Job interviews are increasingly happening at hours when most people are asleep.
About one-quarter of interviews conducted through Ribbon AI, a voice-AI recruiting platform, take place between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to data from more than 500 companies using the service. Among Ribbon’s manufacturing customers, the share rises to 35%, according to BisNow.
The data suggests that some candidates are using AI interviews to fit job searches around work and personal responsibilities that make traditional daytime interviews difficult.
Some Candidates Are Interviewing After Midnight
Ribbon CEO Arsham Ghahramani said the late-night pattern may be linked to working parents who have little free time during the day, as well as workers in factories and kitchens who may struggle to find a quiet place for an interview while working.
Because the AI interview platform can operate outside conventional business hours, candidates can complete interviews when they have the time and privacy to do so.
That could open the hiring process to people who might otherwise have difficulty participating in an interview.
Ribbon said its AI interview tool has also improved 180-day employee retention by 10% to 30% across its top customers. One major auto manufacturer has reported hiring 35% faster since adopting the technology.
AI Interviews Are Becoming More Common
The late-night interviews come as AI becomes a larger part of the recruiting process.
A Greenhouse survey released in May found that nearly two-thirds of applicants had been interviewed by an AI agent, an increase of 13 percentage points over six months.
Candidates remain divided over the experience. Thirty-eight percent of U.S. candidates surveyed by Greenhouse said they had abandoned a hiring process rather than interview with AI, while another 12% said they would abandon one if an AI interview were mandatory.
Still, HR technology experts cited in the report see flexibility as one potential benefit.
If employers can offer AI interviews around the clock, candidates who cannot participate during standard working hours can choose a time that fits their schedules.
For some workers, that could mean an interview at 1 a.m. is easier to manage than one at 1 p.m.
The Hiring Process Is Moving Beyond Business Hours
The late-night interview trend shows how AI can change a basic part of job hunting: when candidates are expected to be available.
Instead of asking every applicant to accommodate a recruiter’s schedule, AI interviewing allows companies to make the process available around the clock.
But for workers who cannot easily step away from their jobs or responsibilities during the day, an interview at midnight may offer something traditional recruiting cannot: a chance to participate on their own schedule.
