Hello! Here’s a step-by-step guide for using Craqly during a Zoom interview. I’ll walk through the setup on both Windows and Mac, cover the tricky parts (audio capture, screen sharing, overlay positioning), and explain a few things that can go wrong so you don’t hit them live.
This assumes you’ve already downloaded Craqly and have a Zoom interview coming up. If you haven’t set up your profile yet, do that first, it takes about ten minutes and you’ll want to have your resume and the job description loaded before you start.
why a desktop app and not a browser extension
Quick technical note before the setup: you want the Craqly desktop app, not a browser extension. The reason is that Zoom runs as a native desktop application. When your interviewer speaks, the audio comes through Zoom’s process, not through your browser. A browser extension can only capture audio that originates in the browser, so it will hear nothing from the Zoom call.
The desktop app captures system audio at the OS level, which means it can hear the conversation regardless of which app is producing the sound. That’s the core capability that makes real-time interview assistance possible.
step 1: audio capture setup
On Mac, go to Craqly’s settings and enable “System Audio Capture.” You may be prompted to install an audio driver component (this is a small helper that routes system audio to the app). On some Mac versions you’ll need to grant microphone permission and then separately grant access to system audio in System Settings under Privacy and Security.
On Windows, the setup is simpler. Craqly uses Windows Audio Session API and generally doesn’t need an extra driver install. Check that your default audio output device in Windows settings matches what Zoom is using, otherwise Craqly will capture from the right device while Zoom plays audio through a different one.
Test it before your interview. Open any YouTube video, start Craqly, and check that the audio level indicator in Craqly’s interface is responding. If it isn’t moving, the audio routing isn’t working yet.
step 2: setting up your profile
The quality of the AI suggestions depends heavily on what you’ve loaded into your profile. At minimum you want:
- Your current resume (PDF or plain text)
- The job description for the specific role you’re interviewing for
- A short summary of the company and what they do
The job description is the most important of the three. Craqly uses it to match the interviewer’s questions against the role requirements and generate suggestions that are relevant to what this company is actually looking for. Generic suggestions without that context are much less useful.
step 3: positioning the overlay
Craqly runs as a floating overlay window that sits on top of other apps. Before your interview, position it in a corner of your screen that you can glance at naturally. Most people put it in the lower-right or upper-right corner, away from the webcam area, so they’re not visibly looking away from the camera to check suggestions.
Set the opacity to around 80 to 85%. High enough to read easily, low enough that it doesn’t dominate your screen if you’re in a multi-monitor setup. You can adjust this in the overlay settings.
the screen sharing question
This is the part that trips people up most. When your interviewer asks you to share your screen (for a coding round or a case presentation), Craqly’s overlay will be visible to them if you share your full desktop.
The solution is to share only the specific application window (your IDE, your browser, your presentation) rather than your full screen. In Zoom, when you click “Share Screen,” choose “Window” instead of “Desktop” and select the specific app. That way the interviewer sees only the application you chose, not the overlay.
Practice this before the interview. The window-share option isn’t always obvious in Zoom’s interface if you haven’t used it before, and you don’t want to be discovering it while your interviewer is waiting.
using it during the interview
After the interviewer finishes speaking, Craqly takes roughly 2 to 3 seconds to process the audio and generate a suggestion. That processing time is actually useful, because it gives you the natural pause that comes with thoughtful responses anyway. You’re not racing the tool.
A few things I’d suggest from people’s experience with the tool:
- Don’t read suggestions verbatim. Use them as a starting point and put them in your own words. Interviewers can often tell when someone is reading from a script.
- The suggestions are best for behavioral questions and for prompting you when you’ve gone blank on a technical concept. They’re not a substitute for knowing your material.
- If a suggestion doesn’t feel right, ignore it. You know the context better than the AI does.
One more thing: some interviewers at larger companies will ask at the start of the call whether you’re using any AI assistance tools. Check the company’s stated policy before your interview. Most companies don’t have an explicit policy, but a few (particularly in finance and consulting) do.
quick troubleshooting
No audio detection: check that your system audio device in both Zoom and your OS settings are set to the same output. Then restart Craqly.
Overlay not appearing: on Mac, check System Settings under Accessibility that Craqly has permission to display over other apps. On Windows, check whether any full-screen mode in Zoom is suppressing overlay windows (use Zoom in windowed mode instead).
Suggestions not relevant: check that your job description is loaded in your profile. The relevance of suggestions drops noticeably without it.
The setup takes about ten minutes the first time. After that it’s quick to launch and configure for each interview. The Craqly download page has both the Mac and Windows installers alongside setup documentation if you need more detail than I’ve covered here.
Good luck with the interview.