In 2026, nearly every aspect of a job application can be outsourced to AI. That puts additional weight on the value of the face-to-face interview — one of the last remaining stages of the hiring process that can’t be automated.
The rise and rise of AI has created multiple quandaries for employers and job searchers alike. To what extent should the effective use of AI in the application process be applauded? Does AI embellish — or misrepresent — an applicant’s work and achievements?
Daniel Peters, a former Burberry and Selfridges marketer who founded Fashion Minority Report, warns that if an application is overly reliant on AI, applicants will struggle to articulate themselves in the interview. “If AI developed all of it for you, that lack of authenticity shines through in the interview room,” he warns.
For many fashion students or recently graduated job hunters, the enduring relevance of formal interviews comes as a relief. AI has flattened the hiring process to the point that most applications look the same. The interview, therefore, presents an opportunity to stand out in a sea of clones.
For designers, the interview also represents an opportunity to present a physical portfolio. Career offices typically emphasize that you should “show your process”. Quinn Fertig, a fashion designer who graduated from Parsons this year, says, “I really enjoy the in-person interviews because I get to bring my physical work. My work is very texture and color-oriented, so seeing it in-person definitely helps.”
Employers advise against overstating your achievements. Nicolas Aburm, creative director at New York label Area, wants specific information. “Everybody who has worked at Givenchy says they designed the Rottweiler print,” he says. “But what did you do on it? The research, the placement, the volume it went on, the commercial variations? The specificity doesn’t minimize the work — it reinforces that you know your worth in the team.”
Does it matter what you wear?
In the fashion industry, what you wear to an interview matters very much, although employers might not care to admit it. Fertig plans her in-person interview outfits meticulously, always incorporating her own designs. She once presented a collection wearing a “vast” pleated skirt of her own design for a pitch competition, which she later won. “I always try to dress in the language of the company I am interviewing at. I think that’s something that can be kind of overlooked,” she says.
