Asking the right questions is the first step to find the right candidate. But do you choose a structured, standardized approach, or do you leave room for flexibility with an open-ended conversation? How you approach interviewing has an effect on fairness, consistency and successful hiring.
In this blog, we will cover the differences between structured vs unstructured interviews, their advantages and disadvantages, and under what circumstances you should use each one. By the end you will know clearly which approach best fits your hiring needs.
A structured interview is a standardized interviewing method where candidates are presented with randomized questions from a pre-designed question pool ensuring consistent difficulty and comprehensive skill coverage.
Structured interviews provide a useful means of comparing candidates by assessing their responses to a common set of questions. Those methods, in turn, allow you to evaluate every candidate’s abilities and fit for the position. As the data is statistical, You Compare Responses Well Across all Candidates and Take a Wise Decision.
By interviewing the same group of questions to each candidate, the interviewer will be less likely to miss important or crucial areas. The structured interview style ensures that every candidate is assessed on the same grounds. Interviewers also usually take very detailed notes or even score the responses of candidates in structured interviews. Such an exercise helps to track information more easily, so nothing is missed or misread during the assessment process.
Structured interviews contribute to a fair hiring process by providing each candidate with the same questions in the same sequence. This method encourages a more uniform and impartial assessment of all candidates.
Structured interviews are great when you’re hiring for several positions and have lots of applicants. They let you conduct interviews in a consistent, efficient way, so you can spot the top candidates to move forward in the hiring process.
A structured interview offers an advantage in legal defensibility, as it uses a pre-defined set of assessment questions, which reduces the likelihood of discrimination.
A structured format ensures that the conversation flows in an organized way, which not only improves consistency but also enhances the overall interview experience for both the candidate and the interviewer.
Structured interviews can take time to develop, as interviewers need to create, test, and review questions to ensure they accurately measure a candidate’s qualifications for the position.
Structured interviews don’t leave much room for asking spontaneous follow-up questions or going off-script. Because of this, it’s harder to really get to know a candidate’s personality or understand what makes them unique.
These types of interviews can create a one-size-fits-all experience for candidates, which makes it harder for interviewers to judge how well a candidate would fit into the company culture.
While structured interviews are great for measuring technical skills, they do not provide enough room for the candidate to be spontaneous, express themselves creatively, demonstrate emotional intelligence, or showcase problem-solving skills.
An unstructured interview is a flexible and informal interview method where the interviewer does not follow a predetermined set of questions. Instead, the conversation flows naturally, allowing the interviewer to explore topics based on the interviewee’s responses. This approach enables a deeper understanding of the candidate’s personality, experiences, and qualifications, making it particularly useful for assessing interpersonal skills and cultural fit.
Unstructured interviews give you the freedom to tailor your questions to each candidate, allowing you to better understand their unique strengths and skills.
This flexible format offers a great opportunity to observe soft skills like body language, communication style, and overall demeanor, which are harder to gauge in more rigid interview types.
The laid-back atmosphere often makes candidates feel more comfortable, encouraging them to open up and give more authentic, insightful answers.
Because the conversation isn’t bound by strict questions, it’s easier to build a connection with the candidate, fostering trust and making them feel at ease during the process.
Without a set structure, it becomes difficult to measure candidates against the same standards. This can lead to inconsistent evaluations, making it hard to compare them fairly.
The open-ended nature of these interviews can sometimes lead to unconscious biases influencing the way candidates are judged.
Unlike structured interviews, unstructured ones are more unpredictable and can drag on longer, making them less efficient, especially when you have a lot of candidates to interview.
Because unstructured interviews don’t follow a standard procedure, they can be more vulnerable to challenges, particularly if a candidate feels unfairly treated.
The lack of a formal process can result in important aspects of a candidate’s qualifications being overlooked or not fully explored.
Unstructured interviews are best for exploratory research, building rapport with the interviewee, and gaining in-depth insights into the interviewee’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
Situational questions, job knowledge questions, behavioral questions, background questions, competency questions, resume questions.
Structured interview, unstructured interview and semi-structured interview.
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