Is a Structured Interview Better for Employee Selection?

Interviewing is a vital step in the whole employee selection process. If done correctly, it will enable the employer or the hiring manager to have a clear picture of the employee’s abilities, skills, personality, and experience. However, there are two types of interviews – structured and unstructured. In this article, we will explain how both of these techniques work, present their pros and cons, and finally see which of these techniques is better when it comes to correct selection.

Structured interviews VS Unstructured interviews

In an unstructured interview, the applicant is the one who sets the pace of the conversation, and there are no strict questions. Therefore, those interviews are often unpredictable; candidates might not show their essential abilities, which can further lead to a biased selection. On the other hand, a structured interview is based on a specific set of questions which focuses on the job skills relevant only for a particular position. Why is this important? Because every applicant gets the same set of precise questions, rather than talking about some trivial things. As a result, the hiring manager or employer will have a clear picture of the abilities and skills of each applicant. In the end, the employer will be able to fairly compare all answers, and evaluate which person is the most suitable for a particular position. It is clear that the structured interview is much more objective, effective, and also less biased (often no bias at all).

Structured interviews help you hire the right candidate

Even though there are some positions where it is actually good that applicants talk a lot about various things (TV speaker, journalist, customer support, etc.), in most cases, the structured interview is providing better information for the interviewer. First of all, the hiring manager has to compile a specific list of questions carefully. Answers to those questions will show the exact differences between applicants in essential fields of job. Also, a candidate will not be able to lie about their experience or skills. If questions are compiled correctly, the interviewer will immediately see if the applicant knows the answer to a question or not. For instance, structured interviews have shown some great results when it comes to applying for administration jobs in Sydney. This way of employment worked exceptionally well for this business sector. However, the interviewer has to keep in mind multiple methods of approaching candidates. There are three methods which are proven to be the best for interviewing – the telephone (or Skype) interview, the direct one-on-one interview, and the panel interview. Let’s see why those methods are successful and how can you combine them for the best results.

What are the results of method combinations?

Telephone or Skype interviews are excellent for the start of the hiring process. The most common questions are about the applicant’s resume, as well as their interests and salary requirements. Here you can also use the structured or unstructured interview. Even if it seems that a non-directional conversation might be better for this type of introduction, the structured interview will win again when it comes to non-biased selection. On the other hand, the one-on-one interview could be approached in several ways – situational, behavioral, and competency-based. The situational approach focuses on random and hypothetical scenarios, and that is the method where the interviewer might consider the unstructured approach. However, in the other two approaches, it is far better to go with structured. Finally, in the panel interview, each candidate is interviewed individually by two or more people. Even if one interviewer overlooks something, the other person will not, most likely. That is the main advantage of this method. The structured interview has an advantage in this method too, again mostly because of the bias. Combining all these approaches will enable the top-notch employing process.

It is clear that, for most job positions, it is a lot better to go with structured interviews. Objectiveness, effectiveness, and non-biased decisions are the main reasons for choosing this technique. If the interviewers do each step correctly, the ideal candidate will show up in the end.