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Conducting Structured Interviews Checklist
Structured interviews are 2x as effective at predicting job performance than unstructured interviews
Structured interviews have become an industry best practice. Research shows that the more structure you can add into job interviews, the better they become at predicting job performance. In fact, some research suggests structured interviews are twice as effective at predicting job performance than unstructured interviews.
A structured interview is a standardized way of interviewing candidates. It means asking each candidate the same predetermined set of questions, in the same order, and using clear and consistent criteria for evaluating their answers.
What do structured interviews help accomplish?
- Objectively evaluate candidates
- Provide a consistent and fair candidate experience
- Reduce bias in the interview process
- Improve the likelihood of finding the most suitable candidate
Structured Interview Best Practices Checklist
Below, we’ve compiled a checklist of a few best practices to help you conduct structured interviews that predict job performance and improve your hiring outcomes.
1. Conduct a job analysis
First, define the competencies and qualities a candidate will need to be successful in the role. Performing a thorough job analysis helps you determine the tasks to be performed in a role, and the competencies and traits people need to be successful in the role you are hiring for.
2. Design a set of interview questions that are linked to job-relevant criteria
Ensure interview questions are aligned with the job based on the job analysis. Opt for a mix of behavioral and situational questions that provide insight into whether a candidate has the competencies for the role. Ensuring your interview questions are linked to the role helps to reduce bias by eliminating subjective questions, and also increasing the predictive validity for future job performance
3. Standardize your interview questions
Structured interviews involve asking the same questions to all candidates, in the same order. This makes it easier to assess them side by side, helping you minimize unconscious bias while instilling as much fairness into your process as possible.
Tip: Interview questions aren’t the only way to evaluate candidates. Consider incorporating work sample assessments to help you more accurately predict whether a candidate would be successful if hired.
4. Standardize the evaluation of answers
Interviews can easily become subjective depending on the interviewer’s unconscious biases, personal preferences, and initial impression of candidates. That’s why it’s important to clearly define the criteria you use to assess candidates and to develop a scoring system for evaluating their responses. Creating standardized evaluation criteria that all interviewers use to rate each candidate is the best way to maintain consistency and objectivity throughout the hiring process. And by assessing all candidates using the same criteria, hiring managers can clearly and more accurately compare each candidate’s suitability for the role.
5. Factor in time to create a positive and meaningful candidate experience
It’s important to remember your structured interviewing process impacts the candidate experience too. The benefit of using structured interviews is that they ensure every candidate has an equal opportunity to shine and that they’re assessed accurately and consistently. Make it easy for candidates to apply and provide them with information about what to expect during the hiring process. Communicate the value of standardization to candidates to improve perceptions of fairness.
Tip: Remember, while your hiring team is gathering data and insights about each applicant, candidates are also looking for information and insight from the interview to make an informed decision. Show candidates why they should work for you and showcase your company’s mission and culture.
6. Prepare your hiring team and make hiring collaborative
Hiring great talent is often a team effort. By involving multiple interviewers and evaluators in the process, you can reduce personal bias. Ensure the hiring team and evaluators understand the hiring objectives. It’s important for them to understand the assessment criteria and how the scoring system works to ensure each candidate is assessed objectively and consistently. Sticking to the evaluation criteria helps ensure your recruitment and selection are grounded in a solid evidence base.
How video interviewing technology can help you conduct more structured interviews
Even when we create highly structured interviews with clear evaluation rubrics, in-person interviews can still be clouded by unintentional bias. That’s because despite being as consistent as possible during real-time, live interviews with candidates, every interviewer’s approach will vary from person to person.
Technology such as one-way (or asynchronous) video interviewing has become a mainstream method for assessing talent, as it offers flexibility and early insight to both candidates and employers.
One-way video interviewing tools provide a framework for creating a structured interview process that keeps the experience consistent from one candidate to another. Employers can pre-record interview questions and create standardized rating systems for each evaluator to follow
The benefits of pre-recorded video interview questions
Establish a more standardized interview process
By using pre-recorded interview questions where the same interviewer asks questions in the same way every time, you can ensure that each candidate has an identical interview experience.
In designing structured video interviews, there are additional elements you can keep consistent, such as:
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The time you give candidates to prepare a response
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The time you give candidates to deliver a response
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The opportunity to retake responses
Advanced video interviewing platforms give you control over all these factors to help you add more structure to your interviewing process. Some video interviewing tools allow you to incorporate work sample tests such as written assessments, role plays and presentations, to help you more accurately predict whether a candidate would be successful if hired.
Establish a consistent rating system
The presence of a standardized rating system is important to ensure objective decisions.
Look for video interviewing technology that allows you to create your own company guides to evaluate candidates fairly and consistently based on your internal rubrics. Video interviewing platforms also collate the scores from every evaluator and present an aggregate score, speeding up the evaluation and decision-making process.
There are benefits for the candidate experience as well:
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Candidates can complete the interview at their convenience and in their preferred location
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Candidates can present themselves more naturally and can prepare with practice questions