The Importance of Face-to-Face Interviews in the New AI World

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how companies hire, from automated CV screening to video assessments, but when it comes to engineering recruitment, nothing replaces a face-to-face interview.

AI helps identify technical skills quickly, but it cannot assess what really counts in engineering: collaboration, creativity, and real-world problem solving. In technical roles, whether that is a mechanical design engineer, embedded software developer, or R&D project lead, success depends on how someone communicates, adapts, and thinks under pressure.

However, the rise of AI also brings new challenges for employers. Candidates can now use AI tools to enhance or even generate their CVs and video interview answers, making it harder to tell who is genuinely skilled and who is simply good at prompting a chatbot. A candidate might appear highly capable on paper or screen, only for gaps in understanding to become clear when they are asked to problem-solve or discuss technical detail in person.

That is where the face-to-face interview makes all the difference. It is the stage where hiring managers can verify real knowledge, ask deeper questions, and see how someone responds in real time. It also gives candidates the chance to experience your environment, the workshop, lab, or design space, and picture themselves as part of your team.

In a recent Wales Business Insider article, Arran Warner noted that the best hiring processes start with video for convenience but move to in-person meetings for depth. This balance allows technology to do the heavy lifting early on, while preserving the human insight that ensures the right people make it through to offer stage.

The smartest hiring strategies now blend both worlds, using AI for efficiency and people for precision. As AI becomes more common across STEM hiring, face-to-face interviews will remain the crucial step that ensures you are building teams with not just the right skills, but the right mindset.

At IntaPeople, we combine the latest hiring technology with a genuinely human approach. Our specialist consultants understand the value of meeting people, not just matching CVs, to help you find engineers who will thrive in your environment.

Reach out now if you need support with your next hire.