Custom conversational AI video interviews let you define your own questions and scoring criteria. The AI evaluates candidates against the criteria you set, not generic competencies. You also pick how the interview appears to candidates when adding it to an assessment: an animation or a persona.
Approx. reading time: 6 minutes
In this article
- Before you start creating
- Adding a custom interview to your assessment
- Prompting best practices
-
Reviewing Results
Before you start creating
- Plan Eligibility: You must be on a Plus plan to use this feature.
- Preparation: Have a maximum of 8 questions and scoring criteria ready before you begin.
- Standardization: The AI persona and fairness guardrails are managed by TestGorilla to ensure a consistent experience.
Language: the AI is multilingual, though the interview structure stays in English. Fully leading an interview in another language is not supported at this time. The AI can switch between supported languages, including Spanish, German, Arabic, French, and more. For the full list, see the language FAQ.
Format: when you save the interview, you choose how it appears to candidates. Animation shows an audio-only animation. Persona shows a humanoid persona randomly assigned by TestGorilla. You cannot pick a specific persona. Only the look changes. The questions, scoring, and scientific rigor stay the same.
Adding a Custom Interview to your Assessment
Step 1: Start a new custom interview
- In your assessment creation process, go to Step 2: Choose evaluation tools.
- Select Conversational AI video interviews.
- Under Step 3: Configuration, click Create New.
Step 2: Add your interview questions
Write questions that focus on behaviors and outcomes. We recommend a maximum of 8 questions for the best candidate experience.
- Be specific: Use "Tell me about a time when..."
- Be concise: Keep the prompt clear and direct.
Example: "Describe a situation where you had to explain a complex concept to someone without technical knowledge."
Step 3: Define scoring criteria
For every question, describe what a "good" answer looks like. The AI uses these notes to generate candidate scores.
- Focus on observables: Specify what you need, "mentions measurable outcomes" or "shows cross-functional experience."
- Target 2-3 key elements per question.
Step 4: Save and Add to Assessment
Review your work and give the interview a clear name (e.g., "Customer Success Manager - Q1 2026").
Click Save to add it to My Library.
To use it, select it from My Library during the "Choose evaluation tools" phase of any job setup.
When adding it to the assessment by clicking Add, you can choose a format: animation or persona. This is locked once you save.
The format is set per assessment, not per interview. If you want both formats for the same role, create two versions of the assessment, one as animation and one as persona.
Prompting Best Practices
To ensure a smooth, synchronous feel for the candidate, follow these guidelines:
Group by flow: Group your questions into natural "chunks"—usually 1 main question followed by 2-3 follow-ups.
Maintain synchronicity: Ensure the flow feels like a live conversation rather than a list of disconnected prompts.
Use AI for drafting: If you need help structuring your script, you can use the following prompt with your preferred AI tool:
"Draft a live interview script based on the following questions. Group them into natural 'chunks' (1 main question + 2-3 follow-ups). Ensure the flow feels like a synchronous interview without changing the questions or making it confusing for the candidate. Do not hallucinate."
Reviewing Results
When candidates complete the interview, you can access the Results View:
- AI Scores: View scores based on your specific criteria.
- Reasoning: See exactly why the AI assigned a specific score.
- Manual Override: You can manually adjust any score if your judgment differs from the AI.
FAQs
Can I edit TestGorilla's pre-built interview tracks?
No. You can only create new custom interviews or edit your own.
What if I disagree with an AI score?
You can always override AI scores in the results view.
What languages does the AI support?
The full list of supported languages includes: English, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Filipino, Italian, Hindi, Czech, French, Arabic, Romanian, Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Korean, Slovak, Ukrainian, Swedish, Tamil, Norwegian, and Danish.
What parts of the AI interview are conducted in English & what parts can be conducted in another language?
English: The AI initiates and leads the interview in English. It does not summarize candidate answers in other languages, because the interview structure is still in English.
Other languages: The AI can properly read other supported languages if they are present in the questions, and the transcript will accurately reflect the language the AI and candidate are speaking.
If you are using the multilingual setup, which language should the scoring criteria be in?
The scoring criteria should be in the same language as the assessment. As the interview structure is only available in English, scoring criteria should be entered in English.
Can I switch a custom interview from animation to persona after saving?
Not in this version. The format is locked when you save the interview. To use the other format, save a new copy of the interview with the format you want.
Can I pick which persona appears for candidates?
No. When you choose the persona format, TestGorilla assigns one persona at random from a small pool. The pool is maintained by TestGorilla.