AI interview practice
Practice for the interview you actually have.
Penny builds interview questions from the job posting and your resume, gives honest feedback on every answer, and shows you a stronger version using only your own experience. Then a one-page briefing to take in with you.
- Free account
- No credit card
- Nothing invented
Penny 10:02 AM
Question 2 of 3: Tell me about a time you built or changed a design system. How did you get teams to use it? (This tests design systems leadership.)
At Brightline I led a shared component library for our three product teams. I ran weekly office hours and paired with engineers on their first screens. Within two quarters all three teams were building new screens from it.
10:04 AMPenny 10:04 AM
Good answer.
What worked:
- Clear ownership: you led it
- A real result: all three teams adopted it
To make it stronger:
- Open with the problem the library solved
- Say what you'd do differently next time
A stronger version, from your own experience:
At Brightline, our three product teams needed one shared way to build screens, so I led a component library for them. To get it used, I ran weekly office hours and paired with engineers on their first screens. Within two quarters, all three teams were building new screens from it.
- questions per round, Quick or Full
- 3 or 6questions per round, Quick or Full
- answer gets feedback and a stronger version
- Everyanswer gets feedback and a stronger version
- briefing for the job, from your resume
- 1 pagebriefing for the job, from your resume
How it works
A mock interview for one real job
Generic question lists don't know the role or you. Penny reads the posting, your resume and the gaps between them, then interviews you like a first-round interviewer would.
- 1
Pick the job
Choose one from your jobs list (interviews come first) or paste the full posting. Then pick Quick, 3 questions, or Full, 6.
- 2
Answer, one question at a time
Type your answer the way you'd say it in the room. A minute or two out loud is about 150 to 250 words.
- 3
Get feedback, then the next question
A verdict, what worked, what to tighten and a stronger version. After the last question, a wrap-up of your strengths and the stories to have ready.
Features
Everything you need before the interview
Questions built for this job
A "why this role" question, behavioural questions on the posting's top requirements, role-specific ones, and at least one on a gap, most important first.
Feedback on every answer
A clear verdict (Strong, Good or Needs work), up to three things that worked, and up to three concrete fixes. No made-up score out of 100.
A stronger version, from your facts
Your answer rewritten in your voice from your resume and what you said. A version that adds a number, employer or result you didn't give is left out.
A one-page briefing
What the job cares about most, your best stories for it, your gaps and how to address them honestly, and good questions to ask them.
Quick or Full
Three questions when you have ten minutes, six when you want a proper run-through. Start another round whenever you like.
Inside Penny
Penny already knows your jobs, your resume and your match gaps. When a round ends, keep talking: ask about a question, a gap or the job itself.
One page to read before you walk in
Ask Penny for a briefing on any job. It's built from the posting and your resume only.
- What the job cares about most
- Your best stories for it, exactly as your resume states them
- Your gaps, and how to address them honestly
- Good questions to ask the interviewer
What they care about most
- Leading a design system across teams
- Working closely with engineering
- Clear design rationale for stakeholders
Your best stories for this job
- Brightline: led a shared component library adopted by all three product teams
Gaps, and how to talk about them honestly
- No mobile app work on your resume: bridge to responsive web work and say how you'd ramp up
Questions to ask them
- How do product teams contribute to the design system today?
Why practice with Penny
Prepared, and still yourself
- Walk in readyYou've answered the questions this job is likely to ask, out loud or on the page, before the real thing.
- Stay honestEvery suggested answer comes from what you've actually done, so there's nothing to get caught out on in a follow-up question.
- Talk about gaps with confidencePractice the requirement you don't fully meet, and learn to bridge to related experience instead of bluffing.
- Know your best storiesLeave with the two or three examples from your resume that fit this role best, ready to tell.
No live help during the interview, by design. Covert help in a real interview undermines the trust it depends on, and it would mean recording the people interviewing you. Penny gets you ready beforehand.
FAQ
Questions, answered once
What is AI interview practice?
A mock interview with Penny, ApplyRunner's AI career agent, for a specific job. Penny asks questions built from the posting and your resume, one at a time, and gives feedback on each answer before the next.
Where do the questions come from?
The job posting and your resume. You get a "why this role" question, behavioural questions on the posting's top requirements, role-specific questions, and at least one about a requirement your resume doesn't clearly show, so you can practice talking about a gap.
Will Penny make up experience for me?
No. The stronger version of each answer uses only your resume and what you wrote. If it adds a number, name or result from anywhere else, it's rewritten once; if it still does, it's left out and you keep the feedback points. Briefing stories that add a fact are dropped the same way.
Is it free?
Yes, with a free account. Each practice answer and each briefing counts as one Penny message, within your plan's daily limit. Paid plans include more Penny messages.
What do I need to start?
A free account and your resume uploaded. Then pick a job from your list or paste the full posting.
Do I get a score?
No numeric score. Each answer gets a verdict of Strong, Good or Needs work, with what worked and what to tighten, which is more useful than a number.
Can I answer out loud?
You type your answers. Say them out loud as you write: Penny suggests 150 to 250 words, about a minute or two of speaking.
Can Penny help me during a real interview?
No, by design. Live help during an interview is covert assistance that undermines the trust an interview depends on, and it would mean recording the people interviewing you. Penny helps you prepare beforehand.
Who can see my practice sessions?
Only you. They're listed with your Penny conversations, included when you export your data, and deleted when you delete your account.
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