The New Interview Question You Need to Know

In today’s rapidly changing workplace, AI is no longer a distant future — it’s part of the hiring conversation right now. More and more job seekers are being asked a deceptively simple question in interviews: “How are you using AI?” But for many, it’s a confusing topic with unclear expectations.

On the latest episode of Get Hired with Andrew Seaman, Korn Ferry Vice President Amy Schultz breaks down what AI adoption really looks like inside companies and what it means for your job search. Amy shares insights from Korn Ferry’s 2025 Reality Check survey, explains the growing gap between leadership and employee AI readiness and offers practical advice for how candidates at every level can build fluency, showcase curiosity and stand out.

A transcript of the conversation is below. You can listen to the episode above or on your favorite podcast platform by clicking here.

TRANSCRIPT: The New Interview Question You Need to Know

Andrew Seaman: In every job interview there are a few questions you can be sure will come up, "Tell me about yourself," or, "What's your greatest weakness?" And lately, there's a new one that's giving job seekers plenty of anxiety. "How are you using AI?" With all the buzz and frankly confusion around artificial intelligence, it can feel like a trick question. Today we're sharing tips to help you answer that question with confidence and we'll explore what AI adoption really means for today's workplace. All that and more after the short break.

From LinkedIn News, this is Get Hired, a podcast for the ups and downs and the ever-changing landscape of our professional lives. I'm Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn's editor-at-large for jobs and career development, bringing you conversations with experts who like me, want to see you succeed at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

Today I'm welcoming Amy Schultz back to the podcast. Amy is an HR leader with experience at companies like Canva and LinkedIn, where I first met her. Now as vice president of market development and operations at Korn Ferry, she helps organizations navigate the rapidly evolving world of work. Korn Ferry's Research Institute recently released its 2025 workforce survey, and Amy's here to break down the most important insights. We talk about how AI adoption is reshaping the workforce and what you can do to build and showcase your AI skills to employers. Here's Amy.

Amy Schultz: I've lost count with how many times we've connected on your show. And I was thinking, SNL when you host five times, you get a five-time jacket. That's really what I'm aiming for, Andrew.

Andrew: Yeah, we have a five-time guest jacket. We only have one, so you have to share it.

Amy: Oh, so we just kind of pass it around?

Andrew: Yeah, you pass it around. But yeah, no, I am excited to have you back. It's always wonderful to chat. And obviously, the last time we spoke to you, you were at Canva and now you're at Korn Ferry. Can you tell us a little bit about your move, what you're doing now, and also what Korn Ferry does?

Amy: Of course. So Korn Ferry is a global consulting company that works with organizations on both strategy and talent. Some folks might know us for executive search. Korn Ferry also has its own research institute, which is pretty cool. We also have professional search consulting, advisory, digital, and then the part of the business that I'm in, RPO or recruitment process outsourcing. Essentially, that's where an organization partners with us to manage all of their hiring. We partner with organizations like Google and Honeywell globally. And throughout my career, I started in recruiting tech. I then moved into agency in-house RPO and then spent 10 years in-house at tech, LinkedIn and Canva, and then have come back to RPO.

And the reason why is right now, I think all CHROs and talent leaders are kind of grappling with the unpredictability of both the market at large, but then also jobs and skills. And there's a lot going on. And obviously, AI has totally changed the game, both for how organizations get work done for how we hire, and then from a candidate's perspective, how might the job that they're applying for be done in one month, six months, two years time, and we're all sort of figuring it out real time.

Andrew: Yeah. And obviously you do research too, like you said, you have a research institute and you put out something called the 2025 Reality Check. And can you tell us a little bit about that?

Amy: Yes. So that was a global survey that Korn Ferry conducted. And some really interesting data points came from, Andrew, and one that sort of stood out to me that I think is probably really relevant is that 70% of leaders surveyed felt like they have AI figured out, but only 39% of employees agree with that. And so there is this disconnect, I think, happening organizations worldwide right now around what perhaps boards or the C-suite think about the way in which they have approached AI, be it maybe that's building AI into their product or their workflows or just kind of day-to-day upskilling, and then the experience for the employees themselves and them perhaps feeling like they need to figure this out on their own.

Andrew: I kind of love those statistics because like you said, 70% say they feel like they have AI figured out. And it's obviously a selection bias because you're essentially asking these people, "Are you correct?" And then you have 70% that are saying, "Yeah, of course I'm right." And then you have the people who are watching from the sidelines, which are the employees, and only 39% of them are saying, "I think this guy or this person knows what's happening, what's actually going on with AI." So it's such a huge gap.

