Configure Standalone AI Interviewer
Purpose
Use this article to configure Standalone AI Interviewer (AII) for your organization using the in‑product Settings tab. After completing these steps, recruiters can create positions, add candidates, and run AI interviews.
Audience
Customer Admins
Understand the Settings layout
- Sign in to your Standalone AII environment.
- From the top navigation bar, click Settings.
- In the left panel, you see two major sections:
- Admin Settings – organization‑level setup such as users, security, branding, and integrations.
- AI Interview – feature‑level setup for the AI Interviewer (agents, personas, and knowledge base).
You’ll use Admin Settings to make the environment usable for your team, and AI Interview to control how the AI Interviewer interacts with candidates.
Admin Settings
Use Admin Settings to configure settings that apply across Standalone AII: who can use the system, how they sign in, which external systems connect, and which shared libraries the AI Interviewer can use.
AI Interview Set Up
Use AI Interview Set Up to control where AI interviews are available, how long they run, and what the AI says to candidates.
Click Customize under AI agents to open the configuration pages. It has the following sections:
- AI agents setup: Global rules for when and where AI interviews are available.
- Manage AI Personas: Configure the AI interviewer’s voice, language, and capabilities.
- Organization Knowledge Base: Upload company documents for the AI to use as context.
Enable Standalone AI Interviewer
- In AI agents setup, locate the Enable AI interviews toggle.
- Turn the toggle on to make AI interviewing available in your environment.
Pipeline workflows
Use Pipeline workflows to control which workflows and stages support AI interviews.
- In Pipeline workflows, choose the stages where recruiters should see Interview with AI (for example, Applicants).
- Save your changes.
Position eligibility rules
Use Position eligibility rules to limit AI interviews to specific positions.
- In Position eligibility rules, select how you want to limit the AI Interviewer.
- Basic filters
- Locations
- Positions
- Select values for any of these fields to include only matching positions.
- Advanced filters (optional)
- Use Advanced with a Jinja template to include/exclude positions based on any available field (for example, a custom attribute or region-specific rule).
- Basic filters
- Save your changes.
Custom instructions
Use Custom Instructions to control what the AI says and how it behaves during interviews. In this section, you can configure:
- First call greeting: The opening script for a candidate’s first AI interview call.
- Continuation call greeting: The greeting for follow-up calls (for example, when a candidate rejoins).
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Configure post-greeting prompt:
- A short explanation of the interview format, what'll be covered, and how long it may take.
- Use this to set expectations and ensure transparency.
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Configure location-specific compliance prompts:
- Configure legally required notices for specific locations (for example, privacy or AI usage notices for certain countries or states).
- Each prompt can be mapped to multiple locations, helping you meet local HR/AI regulations.
Maximum conversation duration
- Sets the upper limit for how long an AI voice/video screening call can run.
- Recommended range for initial screenings: 10–20 minutes.
Note: This isn’t a hard limit. The interview may not end if all questions from the feedback form aren't covered.
Interview link expiry duration
- Controls how many days the interview invite link remains valid before expiring.
- Typical values for screening interviews: 7–14 days.
Click Next once you’re done configuring these settings.
Manage AI personas
Use this page to define who your AI interviewer sounds like and which languages they support.
- In the Manage AI Personas section, click Create AI agent.
- Configure the persona:
-
Agent name: A clear internal name (for example,
US English – Screening,DE German – Engineering). - Language: Select the primary language the agent will speak (for example, English (US), Spanish (ES), French (FR)).
- Voice/Accent: Choose a voice/accent variant appropriate for your audience (for example, American, British, Indian, Latin American Spanish).
-
Agent name: A clear internal name (for example,
- Click Save.
- Use the Play/Preview control to hear the agent’s voice.
- To adjust an existing persona, click Edit next to the agent and update language, voice, or capability.
Click Next once you’re done configuring these settings.
Organization knowledge base
Use this page to upload company documents that the AI can use during interviews to answer candidate questions accurately.
- In the Organization knowledge base section, click Upload.
- Upload documents that candidates may ask about, such as:
- Company overview and values
- Benefits and perks
- Office locations and work models
- Interview and hiring policies
- Team- or role-specific FAQs
- Save your changes.
The AI Interviewer combines:
- Position data (for example, job description), and
- Your Organization Knowledge Base
It uses this information to answer candidate questions with company-specific, up-to-date context.
Click Finish when done. These settings apply across all positions that use Standalone AII.
Manage Users
Use Manage Users to give people access to Standalone AII and assign them the correct role (for example, Admin, Recruiter, or Hiring Manager).
