Microphone access — why we need it and how to fix it
Your microphone is non-negotiable: the entire interview is voice-only. Here's what we capture, how to grant permission, and how to fix Chrome's mic settings if you accidentally clicked Block.
Key takeaways
- Your microphone is required — the AI interviewer listens and you talk back. No typing.
- When prompted by Chrome, click **Allow**. If you clicked Block, you can fix it in two clicks.
- A built-in laptop mic works. Headset or earbuds with a mic gives clearer audio.
- If the AI cannot hear you, the most common fix is selecting the right input device in Chrome settings.
Before you start
A RecruitMe interview is voice-only. The AI speaks to you, and you speak back. There is no typing interface, no chat box, no escape hatch. Your microphone working correctly is therefore non-negotiable. This article walks through granting permission, picking the right mic, and fixing the two or three things that commonly go wrong.
The permission prompt
When you click Start interview, Chrome (or Edge) shows a popup near the top-left of the browser asking: <your-interview-host> wants to use your microphone. You have two buttons: Allow and Block.
Click Allow.
TIP
Chrome remembers your choice for this site for as long as the tab is open. If you reload the page, you may be asked again — that's normal.
If you accidentally clicked Block
No drama. To undo:
- While on the interview page, click the small lock icon (or in newer Chrome, the Tune icon) to the left of the address bar.
- You will see a list of permissions for this site. Find Microphone.
- Change it from Block to Allow.
- Reload the page. You should not be prompted again.
Edge works exactly the same way — same icon location, same dropdown.
Picking the right input device
Granting microphone permission to the site is not the same as picking which microphone Chrome should use. If your laptop has a built-in mic but you are wearing a USB headset, Chrome might still be listening through the built-in mic — your voice sounds muffled to the AI even though you can hear yourself fine through your headphones.
To check and change:
- In a new tab, open chrome://settings/content/microphone (or in Edge, edge://settings/content/microphone).
- At the top, you'll see a dropdown labelled Default microphone with all detected input devices.
- Pick the device you actually want to use (e.g. Headset Microphone (USB Audio Device)).
- Go back to your interview tab and reload.
Quick mic test before you click Start
Before you begin the interview, you can verify your microphone is being picked up correctly. The easiest test: open https://test.webrtc.org in another tab, click Start, and let it run the Microphone tests. It will tell you whether Chrome is hearing audio, what device it picked, and rough signal strength.
If that test passes, the interview will hear you fine. If it fails — Chrome reports no audio, or the volume meter does not move — you have a device selection or permission problem, not a platform problem.
When the AI cannot hear you mid-interview
If the interview starts but the AI doesn't respond or says it didn't catch what you said, here's the fix sequence:
- Speak louder and closer to the mic. Often the simplest explanation.
- Check your hardware mute switch (mute button on a USB headset; F-key on some laptops).
- Open chrome://settings/content/microphone and confirm the right device is selected.
- Quit any other app that uses the microphone (Zoom, Teams, OBS, voice memos) and reload the interview tab.
- If none of that works, finish the interview as best you can and contact the recruiter — they can re-issue an invite for a technical re-take.
Practical tips for sounding clear
- Use a headset if you have one. Wired earbuds with a built-in mic are great. AirPods Pro work. A laptop's built-in mic is fine in a quiet room.
- Keep the mic 4–8 inches from your mouth, off-axis (slightly to the side of your mouth, not directly in front of it — this avoids puffs of air on plosives).
- Sit in the quietest room you have. A bedroom with soft furnishings sounds better than a kitchen.
- Don't drink fizzy water during the interview. (Yes, this matters. Carbonation creates click noise on close mics.)
- If you have a fan or AC unit nearby, turn it down if you can.
Next: the full step-by-step walkthrough of the interview itself.
Frequently asked questions
I clicked Block by mistake. What now?
Easy fix. In Chrome, click the small lock icon (or *Tune* icon) to the left of the address bar while you're on the interview page. You'll see *Microphone* with a dropdown — change it from *Block* to *Allow* and reload the page. Same flow in Edge.
The platform says it can't hear me even though I gave permission.
Two common causes. First: Chrome may be using the wrong microphone. Open chrome://settings/content/microphone and confirm the right input device is selected — sometimes Chrome defaults to a system mic when you meant your headset. Second: the mic may be physically muted (look for a mute button on your headset or a hardware mute switch on USB mics). Third (less common): another app like Zoom or Teams may be holding the microphone — quit those apps and reload.
Is Bluetooth audio OK?
Yes, but with a caveat. Bluetooth headsets switch into a degraded audio mode when they need to capture mic input — your music will sound terrible during the interview, and the mic quality is usually noticeably worse than wired. If you have a wired option, prefer it. AirPods Pro work; older AirPods can be flaky.
Will my audio leak to anything else?
No. Audio capture is scoped to the interview tab. When the tab closes, the microphone is released. Other apps that need mic access (Zoom, recording apps) will not be able to use it while the interview is running — that's a browser-level lock, not a network leak.