Amy: It is. It absolutely is. And I think to give, I suppose, a little bit more color and context around why that gap might be occurring in some companies is I think there's a ton pressure right now for leaders, CEOs and C-suites, to go back to their board or investors to say, "What we're doing in AI?" And so we're seeing decisions being made quite quickly. And I think a lot of organizations are taking the path of restructuring and perhaps removing entire layers of organization to reinvest that money in AI or because they assume that those roles might no longer be needed as AI becomes more widely adopted.

And so right now, Andrew, we've got what we call this missing manager level. Around 41% of organizations according to the survey that we ran have slashed middle management. And then that has meant that around 37% of employees kind of feel directionless because they don't have a manager. I think that there is this disconnect around how might organizations really think about the right approach to investing in AI and helping their organizations adopt it, because I think employees, they know AI is here, but they still need some guidance in how to use it and build that AI fluency and literacy and really think through where it might make a meaningful difference in the workflows of their day-to-day job.

Andrew: And also I think for people who say like, "Listen, I'm so confused by all of this. I don't know what to make of it." And that's perfectly okay because really there are no right answers right now because essentially each organization is different, the service they provide is different, the product they create is different, and then how AI is used is different. But I think you hit a really good point, which is not necessarily how AI is rolling out, but how an organization is preparing its workforce for change.

Amy: Correct.

Andrew: For people who say like, "Okay, I'm a job seeker and I do want to go to a place that has the qualities of a good workplace in this transformational period," what would your advice be to them? What should they be looking for, do you think?

Amy: Great question. So depending on the type of role and what your background is, and let's say a software engineer, if you are currently using AI to code, you probably want to know how that is happening in that organization that you are speaking to, if at all. And there's probably some signals, Andrew, that you can get in the hiring process. As an example, Canva released a blog last week to say that they are now expecting engineering candidates to use AI in their hiring process because they are using AI to code internally. I also saw Coinbase release some information around just how they use AI throughout their hiring process and the why. And I think as a candidate or a job seeker, you can get a pretty strong hint then about how widely AI is adopted in that organization.

If that is not as kind of apparent or transparent in the hiring process. And let's be honest, I would say those organizations probably the outliers at the moment, that will change. And I think most companies are kind of figuring it out real time. If you're not yet sure, if you're a job seeker and you don't yet know, ask the questions to the recruiter, to the hiring manager, "Can you help me understand the current expectations of how AI is used? Are the team using it? If so, how?" And then you can also ask questions around, "Is there a roadmap for the organization? What investments kind of company-wide are they making?" Asking those kind of questions, particularly if you're going for a leadership role, Andrew, I think is really helpful just to understand.

Andrew: Yeah, I really like that. And I especially like the idea of just sort of asking the company like, "Do you have a roadmap?" Because there's two things in there. I think the first is there are companies that are running full force, like LinkedIn's parent company, Microsoft, it has Copilot, and then you have other tech companies that are the wait-and-see approach. And a lot of that has to do with culture, but the hope is that the person that you're interviewing with, especially if they're the hiring manager, would know what that roadmap is. If they don't, it could be that, A, there is no roadmap, but, B, things aren't communicated effectively in that organization. So I think just that lack of an answer can actually tell you quite a bit.

Amy: Oh, I couldn't agree more. And if the answer is, "No, we don't have a roadmap," it's also okay then to ask why because maybe there's actually a really logical, legit reason for that and there's kind of no right or wrong.

Andrew: We'll be right back with Amy Schultz.

Andrew: And we're back with Amy Schultz, Korn Ferry's vice president of market development and operations. I'm getting a lot of people who are very anxious about what to do when you're asked about AI during an interview. And there's obviously for people like you mentioned, who are coders, there should be no doubt that you're going to have to address AI now during an interview. But for the average person, we're still at that point where it's like, "Oh, you could say how you've used it to work on projects or summarize reports or something." You're not expected to have super deep knowledge.

Amy: Correct.

Andrew: So if you are out there and you're anxious because you feel left behind by AI, if you are in a non-coding, super technical role, you don't have to worry about having all the answers, right?

Amy: No, because one has all the answers. So, job seekers, no one has all the answers. And if you are early in your own AI journey and there are a lot of folks in that boat, I would encourage you just to start using it in your personal life and then you'll start to build your own use cases, be that if you've used it to help you with recipes or travel plans or, "Can you help me summarize the best podcasts to listen to?" Obviously, Get Hired will always come up number one.

