Mitigating cheating and enhancing candidate experience in the era of AI

In an increasingly competitive job market, where artificial intelligence is simultaneously reshaping hiring processes and the type of roles available, companies need to balance cheating prevention with maintaining an exceptional candidate experience. 

Hirevue’s recent webinar tackled these pressing challenges, focusing on cheating mitigation and candidate experience in AI-powered assessments. es. 

The session was moderated by Chris Frost, Director of Hirevue’s Optimization Team, alongside insights from Kathleen Preddy, Senior Data Scientist leading Hirevue’s innovation products, and Jeffrey Sandford, Product Manager specializing in interviewing and assessments.

Here’s your comprehensive breakdown of the webinar’s key points, outlining best practices, actionable insights, and Hirevue’s innovative solutions for navigating these challenges.

Defining cheating: managing complexity

The webinar began by addressing a central theme: how organizations define cheating today, especially in light of AI tools like ChatGPT.

Sandford elaborated on the continuum of cheating behaviors, ranging from innocuous practices like working with a coach to more concerning use cases like AI-generated answers.

And as Preddy aptly summarized, clarity is key in setting candidate expectations: “It is harder to cheat and it’s not something that’s as easily gained as you might think.” 

Transparency in defining cheating helps candidates navigate the assessment process with confidence and integrity.

Why candidates cheat: understanding motivation

Key drivers of cheating boil down to uncertainty and anxiety. 

“It’s the uncertainty that leads a lot of candidates to cheat,” Sandford observed. 

From fear of failure to doubts about interview expectations, ambiguity in the hiring process fuels unethical behavior. Reducing uncertainty is critical for any organization aiming to mitigate cheating effectively.

Cheating trends and mitigation techniques

While cheating is  an understandable concern for hiring teams, Hirevue’s research found reassuring results: cheating in pre-employment assessments remains rare. 

Sandford noted, “We have not seen any score drift since these large language models have come on the scene,” referring to data tracked between 2022 and the present. 

Despite advances such as AI tools, the prevalence of unethical practices remains surprisingly low.

Innovative features to mitigate cheating

To address these challenges head-on, Hirevue offers a suite of tools aimed at fostering fairness, transparency, and integrity during assessments.

Candidate Image Capture 

Sandford walked through a new feature that periodically takes snapshots of candidates during interviews to confirm identity and flag suspicious activities. “It’s a good way to just look at a glance. It’s the same person throughout it,” he explained. 

This adds an additional degree of verification for organizations concerned about impersonation.

Browser Focus Tracking 

Hirevue’s platform monitors if candidates switch tabs or windows during an interview, which is a subtle but effective signal for identifying behaviors warranting closer scrutiny. 

“It might be a good indication that you should look a little closer at their responses to see if they were answering for themselves or pulling answers from somewhere else.”

Customizable Disclosure Agreements 

Transparency is one of the most effective deterrents to cheating. Hirevue enables clients to show candidates a pre-interview agreement detailing expectations. 

Sandford  highlighted its flexibility, saying, “There’s a checkbox and a little blurb where it says, ‘I agree to answer all questions in my own words.’ You can also customize it on a per-job level.”

Positive friction in process design 

Sandford and Preddy emphasized the importance of designing interview processes that introduce “positive friction,” which authenticates candidates and  also reduces the temptation to cheat. Suggested practices include multi-step processes, live interviews, and human interaction elements that promote fairness without sacrificing efficiency.

Best practices for organizations

Organizations can take additional steps to effectively mitigate cheating while upholding the candidate experience. Refreshing interview questions regularly and tailoring processes to organizational values are crucial. 

As Sandford pointed out, “Having some language that is clear about what is cheating sets expectations around cheating.”

Enhancing candidate experience with AI

The webinar also explored how AI can positively enhance candidate experience. 

Preddy shared, “We really want to put the candidate in the driver’s seat in a lot of these cases in getting into the right role for them, and, and having this kind of streamlined candidate experience.”

Hirevue leverages agentic AI, which allows intelligent systems to interpret input, generate workflows, and execute actions to match candidates to suitable roles. The predictive agent evaluates context rather than relying on keyword matching. This approach creates a personalized, engaging experience, reducing candidate drop-off rates and improving long-term satisfaction.

Preddy stressed the importance of addressing generational preferences, particularly those of Gen Z, who often withdraw from rigid and impersonal hiring processes. By tailoring interviews and communication styles, Hirevue enables candidates to navigate the process more confidently.

Partnership in evolving landscapes

The webinar concluded with a call to action: hiring teams must collaborate closely to address the ever-changing challenges posed by cheating and AI disruptors. 

As Frost summarized, “Ultimately, we want to partner with all of our clients closely to understand how they want to best handle this and come up with a solution that works best for your roles and for your company based on what you consider cheating.”

Hirevue’s remains committed to innovation and ethical AI. With ongoing investments in research and product enhancements, we aim to stay ahead of the curve and support hiring teams in navigating this dynamic landscape.

Whether you’re an HR professional grappling with AI-driven assessments or a business leader exploring ethical AI applications, connect with Hirevue to explore the practical tools to nurture fairness and excellence in hiring and explore cutting-edge solutions.