OpenAI is piloting a new “mission interview” for candidates applying to certain teams, beginning with its marketing and human resources departments.
The additional stage is intended to give applicants an opportunity to explain how they would contribute to the company’s mission “to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity”.
OpenAI said the interview will examine how candidates think, including their judgement and ability to weigh competing trade-offs. The company said there would be no “right” answer, with scepticism, disagreement and intellectual diversity welcomed.
Interviews will be conducted by employees from teams separate from the role for which a candidate is applying. OpenAI is also developing training for staff who want to become certified interviewers, although that programme is only beginning to expand.
The pilot comes as OpenAI seeks to make its recruitment process more consistent while expanding its workforce. The company has roughly 8,000 employees worldwide and 830 vacancies, according to the information provided.
Similar assessments are used by other technology companies. Amazon, for example, trains employees known as “bar raisers” to interview candidates outside the hiring team and assess them against the company’s leadership principles.
Anthropic also reportedly uses interviews to assess whether applicants are joining the artificial intelligence company because of its mission or its pay.
Jobs at leading AI companies can offer substantial compensation. OpenAI roles currently include salaries of more than $300,000, before additional stock awards.
One software engineer with six years’ experience reportedly received an OpenAI offer worth $935,000 in total compensation, including a base salary of $385,000 and $2.2 million in restricted stock units vesting over four years, according to an anonymous post on the professional network Blind.
A separate Blind post alleged that Anthropic offered another candidate total compensation of $620,000.