- Click Add Internal User to add user accounts for your recruiting team and hiring managers.
- Enter these details - First Name, Last Name, Email, Password, Confirm Password.
- Assign the user an appropriate role so they can see the right positions and pipelines, schedule AI interviews, and review feedback. The available roles are:
- Admin
- Hiring Manager
- Recruiter
- AI Interviewer
- Click Save when done.
ATS Integration
Use ATS Integration if you want Standalone AII to sync positions and candidates with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
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With ATS integration:
- Positions and candidates sync from the ATS into Standalone AII.
- AI interview feedback (scores, PDFs, transcripts) can write back into supported ATSs such as SuccessFactors, Workday, or Lever, depending on your contract and integration scope.
-
Without ATS integration:
- Recruiters manually create positions and add candidates inside Standalone AII by uploading resumes or CSVs, or by entering details directly.
To begin,
- Click Add Integration System.
- Select the relevant system from the Select System dropdown.
- Click Get Started.
Coordinate any ATS changes with your Eightfold implementation team.
Diagnostics
Use this section when working with Eightfold Support or your implementation team. This area is used to review configuration details or logs when you're troubleshooting advanced issues.
To know more, read Diagnostics in Eightfold.
API Ingestion
Use this page if your organization sends data into Eightfold through APIs instead of (or in addition to) an ATS connector. To know more, read:
File Ingestion
Use File Ingestion to configure batch imports from flat files, such as regular CSV uploads of positions or candidates from systems that don't have a direct API integration. To know more, read CSV file ingestion.
SFTP Configuration
Use SFTP Configuration when you use SFTP as the transport mechanism for file-based integrations. Typical scenarios include scheduled candidate or position feeds from HR systems. Confirm SFTP host details, credentials, and folder paths with your IT team and Eightfold before editing. To know more, read Configuration guide for SFTP and Recurring Ingestion.
Single Sign-On
Use Single Sign-On to allow recruiters and hiring managers to log in with your corporate identity provider instead of stand‑alone passwords. Click Create SSO Url to get started.
Your security or IAM team usually owns the SSO configuration (SAML/OIDC metadata, certificates, and test users). As an admin, you verify that SSO works for key roles and keep fallback access for emergency troubleshooting.
Email & SMS Integration
Use this page to connect your organization’s email and messaging channels to Standalone AII.
This configuration controls:
- Which sending domains and addresses are used in AI interview invites.
- Whether SMS or WhatsApp messages are available for candidate notifications, where allowed.
Confirm these settings before you start sending live AI interview invitations.
Email & Scheduling Templates
Use Email & Scheduling Templates to manage the content of messages sent from Standalone AII. For Standalone AII, focus on:
- AI interview invitation templates.
- Reminder templates that nudge candidates before their link expires.
Keep templates short, neutral, and transparent about the use of AI and any recording that occurs.
To create a new template:
- Click Add Template.
- Enter the Template Name.
- In the From section, enter the sender name and email address.
- Enter the template subject.
- Select whether the template will be visible to all users in the organization.
- Select the Template Type and Template Language/Country.
- Enter your email content in the Body field.
- You can also add follow-ups as required.
- Click Confirm when done.
The Scheduling Templates tab allows you to view and clone templates that assist in running the scheduling logistics for an interview.
Automation Center
Automation Center opens the workflow automation console in a new tab.
Here, you can configure rules that, for example:
- Trigger an AI interview automatically when a candidate reaches a certain stage.
- Send internal alerts when interviews are completed and ready for review.
To create a new automated workflow:
- Click Create Workflow.
- Enter the Workflow Name.
- Enter a Description.
- Select whether the workflow applies Positions, Profiles, or Demands.
- Click +Scope and select from the list of available conditions. The workflow will be applicable only when the position is within the scope conditions defined.
- Click +Trigger and select from the list of available triggers. This helps in activating the workflow.
- Click +Condition and select from the list of available conditions. The workflow proceeds only when these conditions are met.
- Click +Action and select from the list of available actions. This is the actual ‘event’ that the workflow performs.
- Click Create when done.
Forms Library
Use Forms Library to manage reusable forms that’re used during the interviews. Centralizing forms here helps you avoid duplicate versions and keeps language consistent.
To create a new form:
- Click Create New Form.
- Enter the Form Name and Form Type.
- Turn on the Activate form toggle switch.
- Click Add From Question Bank to add existing questions, or click Create New Question to create a new question to add to the form.
- Once you’ve added a question to the form, use Mark as Required to make it mandatory.
- Click Create Form when done.
