Beyond “tell me about yourself”: how AI, fake candidates, japa, power cuts and Lagos traffic are changing what Nigerian interviewers ask, with the data, the law and practical answers.

Last updated: 24 October 2026

Most interview preparation still follows a familiar script: rehearse “tell me about yourself,” prepare a strength and a weakness, and memorise why you want the job. Those questions have not disappeared. But the interview itself has changed, and a new set of questions is showing up that few candidates rehearse.

Some come from technology: employers now want to know how you use AI, whether you can prove who you are on video, and what you can do without a script. Others are distinctly Nigerian: whether you plan to japa, how you will cope with power cuts and traffic, what you did after NYSC, and, too often, whether you are married.

A note on evidence: we found no Nigerian study that measures which questions interviewers ask. Where we cite numbers, most come from the US and UK and are benchmarks, and the Nigerian sections rely on reporting, law and expert commentary. The patterns we draw from them are our synthesis, and we say so where it matters.

Why the Interview Is Changing

The interview has become harder to trust. A 2026 survey of 1,000 active US job seekers, reported by Newsweek, found that 22 percent were already using AI during live interviews and that 36 percent admitted lying in an interview. Candidates in the same survey said employers have pushed them there by filtering applicants with AI and running one-way video interviews. One HR consultant quoted by Newsweek argued that interviews built on canned and behavioural questions are close to useless now, and that work samples, paid trials and unscripted conversations still work.

That is the backdrop. Employers are adding new kinds of questions to find out what a candidate can really do, and who the candidate really is.

1. “How do you use AI in your work?”

What is happening: A Fortune report, republished by Allwork.Space, describes companies overhauling hiring to screen for AI skills and attitudes, with one CEO saying interviewers regularly ask candidates how they use AI tools. The same report cites a finding that two in three business leaders say they would not hire someone without AI skills. The question often arrives in disguise, for example “walk me through a typical day” or “how would you speed this process up?”

What interviewers are really testing: whether you use AI with judgement. They want to hear what you delegated, what you checked, what you corrected and what you did not trust.

How to prepare (our suggestions):

  • Choose one real task and tell it in four steps: the goal, what you asked the AI to do, how you checked the result, and what you changed.
  • Name an error the tool made and how you caught it.
  • Say plainly what you would do without it.
  • If you do not use AI yet, say what you have tried and what you plan to learn, rather than pretending.

We found no Nigerian survey on how often interviewers ask this, but our look at jobs that would have sounded like science fiction in 2000 shows how quickly AI-related roles are spreading.

2. “Do This Task Now, and Think Out Loud”

What is happening: Interviewers are replacing rehearsed answers with live exercises: a short case, a spreadsheet problem, a mock customer complaint, a piece of code or a paid trial project. Gartner research, as cited by University of Pennsylvania career services, found that 72 percent of recruiting leaders now run in-person interviews to fight fraud, and the Wall Street Journal reported that firms such as Google, Cisco and McKinsey brought face-to-face rounds back.

How to prepare: Practise solving a problem aloud, because the process matters more than the answer. Ask clarifying questions before you start. Say your assumptions. If you get stuck, say where and what you would try next.

In Nigeria, extra rounds and assignments are a common complaint among candidates, so ask early what the stages are, whether tasks are paid or unpaid, and what the timeline looks like.

3. “Prove You Are Who You Say You Are”

What is happening: Fake candidates are now a mainstream hiring worry. Gartner predicts that one in four candidate profiles worldwide will be fake by 2028, and in a survey of 3,000 candidates, 6 percent admitted to interview fraud, such as posing as someone else. Palo Alto Networks found that a researcher with no image-manipulation experience could build a convincing fake candidate for a video interview in about 70 minutes, and recommended that interviewers ask for profile turns, hand gestures near the face and other quick movements.

What this means for you: Do not be offended if an interviewer asks you to hold up an ID, turn your head, move your hand across your face or share your screen. University of Pennsylvania career services advises candidates to comply with these liveness checks and to avoid using AI during an interview unless invited.

The Nigerian angle: Our inference is that Nigerians applying for remote roles with foreign firms may face extra identity checks, because fraud concerns make employers cautious. The scam also runs the other way. Africa Check has documented a fake KPMG graduate trainee advert spreading in Nigeria, and in October 2026 it flagged fake ads claiming Dangote Group was hiring thousands. Verify the employer through official channels before you share your documents. We cover that in How to Get Hired Without Applying.

