Company mission or culture
• Team structure or reporting lines
• Timeline or next steps in the hiring process
• Benefits highlights (e.g., “health, dental, unlimited PTO”)

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Avoid Including:

• Internal notes or approvals
• Role-specific concerns not finalized (e.g., “Still deciding if this is a manager-level hire”)
• Strategic roadmap items or confidential company info

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Grading Criteria

Alex scores candidates based on the Grading Criteria assigned to each question. Alex will automatically generate suggested criteria based on the job description you provide. Each criterion defines what you’re measuring (e.g., communication, problem-solving, or technical skill). The grading instructions explain how Alex should evaluate the candidate’s response. The more detailed the instructions, the more accurate the scoring will be.

• Add a Criterion: Type a criterion into the input box and click Add. Make sure each criterion is connected to at least one interview question—Alex can only score candidates on topics that are covered in the interview.
• Delete a Criterion: Click the – icon next to the criterion to remove it.
• Set Priorities: Click Add Priority to adjust how much weight a criterion carries in the final score. By default, all criteria are weighted equally.
• Edit Instructions: Hover over a criterion and click Instructions to define how Alex should evaluate candidate responses. Use this space to describe what strong or weak answers look like.

Example:

• Criteria: Communication
• Instructions: Evaluate the candidate’s ability to explain ideas clearly and concisely. Look for structured answers, relevant examples, and appropriate tone.

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Creating Tags

Tags help you flag specific candidate traits or qualifications in the report. They are informational only and do not affect the candidate’s overall score. Alex will auto-generate tags based on the interview questions. You can delete any auto-generated tags by clicking the X in the tag box.

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To create a new tag:

1. Click “Add Tag” → Create New 2. Input a tag name: Give your tag a clear, descriptive name (e.g., Sales Experience, Work Authorization, Location). 3. Select a response format:

• Text (recommended for most tags) – add multiple choice options. Alex will select the closest matching option based on what the candidate says.
• Freeform – use this only for open-ended inputs like City or Current Employer.
  (Note: Freeform values can vary widely and make reporting harder to standardize.)
• Date – for values like start dates or availability.
• Number – for numeric responses such as Years of Experience.

4. Provide instructions
Use the Instructions box to explain the purpose of the tag and what to look for in a candidate’s answer. This gives Alex context so it can tag responses more accurately.

💡 Tip: Make sure each tag aligns with an interview question. If you’re asking Alex to tag for something, the interview must include a question that surfaces that information. If needed, go back and add or adjust questions accordingly

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Advanced Settings

Final optional settings:

• Additional Interview Instructions: General guidance for Alex on how to conduct the interview.
  Example: “Keep tone conversational.”
• Additional Evaluation Instructions: Add more detail on how Alex should assess candidates.
  Example: “Ignore grammar mistakes for ESL candidates.”
  • You can also include a grading rubric here.
    Example: “Deduct 5 points if the candidate doesn’t mention a specific use case.”
• Allow Retakes: Toggle this on if you’d like to allow a candidate to retake the same interview.
  (This is typically used in edge cases only.)
• Calendar Settings: Set a deadline after which candidates will no longer be able to schedule interviews.
• Form Inputs (Video interviews only): Ask or require candidates to submit information such as their LinkedIn profile, phone number, or resume before starting the interview.
• Generate Questions from Resume: Questions will be generated that are specifically tailored to the candidate’s resume, in addition to the predefined questions in your interview kit. These questions are designed to provide deeper insights into the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Input the number of questions you’d like the AI recruiter to ask in the number field.
  Note: For Tracker users or customers without an ATS connected, be sure to toggle Resume on under Form Inputs — this allows Apriora to collect the resume and generate personalized questions from it.

Click the purple “Create” button on the left-hand side when you’re finished to save the interview!

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Congratulations! 🎉

You’ve just created your first AI-powered interview.

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Starting from a Scratch

You can also create interviews manually.

• Select From Scratch on the job creation screen.
• You can still select a Template to pre-fill fields.
• Use View Suggestions to add AI-generated questions anytime.
• Type in job details and click Ask the Interviewer for tailored prompts.