You can also duplicate or edit existing forms from the Forms Library to better manage these forms.
Question Bank
Use this page to manage reusable questions that can be pulled into forms and guides. Changes to a question in the bank can affect every template or form that uses that question. Examples include:
- Standard demographic or screening questions.
- Reusable legal or compliance questions that must be worded exactly the same everywhere.
To create a new question:
- Click Add New Question.
- Select the Question Type.
- Based on the question type, you can configure further settings such as Question Text, Options, Placeholder, and more.
- Click Create Question once done.
Branding
Use this page to control how your Standalone AII appears to recruiters and candidates. You can configure branding settings for desktop and mobile devices.
Here you typically:
- Upload your company logo.
- Configure primary colors.
- (Where available) adjust fonts or other simple visual elements.
AI Interview
Use the AI Interview section to manage the content and templates the AI interviewer uses for different interview types.
AI Interview
Use this page to control the ‘personality’ of the AI Interviewer, ensure legal compliance, manage the candidate’s technical experience, and set up proctoring rules.
Prompt Config
This tab defines the script the AI recruiter follows and the legal boundaries of the conversation. Set the tone of the interview by customizing the following automated messages:
- First Call Greetings: The initial introduction when the candidate joins.
- Continuation Call Greeting: The message used if a call is disconnected and resumed.
- Post Greeting Disclaimer: Legal or instructional text provided immediately after the greeting.
- Speech Evaluation Disclaimer: Notifies the candidate that their language proficiency is being evaluated.
Compliance Guidelines: Add specific rules to ensure the AI follows local labor laws:
- Locations: Define which regions these rules apply to (for example, Bangkok, India).
- Prompt Text: Instructions for the AI (for example, 'Don't ask about the candidate’s compensation').
Prohibited Topics: Define specific subjects the AI is strictly forbidden from discussing, such as Gender, Religion, or Age.
Candidate Consent Config
Before the interview, a modal (pop-up) appears asking for consent to be recorded. You can customize:
- Name: Enter a name for this step.
- Title: (for example, 'This interview will be recorded. Test text.')
- Body: Detailed legal text explaining how the recording will be used and stored.
Candidate Communication Config
Control how the system sends reminders and links to candidates.
- Enable SMS Notifications: Toggle on to send interview invites and reminders via text.
- Enable WhatsApp Notifications: Toggle on to communicate with candidates using WhatsApp.
Flagged Activity Config
This section acts as a 'proctoring' tool to ensure interview integrity. You can enable or disable monitoring for the following behaviors:
| Activity | Description |
| Microphone muted-check | Monitors if the candidate’s mic is turned off during a response. |
| Fullscreen exited-check | Flags if the candidate leaves the dedicated interview window. |
| Browser tab switched-check | Flags if the candidate navigates to another tab (potentially searching for answers). |
| Candidate rejoined/moved | Monitors if the candidate leaves the frame or restarts the session multiple times. |
| Multiple people in view | Uses the camera to detect if someone else is helping the candidate. |
| Prohibited item check | Flags if items like phones or notebooks are visible on screen. |
| Developer tools check | Flags if the candidate opens browser inspection tools. |
To enable a proctoring check, select Enabled from the dropdown menu and switch the toggle to on.
AI Interview Library
Use AI Interview Library to configure the AI interview settings such as duration, retry timeout, candidate retries, and more.
- Interview title: enter the title of the interview type
- Interview Description: enter the interview type description
- Interview Duration: enter the suggested duration of the interview
- Days to Reminder: set the number of days after which reminder(s) should be sent to the candidate for the interview
- Default Expiry Days: set the number of days after which the interview link expires
- Candidate Retry Timeout Mins: set the time after which a candidate can’t rejoin the interview
- Max Candidate Retries: set the max number of times after which the candidate can’t rejoin the interview
- Interview Coverage Threshold Score: set the threshold for which the interview will be considered complete
- End Call Greetings: enter the end call greetings
Apply and Interview
Use Apply and Interview to configure ‘apply and instant AI interview’ flows where candidates both apply and complete an AI interview in a single journey.
- Enable: use this toggle to turn the default interview feature on or off. If enabled, all candidates will be able to see the Apply & Interview option for positions posted on your career site
- Interview Short Code: short code identifier for the interview type
- Template Id: template ID for the interview
- Interview Mode: select the mode of the interview
- Setting Name: enter the setting name
- Enable Language Proficiency: use this toggle to enable language proficiency for the interview. This evaluation provides you with automated, fair, and consistent insights into a candidate's speaking abilities during AI interviews