A structured interview is a type of job interview where the interviewer asks the same set of predetermined questions in the same order to all candidates applying for a specific position. This standardized approach ensures consistency across the interview process.
What is a Structured Interview?
In a structured interview, the questions are typically developed in advance, often based on a thorough job analysis. These questions aim to assess specific skills, competencies, and experiences relevant to the role. The interviewer usually follows a scoring system or rubric to evaluate candidates' responses, allowing for a more objective comparison.
Examples of question types in a structured interview include:
- Situational Questions: Present a hypothetical scenario and ask the candidate how they would handle it (e.g., "Imagine a customer is very upset about a product defect. How would you resolve the situation?").
- Behavioral Questions: Ask about past experiences to predict future behavior (e.g., "Tell me about a time you faced a major challenge at work and how you overcame it.").
- Job Knowledge Questions: Assess technical or industry-specific knowledge.
Advantages of Structured Interviews
Structured interviews offer several significant benefits for both interviewers and candidates.
- Easy Comparison: As with any interview type, structured interviews have pros and cons. One of the key benefits is that you can easily compare multiple candidates' responses because everyone is asked the exact same questions.
- Fair and Objective Ranking: Candidates' answers provide fair and objective standards to rank responses. This standardization helps reduce personal bias and ensures that candidates are evaluated based on their merits relative to the job requirements.
- Reduced Interviewer Stress: It creates less stress for the interviewer to have to come up with questions on the spot. Having a predefined script allows interviewers to focus on listening to and evaluating the candidate's answers rather than formulating questions.
- Increased Reliability and Validity: Because the process is consistent, structured interviews are generally considered more reliable (consistent results) and valid (measure what they intend to measure) predictors of job performance compared to unstructured interviews.
- Legal Defensibility: The standardized nature and objective scoring make structured interviews more legally defensible, as they provide clear evidence that candidates were evaluated fairly and consistently based on job-related criteria.
Disadvantages of Structured Interviews
While structured interviews offer many advantages, they also have potential drawbacks.
- Less Flexibility: The rigid format can make it difficult to deviate from the script to explore interesting or unexpected points that arise during the conversation.
- Potential for Less Rapport: The focus on sticking to the questions might sometimes hinder the natural flow of conversation, making it harder to build rapport with the candidate or gauge their personality fit in a less formal way.
- May Feel Impersonal: Some candidates might find the experience less engaging or more robotic if the interviewer reads directly from a script without much deviation.
- Missed Opportunities: If a candidate has relevant experiences or skills that don't directly align with the specific structured questions, those valuable insights might be missed.
Summary Table: Structured Interview Pros and Cons
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Easy to compare candidates | Less flexibility |
| Fair and objective ranking | Can feel impersonal or rigid |
| Less stress for interviewer | May hinder rapport building |
| Increased reliability and validity | Potential to miss valuable, unsolicited info |
| Enhanced legal defensibility |
Structured interviews are a powerful tool in the hiring process when consistency, fairness, and objective evaluation are priorities. While they may lack the spontaneous nature of unstructured interviews, their benefits in standardizing the assessment process are significant.
