The dichotomy of requirements…or how to “find” a Senior in the Age of AI

Candidates are increasingly turning to AI (LLM) for assistance during interviews. AI listens to an expert's question and instantly provides an answer—it's convenient and effective, especially when the question has a clear answer. Therefore, testing only theory and assigning simple problems is becoming less effective. The winners are not those who truly understand the analysis, but those who have learned to find the right formulations faster than others. But there are questions that can't be rushed: they don't have a single correct answer and reveal the candidate's ability to reason. These questions straddle the dichotomy of requirements: business and system, what and how, value and feasibility, goal and objective. In this report, we'll explore how such questions assess not only terminology but also the maturity of thinking, the ability to discern conceptual boundaries, and the ability to distinguish true expertise from superficial confidence and skillful use of AI.