How To Answer 'How Are You Using AI?' In Interviews Like A Pro

"So, How Are You Using AI?" – The Interview Question You Will Get Asked

If you walked into an interview in 2019 and started talking about how a robot wrote your cover letter, you would have been laughed out of the room. Fast forward to today, and if you say you don't use AI, you might as well tell them you still send faxes and prefer dial-up internet.

The question "How are you using AI?" is becoming as standard as "Tell me about yourself." And for the underdogs out there, including the career pivoters, the bootcamp grads, and the international students fighting the clock, this question isn't a trap. It's your secret weapon.

It’s the perfect opportunity to show that you aren’t just "keeping up" with tech trends; you’re using them to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. But there’s a right way and a very, very wrong way to answer it. You don't want to sound like you're outsourcing your brain to ChatGPT. You want to sound like the pilot of a very powerful jet. 

Here is the no-BS guide to crushing the "How are you using AI" interview question, tailored specifically for those of us who have to fight a little harder to get our foot in the door.

Key Takeaways:

• This question is a test of your adaptability and resourcefulness, not just your tech skills.
• Your answer needs to prove you use AI to enhance your work, not replace it.
• Specificity is king; generic answers like "I use it for research" won't cut it anymore.

Why Recruiters Are Actually Asking This (It’s Not What You Think)

When a hiring manager asks how you’re using AI, they aren’t looking for a technical breakdown of Large Language Models (LLMs). They don’t care if you know the difference between parameters and tokens.

They are actually testing for three specific "soft" skills that are notoriously hard to screen for: Efficiency, Adaptability, and Judgment.

1. Efficiency: They want to know if you are the type of person who spends four hours on a spreadsheet task that could take 15 minutes with the right AI prompt. In this economy, companies are obsessed with ROI. If you can do more with less, you’re hired.
2. Adaptability: The tech landscape changes weekly. If you’re already comfortable with tools that didn’t exist two years ago, it proves you can learn new systems quickly. This is huge for career pivoters; it shows your "lack of experience" in a specific industry is balanced by your ability to learn at lightning speed.
3. Judgment (The Big One): They need to know you aren’t blindly trusting a chatbot. They want to hear that you fact-check, that you refine the output, and that you understand the limitations of the tech.

If you’re a "Stalled Professional" feeling undervalued in your current role, this is how you show you’re ready for the next level. You aren't just doing the job; you're optimizing it.

Key Takeaways:

• Frame your answer around saving time and increasing output.
• Highlight your ability to learn new tools quickly without hand-holding.
• Always mention the "human layer": how you verify and improve what the AI gives you.

The "Red Flag" Answers to Avoid (Don't Be That Guy)

Before we get into what you should say, let’s cover the answers that will get your application thrown into the digital trash bin. These are common mistakes we see candidates make when they try to sound too tech-savvy or, conversely, too cautious.

The "I Don't Really Use It" Answer

Saying "I prefer to do things the old-fashioned way" doesn't make you sound principled; it makes you sound obsolete. Even if your role isn't technical, you should be aware of how AI impacts your field. Avoiding it entirely signals a resistance to change.

The "I Let It Do My Job" Answer

"Oh, I just paste the prompt in and send whatever comes out." Stop. Recruiters are terrified of hiring someone who is lazy. If you imply that you automate your critical thinking, they will assume you’re going to make costly mistakes. You are the editor-in-chief; AI is the intern. Never confuse the two.

The "Data Leak" Nightmare

"I upload all our quarterly financial reports into ChatGPT to summarize them." If you say this to a hiring manager at a bank or a tech firm, the interview is over. You just admitted to a massive security violation. You must demonstrate that you understand data privacy.

Key Takeaways:

• Never admit to uploading confidential, proprietary, or personal data into a public AI model.
• Avoid sounding like you blindly accept AI outputs without review.
• Don't wear your refusal to use modern tools as a badge of honor.

3 Frameworks for Your Answer (Steal These)

You need a structure. Rambling about "that one time I made a cool image" isn't going to land you the job. Choose the framework below that best fits the role you’re applying for.

Framework 1: The Efficiency Booster (Best for Ops, Admin, and PM Roles)

This approach focuses on volume and time. You take a massive task and shrink it down.

• The Problem: "I often have to process large volumes of unstructured data/emails/notes."
• The AI Solution: "I use AI tools to structure that data, create initial summaries, or draft meeting minutes."
• The Human Refinement: "Then, I review those summaries against the source material to ensure accuracy and add context that only I know."
• The Result: "It saves me about 10 hours a week, which I re-invest into strategic planning."

Framework 2: The Ideation Partner (Best for Marketing, Creative, and Sales)

This tackles the "blank page problem." You aren't asking AI to write the final copy; you're asking it to brainstorm.

• The Problem: "Sometimes staring at a blank page is the biggest bottleneck in campaign planning."
• The AI Solution: "I use AI as a sparring partner. I’ll ask it for 10 different angles on a topic or to challenge my assumptions."
• The Human Refinement: "Usually, 8 of the ideas are generic, but 2 spark something real. I take those seeds and write the actual campaign with our brand voice."
• The Result: "It cuts my brainstorming time in half and helps me avoid creative burnout."

