Skill 01 Own the miss, honestly
Anthropic’s guidance to its own candidates asks for one thing above polish:
In an ownership story, that means saying “I”, putting a number on the miss, and showing what you changed.
What employers say they look for now that AI can write your answers
AI makes a polished answer cheap, so employers probe for what it can’t fake: five skills. Each comes with a worked example you can play through. Free, no-login practice; no AI scoring.
Start with the first skillQuotes are from public sources; these employers do not endorse this site. Last reviewed Nov 9, 2026
Five skills
In employers’ own words, each with a question to work.
Skill 02 Show judgment, including about AI
Canva lets engineering candidates use AI in interviews, then asks:
“Do they understand when and how to leverage AI effectively?” (opens the source)
In a behavioral answer: a decision where you checked or overruled the AI, and why.
Skill 03 Show the slope, not the snapshot
Zapier’s head of talent, on what they measure:
“we look at the slope and not just the snapshot.” (opens the source)
Show where you started, your method, and a measured before and after.
Skill 04 Disagree fairly, and keep the relationship
LinkedIn’s Aneesh Raman, on why people skills matter more now:
In a disagreement story, state the other side so they’d agree with it, then test it together.
Skill 05 Tell a story that survives three probes
Google is adding in-person rounds to engineering hiring. Sundar Pichai:
Lead with the result, stay under two minutes, and keep your numbers steady when probed.
What hasn’t changed
Google’s Laszlo Bock, in 2015: “A diligent interviewer will probe deeply to assess the veracity and thought process behind the stories told by the candidate.” (Laszlo Bock, Wired (excerpt from Work Rules!), opens the source) What’s new is what they probe for.
Using AI honestly in interviews
- Prepare with AI; don’t invent with it. Anthropic lists “Using Claude to create experiences” (Anthropic, anthropic.com, opens the source) as not allowed.
- Live interviews are usually you. Cisco: “If a candidate is not explicitly invited to use AI during the assessment process, then it should be considered off-limits,” (Scott McGuckin, Computerworld, opens the source)
- Rules differ. Canva expects AI in some engineering interviews; Zapier screens with an AI voice interview; Google is adding in-person rounds.
- Practice out loud, without notes. In-person rounds are coming back.
Policies as published; checked Nov 9, 2026. Rules vary: check each employer’s.
Sources
Quotes are what each person or employer said in the linked source, in their role at the time; several are about engineering interviews. The advice around them is ours. An editorial reading of 11 public sources, not a hiring survey, and no one quoted endorses this site.
- Anthropic, Employer guidance for candidates, at the time. anthropic.com, “Guidance on Candidates' AI Usage”, Jul 10, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Simon Newton, Head of Platforms, Canva, at the time. Canva Engineering Blog, “Yes, You Can Use AI in Our Interviews. In fact, we insist”, Jun 11, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Tracy St.Dic, Global Head of Talent, Zapier, at the time. Work 20XX podcast, “Tracy St.Dic: Rethink Hiring, Slope not Snapshot, AI Fluency, AI Interviews (Work 20XX Ep66)”, Jul 19, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Aneesh Raman, Chief Economic Opportunity Officer, LinkedIn, at the time. LinkedIn, “AI and the 5 C's of innovation (video post)”, Mar 4, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet, at the time. Lex Fridman Podcast #471, “Transcript for Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet (Lex Fridman Podcast #471)”, Jun 5, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Laszlo Bock, SVP People Operations, Google, at the time. Wired (excerpt from Work Rules!), “Here's Google's Secret to Hiring the Best People”, Apr 7, 2015. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Anthropic, Employer guidance for candidates, at the time. anthropic.com, “Guidance on Candidates' AI Usage”, Jul 10, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Scott McGuckin, VP Global Talent Acquisition, Cisco, at the time. Computerworld, “To counter AI cheating, companies bring back in-person job interviews”, Aug 26, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Tracy St.Dic, Global Head of Talent, Zapier, at the time. Work 20XX podcast, “Tracy St.Dic: Rethink Hiring, Slope not Snapshot, AI Fluency, AI Interviews (Work 20XX Ep66)”, Jul 19, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Tobi Lütke, Founder and CEO, Shopify, at the time. X, “Reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation at Shopify”, Apr 7, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Andy Jassy, President and CEO, Amazon, at the time. aboutamazon.com, “Message from CEO Andy Jassy: Some thoughts on Generative AI”, Jun 17, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft, at the time. TED, Taken for Granted with Adam Grant, “Satya Nadella is building the future (transcript)”, May 24, 2022. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
- Tracy St.Dic, Global Head of Talent, Zapier, at the time. Zapier blog, “AI recruiter screens: What we learned”, Mar 4, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
Each quote was checked word for word against its publisher’s text on Nov 9, 2026. Podcast and video quotes rely on the publisher’s transcript.