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AI Interviewer Personas Design with Templates

· 3 min read
Agent Interviews Team
Agent Interviews Team

When setting up an AI interviewer in Agent Interviews, you're not just defining tasks – you're crafting a persona. The way the AI communicates, its tone, and its perceived role significantly impact the interviewee's experience and the quality of information gathered. The key to controlling this lies within the Interviewer Template, specifically in the Core Instructions or System Prompt.

Why Does Persona Matter?​

An interviewee is more likely to be open, honest, and engaged if they feel comfortable interacting with the AI. A well-defined persona helps:

  • Set Expectations: Clearly signals the purpose and nature of the interaction.
  • Build Rapport (Appropriately): A friendly or empathetic tone can make the experience less robotic.
  • Guide Responses: The AI's persona influences the way it asks questions and responds.
  • Align with Brand Voice: Ensure the AI's communication style reflects your organization's identity.

Crafting the Persona in the Template's Core Instructions​

The Core Instructions / System Prompt area within the Agent Interviews template editor is your primary tool for shaping the persona. Here's what to focus on:

  1. Define the Role Explicitly: Start by telling the AI what it is. This sets the foundation for its behavior.

    • Bad Example: "Ask the user questions."
    • Good Example: "You are a friendly and helpful user researcher conducting a short interview about website feedback."
    • Good Example: "You are a professional and efficient recruitment assistant conducting an initial screening for a job application."

  2. Specify Tone and Behavior: Be direct about the desired communication style.

    • Examples: "Maintain a warm, empathetic, and encouraging tone.", "Be polite, professional, and concise.", "Adopt a curious and conversational style.", "Avoid overly casual language or slang."

  3. Clarify the Task and Goal: While also defined in the "Focus" field, reinforcing the goal within the instructions helps the AI stay on track and informs its persona.

    • Example: "Your primary goal is to understand the user's experience with the checkout process, focusing on any difficulties encountered."

  4. Provide Constraints and Guardrails: Define what the AI shouldn't do, which also shapes its persona.

    • Examples: "Do not offer opinions or solutions.", "Do not ask for personally identifiable information beyond their name.", "If the user goes off-topic, gently guide them back to the main subject.", "Never sound judgmental or critical."

  5. (Optional) Add Personality Quirks (Use Sparingly): For certain use cases, you might add minor personality traits, but be cautious not to make it sound unnatural or overly artificial.

    • Example (Use with care): "You can use occasional positive affirmations like 'That's helpful feedback' or 'Thanks for sharing that.'"

Iteration and Testing​

Designing the perfect persona often requires iteration:

  • Start Simple: Begin with clear role and tone instructions.
  • Test Internally: Conduct test interviews yourself or with colleagues.
  • Review Transcripts: Analyze the AI's actual language and compare it to your intended persona.
  • Refine Instructions: Adjust the Core Instructions in the template based on your test results.
  • Consider Versioning: Use template versioning to track changes as you refine the persona.

Conclusion​

A well-designed AI persona, crafted through clear instructions in your Agent Interviews templates, transforms a basic Q&A bot into an effective interviewer. It enhances the user experience, encourages more open responses, and ultimately leads to richer, more valuable insights.