05 Oct
Google’s new tool that helps job seekers practice their hiring interviews online will be launching in Africa this week.
Earlier this year, Google announced the launch of Interview Warmup, a free online tool developed in partnership with job hunters, hiring departments, and industry experts. The platform, initially designed as a way for Google Career Certificates learners to prepare for their job interviews, uses a constantly learning AI system to gauge responses to certain questions around the interviewee’s background, situational, and technical knowledge.
Google’s Interview Warmup went live in May, with a focus on job seekers and fast-growing fields in the United States (US). Based on labour insights, identifying which industries were on hiring sprees, the platform has been tailored to those looking to find work in data analytics, digital marketing, e-commerce, IT support, project management, and UX design.
The AI-powered Interview Warmup asks questions as a chatbot, giving the interviewee an opportunity to answer back with speech – which is then transcribed – or with text. The answers are then analysed for all job-related terms used, repeated words, and talking points which include experience, skills, lessons learned, and interests.
Interview Warmup will now be coming to Africa, with a location and industry-specific set of questions. Job seekers in Africa, who can already use the platform but will be met with the US-focused modules, can expect to find a wider array of job options, specific to opportunities on the continent.
The more job seekers engage with the AI system, the more Interview Warmup will learn from the responses, bettering its analysis and feedback, Google representatives told media during a roundtable session on the side-lines of the latest Google For Africa event on Wednesday.
The event, which was first held in 2021, details Google’s plans for $1 billion – or R17.8 billion – worth of investments in Africa over five years. This year, Google highlighted its intention to establish a new Google Cloud region in South Africa, the first on the continent, opening a product development centre in Nairobi, refreshing Street View, and activating the subsea cable, Equiano.
“We are meeting the job seekers where they are,” said Ola Fadipe, senior director of people operations at Google.
It [Interview Warmup] is a new tool from Grow with Google to help job seekers prepare for interviews in fast-growing fields. I think we are acknowledging that interviewing in a new field can be really hard, especially if you don’t have that access, that capital to friends and family or mentors who were in the field [and] who can help you practice and prepare.”
Part of Google’s plans to support employment in Africa is the introduction of Interview Warmup in a more localised form.
“It [Interview Warmup] is fairly new and is also very, very new to Africa … I think the numbers [of users] will take some time to build up,” said Nitin Gajria, Google’s managing director for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dorothy Ooko, Google’s Head of communications and public affairs in Africa, clarified that Interview Warmup would launch on the continent “this week”.
29 Sep
