Interviews are crucial because they provide a unique opportunity to assess a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and cultural fit for the organization. They allow employers to delve deeper into a candidate’s experiences and capabilities beyond what is presented on paper. Additionally, interviews help establish a personal connection, offering insights into a candidate’s communication style and personality, which are vital for team dynamics and overall organizational success.
The type of interview that is conducted can have a great impact on the decision to hire or pass on a candidate. Listed below are two types of interview structures to keep in mind when interviewing your prospective employee.
Structured Interviews offer the same set of questions for all candidates
Pros:
- Consistency: Each candidate is asked the same set of questions, ensuring uniformity.
- Objectivity: Standardized questions reduce interviewer bias, leading to fairer evaluations.
- Comparability: Easy to compare candidates’ responses since they answer identical questions.
Cons:
- Rigidity: Limited flexibility may prevent interviewers from exploring interesting or relevant topics that arise during the conversation.
- Candidate Discomfort: Some candidates may find the structured format too formal or impersonal.
- Time-Consuming Preparation: Requires significant time to develop and refine standardized questions.
Unstructured Interviews tend to be more conversational and flexible
Pros:
- Flexibility: Allows interviewers to adapt questions based on the candidate’s responses and explore areas in more depth.
- Natural Flow: Creates a more conversational atmosphere, which can make candidates feel more at ease.
- Insightful Information: Can uncover unique insights about a candidate’s personality, thinking style, and cultural fit through open-ended discussions.
Cons:
- Inconsistency: Different candidates might be asked different questions, making it difficult to compare them objectively.
- Bias Risk: Greater potential for interviewer bias as there are no standardized questions guiding the process.
- Subjectivity: Evaluations can become highly subjective, relying heavily on the interviewer’s impressions rather than objective criteria.
Conclusion
Choosing between structured and unstructured interviews depends on your specific needs and context:
- If fairness, consistency, and legal defensibility are top priorities, structured interviews might be more suitable.
- If you value flexibility and want deeper insights into a candidate’s personality and potential cultural fit, unstructured interviews could be beneficial.
Many organizations opt for a hybrid approach by combining elements of both methods to balance structure with flexibility effectively,
VITUS Search Group is an executive search firm with over 50 years of combined staffing experience. Whether you are a professional interested in finding your next role or a talent seeker searching for high-caliber employees, contact VITUS today and take the first step in working with one of our recruiting specialists.