What are Structured Interviews?
Structured Interview is a type of quantitative interview method in which a set of questions are asked to each interviewee in a standardized order. The motive of such interviews is to conduct the interview with each candidate in the same manner.
In Structured Interviews, a set of questions or a questionnaire is framed by the interviewer in advance. All the candidates have to answer them so that they can be evaluated without any biases. Mostly, close-ended questions are asked in structured interviews, although sometimes few open-ended questions might also be asked by some interviewers.
Types of Structured Interviews
- Face-to-Face Interview- In face-to-face interviews, the interviewer and the interviewee have a one-to-one discussion and exchange the data or information physically. Such interviews provide in-depth, accurate and comprehensive data about the candidate. Also, the interviewer can observe the body language and expressions of the candidate easily. But, face-to-face interviews require a lot of staff which makes it an expensive method. Besides, this is also a very time-consuming method of interviewing.
- Telephonic Interview- Telephonic interviews are conducted either on an audio or video call. The recruiter asks pre-decided questions to the candidates, essentially in the same order to every candidate. Such interviews are more convenient, time-saving and cost-effective than face-to-face interviews. The response rate of video interviews is very high which fastens up the whole hiring process. But, there is a lack of direct connection between the interviewer and the interviewee, therefore, the interviewer is less likely to analyze the body language of the candidates.
- Survey/Questionnaire Interview- A questionnaire is a document in which a set of questions are designed, generally close-ended, which the interviewees have to answer. The questionnaire can be sent physically or online through any medium, like email. Questionnaires are a very useful tool when you want to gather data from large data samples. But, they are somewhat rigid in nature and that’s why they have a high drop-out rate.
Benefits of Structured Interviews
- Simple and Easy to Conduct- Structured interviews are simple and easy to administer. They come up with standardized close-ended questions, which makes the whole process easier.
- Consistent and Reliable Results- As all the candidates have to answer the same questions, it makes the evaluation process easier for the recruiters which gives consistent and reliable results.
- A Powerful Form of Assessment- Structured interviews are a powerful form of assessment, as all the candidates are evaluated on the basis of the same questions. The information gathered can be easily compared and conclusions can be drawn without any kind of biasness.
- Time-Saving Process- Because of the simplicity of structured interviews, it saves the time of both the interviewers and the interviewees which results in fastening of the hiring process.