Best Practices#

Be Careful:

Always start the Power Interview Assistant before joining the call so transcription and suggestions are ready from the first question.

Getting the most from Power Interview requires more than just turning it on. The following practices will help you achieve accurate transcription, relevant AI suggestions, and a seamless interview experience.

Profile & Context Setup#

Write a Detailed CV / Profile#

The quality of AI reply suggestions depends directly on the detail in your profile. A one-line summary produces generic answers. A thorough profile produces relevant, personalized ones.

Do:

  • Include your job titles, years of experience, and key responsibilities
  • List specific technologies, frameworks, and languages you know
  • Mention notable projects with measurable outcomes
  • Include soft skills and working preferences when relevant

Avoid:

  • Pasting a raw PDF-extracted text with garbled formatting
  • Leaving the profile field empty or with placeholder text

Tailor the Context to Each Interview#

The Context field (job description / role requirements) directly shapes the tone and subject matter of reply suggestions. Before each interview:

  1. Click your profile name in the control panel and select Configuration.
  2. Replace the previous job description with the one from the current role.
  3. Highlight the key skills the role requires - the AI will weight those more heavily.

The more aligned your context is to the actual interview, the more targeted and useful the suggestions will be.

Audio Setup#

Use a Dedicated Microphone#

The built-in laptop microphone often picks up keyboard sounds, fan noise, and room echo, all of which reduce transcription accuracy. A USB headset or desktop microphone with noise cancellation produces significantly better results.

How Interviewer Audio is Captured#

Power Interview captures the interviewer's voice via system audio loopback - it reads whatever audio is playing through your system speakers automatically. No extra routing software is needed for transcription to work for both channels.

Test Audio Before the Interview#

Run a short test session a few minutes before the interview starts:

  • Speak a few sentences and verify your voice appears in the transcript.
  • Play a short audio clip through your speakers and verify the loopback channel picks it up.
  • If the microphone channel is missing, re-check that your physical microphone is selected in Audio Options.

Code Suggestion Workflow#

Capture Multiple Angles of the Problem#

A single screenshot of a long problem statement often misses important details. Use up to four screenshots to cover:

  • The full problem description
  • Sample inputs and expected outputs
  • Any relevant constraints or examples below the fold

Press Ctrl+Shift+F9 for each capture, then Ctrl+Shift+F10 to submit (use Ctrl+Shift+F11 to clear captures if you make a mistake).

Stealth Mode & Window Placement#

The Power Interview window is always excluded from screen capture and screen share - interviewers cannot see it regardless of where it is placed or whether stealth mode is on.

Set Up Your Window Position Before the Interview#

Decide where the Power Interview window will sit on your screen before the interview begins. Use Ctrl+Shift+1–9 to snap it to your preferred screen zone. The bottom-right or top-right corners are often least intrusive.

Position it so it is:

  • Visible to you at a glance
  • Not overlapping the content you need to look at (your IDE, the interviewer's video)

Enable Stealth Mode During Coding Challenges#

Turn on stealth mode (Ctrl+Shift+M) whenever you need to type or interact with your IDE without the Power Interview window accidentally capturing focus. This keeps your keystrokes going to the right place.

Use a Dual-Monitor Setup#

If you have two monitors, run your video call on one screen and Power Interview on the other for maximum comfort - the assistant is always on a separate display.

Practice Hotkeys Beforehand#

The hotkey shortcuts are the core interface during an interview. Practice them before your interview so they feel natural:

  • Scroll through suggestions without looking at the keyboard
  • Capture and submit a screenshot from memory
  • Toggle stealth mode and opacity without hesitation

Any fumbling with shortcuts during an interview will be distracting and costly.

Pre-Interview Checklist#

Before every interview, run through this checklist:

  • Profile (name, CV) is up to date
  • Context field has the correct job description for this role
  • Power Interview is started before joining the meeting
  • Microphone is selected and producing transcript output (test session run)
  • Power Interview window is positioned and hotkeys tested

Ethical Use#

Use it responsibly:

  • AI suggestions are a starting point - adapt them in your own words. Parroting a suggestion verbatim can appear unnatural.
  • Ensure your use complies with the terms of service of the platform hosting the interview and with any applicable laws in your jurisdiction.