4. “Record Your Answer to the Camera” (and a Screen Decides)

What is happening: Many first-round interviews are now one-way video recordings reviewed by software or by a recruiter later. Newsweek notes that companies increasingly use AI to filter applicants and run such interviews.

The Nigerian legal angle: The law firm Templars explains that, under the Nigeria Data Protection Act and its Directive, employers cannot rely solely on AI to make hiring decisions. Exceptions require human oversight, transparency and the candidate’s right to review and challenge the outcome. That is a useful thing to know, but it is not legal advice.

How to prepare (our suggestions):

  • Treat the recording like a live interview. Dress, light and sound matter.
  • Check your data balance and battery before you start, since a dropped connection can cost you the slot.
  • Keep answers structured: situation, action, result.
  • If you are unsure whether a person will review your answers, you can ask the employer politely.

5. “Are You Planning to Japa?”

What is happening: Nigerian employers worry about losing staff abroad. A Phillips Consulting report, covered by Arise, put the share of professionals willing to leave Nigeria at 52 percent, and found that 88 percent of people planning to quit within a year were millennials and Gen Z. The earlier survey behind that report was of Nigerian adults and was presented to HR directors, so read it as a signal, not a census. BusinessDay has reported that employers are adopting retention strategies in response.

What it sounds like (our inference): You may hear it directly, as “do you plan to relocate?”, or indirectly, as “where do you see yourself in three years?” or “how long do you plan to stay?”

How to prepare:

  • Be honest. Do not promise five years if you do not mean it.
  • Shift the answer to what you will deliver. For example: “In my first 18 months I want to learn X, own Y and show Z.”
  • Ask what growth, training and pay reviews look like, because employers who want you to stay should be able to answer.

6. “How Will You Cope With Power, Data and Traffic?”

What is happening: Reliability is a real concern for Nigerian employers, and the question can be blunt: where do you live, how will you get here, and what is your backup if the power goes?

  • Commute. The Danne Institute of Research, cited by BusinessDay, estimates that people employed in Lagos spend an average of 2.21 hours in traffic daily. Nairametrics has reported that some companies decline candidates who live far from the office, usually on the Island. That report is dated, so treat it as a pattern, not a rule. A Lagos State job fair notice from employers’ point of view listed lateness blamed on traffic among their complaints about entry-level hires.
  • Remote work. In a TechCabal series of interviews with African remote workers, Nigerians listed power and internet instability as their main challenges, with one using a 1kW solar setup and others saying they had sorted out power and connectivity.

How to prepare: Have a concrete plan. For onsite roles, explain how you will arrive on time, such as where you live, your route and your backup. For remote roles, name your backup power, internet redundancy and a quiet workspace. A plan, said calmly, answers the worry behind the question.

7. “What Have You Been Doing Since NYSC?”

What is happening: With graduate unemployment high and entry-level jobs scarce, many Nigerian candidates have gaps. A BusinessDay analysis describes a cycle in which first-job roles ask for two to five years of experience and internships can be unpaid, which leaves graduates without a clean way to build a track record. Interviewers still ask about the gap.

How to prepare:

  • List what you did in plain terms: freelance work, volunteering, a course with a project, a small business, caring for family.
  • Pair each item with an outcome or a skill.
  • Show proof, such as a portfolio, a certificate or a reference.
  • Do not apologise for the gap. Explain it briefly and move to what you can do now.

Our guide to writing a CV with no experience shows how to present this on paper, and the worst entry-level job requirements explains why the experience trap exists.

8. “Are You Married? Do You Plan to Have Children?”

What is happening: Women in many countries report being asked about marriage and pregnancy at interviews. A UK study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, reported by Stylist, found that 36 percent of private-sector employers thought it reasonable to ask women about plans to have children. We found no Nigerian survey measuring how often this happens, though candidates frequently describe it.

What the Nigerian law says: Section 54 of the Labour Act provides for maternity leave of 12 weeks, as summarised by WageIndicator, and it states that termination linked to pregnancy or maternity leave is unlawful and can be challenged at the National Industrial Court. Whether a particular interview question is itself unlawful is less clear-cut, so we are cautious here, and this is not legal advice.

