We're about to start hiring Windows-based systems administrators again, and our roles are fully remote. During our last hiring round, it became increasingly difficult to tell whether candidates were answering technical questions themselves or receiving real-time help from AI or another person. We want to keep the process remote, but we also need a reliable way to verify identity, practical knowledge, and independent problem-solving ability. What interview techniques or process changes have worked for others?
5 Answers
Make the technical portion a genuine conversation rather than a list of fixed questions. Ask the candidate to walk through a realistic incident, then interrupt naturally, change assumptions, and ask follow-up questions about decisions they made in the past. For example, start with a slow application report and then introduce a DNS issue, limited access, or an impatient customer. Someone who understands the work can adapt and explain tradeoffs; a prepared or machine-generated script usually becomes much less convincing when the direction changes.
There probably isn't a perfect remote-only solution. Use video interviews for the initial screening, then require finalists to complete a supervised final interview in person. That could be at your office, a coworking space, or a local staffing or HR partner's office. The local proctor can verify the candidate's identity while your team conducts the technical discussion remotely. It also helps catch location and impersonation issues, not just AI assistance.
Use remote interviews to narrow the pool, but add a short practical assessment or live troubleshooting exercise for the finalists. Have them explain what they would check, why they would check it, and what evidence would change their next step. Ask follow-ups based on their exact answers instead of accepting generic procedures. You are not trying to detect AI directly; you are verifying that the candidate can apply the knowledge and communicate their reasoning.
Identity verification should be treated as a separate hiring control. Require a camera interview, confirm the candidate's identity through your normal legal and HR process, and consider using a supervised third-party location for the final round if fully remote hiring has caused repeated problems. Shipping a locked-down device may reduce some forms of assistance, but it will not stop someone from using a separate phone or receiving answers through an earpiece, so it should not be your only safeguard.
Avoid relying on gimmicks such as asking someone to show their window or answer a location-based trivia question. Those are easy to prepare for and do not prove technical ability. A structured, realistic discussion led by interviewers who understand the role is more useful, especially when it includes unexpected follow-ups and asks candidates to explain the reasoning behind their choices.
This also avoids penalizing people for occasionally looking away from the camera or using notes. The focus is on whether they can reason through an evolving situation, not on forcing them to maintain eye contact for an hour.