Framework 3: The Skill Level-Up (Best for Tech, Coding, and Career Pivoters)

This is crucial for anyone with "Imposter Syndrome." It turns your learning curve into an asset.

• The Problem: "I needed to implement a specific function in Python that I hadn't used before."
• The AI Solution: "I used AI to explain the documentation to me and generate a few examples of the code in context."
• The Human Refinement: "I tested the code, optimized it for our specific environment, and debugged the edge cases."
• The Result: "I learned a new framework in an afternoon rather than a week."

Key Takeaways:

• Always use the structure: Problem → AI Action → Human Polish → Outcome.
• Quantify your results whenever possible (e.g., "saves 10 hours," "learned 2x faster").
• Explicitly state the "Human Refinement" step to show judgment.

Sample Answers for the "Underdogs"

Let's look at how specific personas we work with at Wonsulting (people who might feel like they're at a disadvantage) can flip the script using this question.

The Career Pivot-er (e.g., Teacher turning into Project Manager)

The Challenge: You’re worried you don’t know the corporate lingo. The Answer: "Coming from an education background, I know how to manage people, but I wanted to ensure I was using the correct industry terminology for tech. I use AI to help translate my pedagogical strategies into Agile project management terms. For example, I’ll input a lesson planning framework and ask how this correlates to a Sprint Retrospective. It helps me bridge the gap between my past experience and current best practices, ensuring I hit the ground running."

The Visa-Dependent Achiever (F-1 Student)

The Challenge: English might be your second language, or you’re worried about cultural nuances in communication. The Answer: "English is my second language, and while I’m fluent, I want to make sure my written communication is perfectly professional. I use tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly to audit my emails for tone and clarity. I write the draft myself to ensure the message is mine, but I use AI as a final quality check to ensure I’m communicating as effectively as a native speaker. It allows me to focus on the substance of my work rather than worrying about minor syntax errors."

The "Stalled Professional" (Mid-Career)

The Challenge: You’re expensive, and companies might think you’re "set in your ways." The Answer: "I’ve been in marketing for 10 years, and I’ve seen how easy it is to get bogged down in administrative work. Lately, I’ve been using AI to automate the initial analysis of our customer feedback surveys. Instead of spending three days categorizing responses, I have AI do the first pass on sentiment analysis. This frees me up to focus on the high-level strategy and mentorship of my junior team members, which is where I bring the most value."

Key Takeaways:

• Pivoters: Use AI to show you are actively closing your own knowledge gaps.
• International Students: Frame AI as a communication bridge, not a crutch.
• Mid-Career Pros: Frame AI as a tool that lets you focus on high-value leadership tasks.

Tools You Should Actually Mention (Beyond Just "ChatGPT")

If the only tool you mention is ChatGPT, you’re basic. That’s fine, but if you want to stand out, mention how you use specific tools for specific problems. This shows you have a "tech stack" for your own productivity.

1. The Specialized Job Search Tools

Believe it or not, talking about how you used AI to land the interview is a power move. It shows resourcefulness.

• Example: "I actually used ResumAI to help me quantify the bullet points on my resume. I knew what I did, but I struggled to frame it as an achievement. The tool helped me structure my experience using the XYZ formula (Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z]), which helped me realize how much impact I actually had in my last role."
• Why this works: It shows you care about presentation and data-driven results.

2. The Networking Assistants

Networking is a pain. Admitting you use tools to help is smart, not cheating.

• Example: "I use NetworkAI to help draft initial outreach messages on LinkedIn. I always customize them, but having a template generated based on the person's profile helps me overcome the anxiety of reaching out to strangers and allows me to connect with more industry mentors."
• Why this works: It shows you are proactive about building professional relationships.

3. The Research & Analysis Tools

Mentioning tools like Perplexity or specific data analysis plugins shows you know how to dig deeper than a standard Google search.

• Example: "When I'm researching a new market trend, I use Perplexity to get cited sources quickly, then I verify the data manually."

Key Takeaways:

• Mentioning niche tools (like ResumAI or NetworkAI) shows deeper market knowledge than just general LLMs.
• Discussing how you use tools for your career growth demonstrates ambition.
• Always clarify why you chose a specific tool for a specific task.

The "Human + AI" Hybrid Approach (The Winning Strategy)

Here is the bottom line: The best answer to "How are you using AI?" is one that highlights your humanity.

Companies aren't hiring AI; they can buy a subscription for $20 a month. They are hiring you. They are hiring your judgment, your empathy, your creativity, and your ability to steer the ship.

Your answer should ultimately convey: "I am the architect; AI is just the power drill."

At Wonsulting, our entire philosophy is built on this Human + AI hybrid. We build tools to help the underdog get a foot in the door, but we know that it's your unique story and hustle that seals the deal. That’s why our services and our 120 Day Job Offer Guarantee aren't just about giving you a robotic system, we built them to turn you into the best candidate in the room.

So next time you get asked this question, don't sweat it. Smile, lean in, and tell them exactly how you're using the machine to become a better human.

Key Takeaways:

• Reiterate that AI requires human oversight.
• Position yourself as the strategic lead, with AI as the execution support.
• Confidence in using these tools suggests you will be a high-ROI hire from day one.