Should You Use ChatGPT in Interviews? Why Even the Wrong Impression Can Cost You

Artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT are now a common part of professional life. For candidates preparing for interviews in the semiconductor and electronics industry, they can be extremely valuable. Used properly, AI can help you research a company, practice questions, and refine your answers.

However, our advice is clear: AI must never be used during the interview itself.

Even if your intention is innocent, hiring managers and HR professionals are now highly alert to the possibility of candidates using AI in real time. Once suspicion arises, it is almost impossible to undo — and it often costs the candidate the opportunity.

Preparation vs. Participation

The right way to use AI is before the interview:

• Generate tailored practice questions for roles such as design engineers, verification engineers, or process technicians.
• Summarise technical topics, such as wide bandgap semiconductors (SiC, GaN), advanced packaging, or fab process innovations.
• Refine your STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) examples into clear, structured stories.
• Draft professional thank-you emails to send after the interview.

In short, AI is an excellent preparation toolkit. But when the interview begins, it must be set aside.

Using ChatGPT during an interview undermines what hiring managers are looking for: authenticity, engagement, and your personal problem-solving ability. Whether in a technical assessment, a live problem-solving exercise, or a behavioural discussion, AI assistance makes your answers appear artificial.

And crucially: even if you aren’t using AI, behaviours that suggest otherwise can create damaging doubt.

Avoiding the Wrong Impression

Because suspicion alone can be enough to harm your chances, candidates need to be aware of how they present themselves. Hiring Managers are telling us they are particularly alert to signs such as:

• Candidates typing during an online interview.
• Frequently looking away from the screen, as if checking another monitor.
• Long pauses before answering questions.
• Responses that sound overly polished but lack depth or personal detail.

To avoid these concerns, stay engaged, make eye contact in video interviews, and ensure your examples clearly reflect your own work and experience.

Clear Guidance

• DO USE AI as part of your preparation — to research, practice, and refine your approach.
• DO NOT use AI in the interview itself — suspicion alone can cost you the role.
• Be mindful of how you come across — even innocent behaviours can create the wrong impression.

At Nexus Semiconductor Recruitment, our message to candidates is simple: embrace AI for preparation, but leave it behind when the interview begins. Employers want to see you, not ChatGPT.