Andrew: Yeah, it'll always be at the top.

Amy: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Amy: And I think that that's still super effective just to start small and kind of build those daily habits, and then those daily habits will start to build use cases. And I think as a job seeker, if you can demonstrate that you are really motivated by continuing to learn and upskill, that's going to demonstrate potential. And if you've got some examples of how you've done that, I think that that can be so powerful. And one tip that at Korn Ferry we share with a lot of the job seekers that we speak to, glue yourself to important work. And in a process, ask your hiring manager what are their top priorities? And then how might you be able to help them achieve those? And then how might working more effectively or efficiently on leveraging AI help with some of those? And you can kind of pull that thread through.

Andrew: And even I think outside of AI, the point you made about showing that you're willing to learn is so important because companies right now, I think the thing that would scare them away from a lot of candidates is a candidate who says, "I do this one thing and I do it very well, and that's all I do," because even though that may have worked in the past because you were so good at that one specific task, they'll say, "Oh, but maybe in two years I don't need you to do that task." So they need to be able to pick you up and maybe move you somewhere else.

Amy: Yes.

Andrew: And that's why even I know, obviously, we've worked together at LinkedIn, that's why for the people who are newer here, I often tell them how you wrap up or shut down a project is almost as important as whether or not it's successful or you pass along the learnings because the managers and the higher-ups here, they want to see that you, okay, maybe something didn't work out, but you're like, "Okay, now what?" And you're willing to go somewhere else.

Amy: Yes, I love that, Andrew, and I've hired a lot of product managers in my time, and all of them kind of go through that sort of from idea to execution, but there's that constant iteration of feedback loop. You're never done. And then when might a feature or a product need to be sunset? And why? And you move on. And so I think we're going to start to see a shift to more agile or dynamic teams where perhaps you're a program manager. Now that program is largely delivered by technology, so maybe you become a product manager. So, again, thinking about that product mindset and being able to really test, iterate, experiment, respond to feedback, and then make decisions whether to keep moving forward, or to your point, close a project down. Again, they are really valuable experiences and traits and just mindsets to be thinking about in conversations that you are having with recruiters and hiring managers as well.

Andrew: Yeah. And I wouldn't feel right if I let you go without asking some things about AI in the hiring process, if that's okay.

Amy: Of course.

Andrew: So, obviously I think a lot of job seekers are being encouraged to use AI with their cover letters, resumes, and things like that. And I think a lot of people are relying maybe too much on it. And for someone who sees obviously a high number of applications, like the process overall, what would your advice be to job seekers about submitting AI-generated resumes or cover letters, things like that?

Amy: Great question. And you're right, we are seeing candidates leverage it a lot for their resumes, their cover letters even to help them apply for jobs at scale. So, recruiters, anyone that I speak to both in the industry or clients are telling me that they are experiencing higher volumes than ever because I think AI has kind of lowered the barrier of entry for candidates to apply. So more than ever, it's important for you to stand out. And so while AI can really help you craft a resume or it's a great jumping-off point, you still need to personalize and you still need to make sure that you are looking at the job ad or the job description and making sure that your resume is speaking to that.

Checking. AI don't always spell things right. It doesn't always get grammar right. Everything on there isn't always accurate. Making sure that you are still taking the time to ensure that it reflects you and that you are able to stand out is incredibly important. And if a recruiter or a hiring manager asks you, "Hey, did you use AI to help you with this application?" And feel okay to say yes and why, and then use that as an opportunity to share what you learned through that experience. Don't hide it, own it, and use it, I guess as a jumping-off point to have a conversation about your experience with AI.

Andrew: I think that is such wonderful advice and such wonderful advice to end on. Thank you as always, Amy.

Amy: Always a pleasure, Andrew.

Andrew: That was Amy Schultz, a vice president at Korn Ferry. Before you go, we want to hear from you. Get Hired launched an audience survey to help us understand what you want to hear on this show. You can find a link to the short survey in the show notes for this episode. I'd love it if you could fill it out.

Get Hired is a production of LinkedIn News. The show is produced by Grace Rubin and Emily Reeves. Assaf Gidron engineered our show, Tim Boland mixed our show. We get additional support from Alexandra Kuznietsova. Sarah Storm is our senior producer. Dave Pond is head of production and creative operations. Maya Pope-Chappel is director of content and audience development. Courtney Coupe is head of original programming. Dan Roth is LinkedIn's editor in chief and vice president of content development. And I'm Andrew Seaman. Until next time, stay well and best of luck.