How to respond (our suggestions):

  • You can steer to what the employer needs to know: availability, commitment and your ability to meet the schedule.
  • A calm, short answer works better than an argument, for example: “My personal plans will not affect my commitment to this role. Can I tell you about how I would handle the first 90 days?”
  • If a question is used to reject you, note it, keep your own records and consider reporting it through the right channels.
  • Notice the culture. A question like this tells you something about how the employer treats staff.

What Employers Should Take From This

For hiring teams, the lesson is that many of these questions are symptoms of a weak process. Our suggestions:

  • Ask about work, not family or marital status.
  • Use structured questions and work samples, and tell candidates what they will be assessed on.
  • State clearly if you use AI or one-way video, and keep a human in the decision, as Nigerian data protection rules require.
  • Verify identity in a consistent way for every candidate, not just some.
  • Be honest in adverts about onsite or remote requirements.
  • If you worry about retention, improve growth, pay and management rather than interrogating candidates about travel plans.

A Short Preparation Plan

  1. Build a story bank. Prepare six real stories: a win, a mistake, a conflict, a time you used AI or technology, a time you learned something quickly and a time you handled pressure. Our guide to the top 10 mistakes people make during interviews covers the basics.
  2. Rehearse a live task. Practise explaining your thinking aloud.
  3. Get your setup ready. Charge devices, arrange backup power, test your camera and have your ID nearby.
  4. Verify the employer. Use official channels, and never pay to be interviewed or hired.
  5. Decide your answers to the sensitive questions in advance: japa, gaps and personal life.
  6. Know your numbers. Research pay before the call. Our underpaid guide can help, and Ask a Manager discusses when to talk money.
  7. Make your paper trail match your story. Your CV, profile and online presence should say the same thing. Use MyJobAlly’s Optimize Your CV tool, read what recruiters look for in a CV, and see Be Seen, Be Skilled.

And if you want to see where the interview came from, read how the job search looked 20, 50 and 100 years ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

What new interview questions are employers asking in 2026? Expect questions about how you use AI, live problem-solving tasks, identity and liveness checks, and, in Nigeria, questions about relocation plans, commuting and remote-work readiness. Traditional questions still appear.

Should I admit I use AI? Yes, if you use it responsibly. Explain what you use it for, how you check it and what you do yourself. Avoid using AI during the interview unless the employer invites it.

Is it legal for an employer to use AI to screen me in Nigeria? AI-assisted screening is allowed, but under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, employers cannot rely solely on automated decisions, and candidates have rights to review and challenge outcomes, according to Templars. Check the details with a lawyer if it matters.

What should I say if asked whether I plan to leave Nigeria? Be honest, keep it short and focus on what you will deliver in the role. Avoid promises you do not intend to keep.

Can an interviewer ask if I am married or planning children? Nigerian law protects maternity and bars pregnancy-related dismissal, but the rules on interview questions are less clear. You can redirect to availability and commitment. This is not legal advice.

How do I handle a gap after NYSC? Explain it briefly, show what you did and what you learned, and offer proof of skill.

The Bottom Line

The interview is no longer a polite conversation about your strengths. It is also a check on your skills, your identity, your judgement with AI, your reliability and, in Nigeria, your plans in a market where many people are looking abroad. You cannot predict every question, but you can prepare the answers that sit behind them: what you can do, how you decide, and why an employer can trust you. Start with your CV and profile, then practise your stories.

This article draws on Newsweek, Allwork.Space (republishing Fortune), HR Dive (reporting Gartner and Palo Alto Networks), University of Pennsylvania career services, Templars, WageIndicator, Arise, BusinessDay, Nairametrics, TechCabal, Stylist, Africa Check, Ask a Manager and a Lagos State job fair notice, current as of October 2026. Most survey data comes from the United States and United Kingdom and is used as a benchmark only. Survey results from vendors, consultancies and media reports may use different methods and samples. The Nigerian reports on commuting and employer practices are partly dated or anecdotal. We found no Nigerian study that measures which questions interviewers ask, so the groupings and interpretations here are our synthesis and our suggestions. This article is general information, not legal or career advice.