Across industries, job postings increasingly require AI experience, but a fundamental mismatch exists between what employers are asking for and how they evaluate it. Adam and Andy tackle this head-on, starting with the hiring manager who knows AI matters but isn't deeply fluent themselves. How do you assess a skill you don't fully possess?

The answer, they argue, comes down to asking candidates about real projects, not tool lists. Can they explain what they built, why AI was the unlock, and what they struggled with? The level of someone's challenges reveals their level of sophistication. For candidates, the advice is equally direct: build something with AI before you walk into the interview. A prompt workflow, a research project, a personal tool. The ability to narrate that process, including what failed, is what separates genuine fluency from buzzword familiarity.

For managers still unsure, Andy offers a practical hack: transcribe the interview and ask an LLM to assess the candidate's AI proficiency. Let the technology help evaluate the technology skills.