When you’re hiring new employees, it helps to have a structured interview process. Interviews can feel like improvised theater at times, with your potential hires answering whatever questions you ask them. Instead of letting your interviews veer in that direction, use a structured interview process. That way, you will learn specific information about the candidate to help you make an informed hiring decision. That type of interview is specifically designed to ask direct and relevant questions about whether the candidate would be a good fit for the job and also whether they would want to work for your company long term. The responses that you get from the interviewee should give you insight into whether they’re someone who will thrive under these conditions and also someone who won’t quit after six months on the job or give you grief on a regular basis.

What’s in a Structured Interview? #

A structured interview is an interview that’s designed to get specific information from the candidate. There are a few ways to structure an interview. You can conduct an open-ended interview, use a multi-step interview, or use a combination of both. Based on your hiring needs, you can choose an interview format that works best. A structured interview allows you to be as specific as you want when you’re asking questions. This gives you the opportunity to learn about the candidate’s experience, skills, and abilities in a more targeted way. It also allows the candidate to provide clear and concise answers that demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of their field. You can use a variety of tools when conducting a structured interview, including a questionnaire or interview guide. These tools allow you to have a consistent interview experience for each candidate. They also allow you to have a thorough and in-depth conversation with each candidate that gets you the information you need.

How to Hold a Structured Interview #

A structured interview is a planned and consistent conversation with each candidate. To conduct a structured interview, you can follow a structure that you created in advance. You can also use a questionnaire or an interview guide during the interview. During the structured interview, you can establish a consistent and professional interview environment. You can also choose to have someone else in the room with you while interviewing each candidate. This can help you stay consistent and also provide feedback during the interview. During the interview, you can ask each candidate pre-written questions. You can also ask more open-ended questions, depending on the type of job you’re hiring for. Asking open-ended questions can help you get more detailed information from the candidate. It can also help you identify the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Why Are Structured Interviews Important? #

A structured interview is important for a few different reasons. The first is that it allows you to be consistent during the interview process. This consistency can help you hire talented candidates because you’re not holding one person to a different standard than another person. It can also help you in the event that you need to take the candidate through the hiring process again. It can also help you to identify whether the candidate has the skills necessary to do well in the job. The structured interview process also allows you to ask specific questions about the candidate and their professional experience. You can discover things like what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their goals are for their career, and more. These are important things to know about the person you’re bringing on to your team.

Types of Structured Interview Questions #

There are a lot of different types of questions you can ask during a structured interview. These can range from situational questions to skill-based questions. Your structured interview questions should focus on things like the candidate’s experience, skills, and abilities. You can also ask questions about what the candidate’s goals are for their career and their strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few example questions you can ask during a structured interview:

• What is your greatest achievement?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• What is your career goal?
• What are three things you would like your manager to know about you?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What would your previous manager say are your strengths?
• What are a few ways that you think your department could improve?

Summing Up #

The structured interview is a highly effective way to get all the information that you need from each candidate so that you can make the most informed decision. You can ask specific questions, both situational and skill-based, that will help you to truly understand the person you are interviewing. This will help you to not only understand their experience and abilities, but also their strengths and weaknesses and what their goals are for their career.