Structured Interview – A Weapon To Excel At Technical Recruitment

A structured interview is an interview that operates on a predefined template; the interviewer questions the candidate from a prepared list of questions in a defined order. Thus, it is also known as a planned interview.

They are quantitative in nature, paving the way for companies to perform statistical analysis and compare candidates accurately and fairly.

For example, in a planned interview, a candidate’s response to each question can be scored with the help of a rating scale. Let’s take a five-point scale –  a response that shows awareness is awarded a 1, whereas one that showcases expertise gets a 5. This scoring tactic provides a quantitative means of comparing the competency of various candidates.

So, what sort of questions do tech recruiters actually ask during these interviews?

Well, here are some standard structured interview questions:

1. What did you learn from your last training session? How did you apply your knowledge practically?
2. Tell me about a time you failed at a project. How did you learn from the experience?
3. How do you fare at explaining technical concepts to non-technical fellow employees? Please follow your answer with an example.

What are the different types of structured interviews?

There are three core types, all conducted through different mediums. They are as follows:

1) Structured face-to-face interviews: This type of planned interview involves the physical exchange of information between the interviewer and interviewee through direct communication.

Face-to-face interviews pave the way for more thorough evaluation – interviewers can assess the candidate’s body language, expressions and use visual aids to help conduct the interview.

However, this type of interview is time-consuming and resource-exhausting, so there is a trade-off in choosing it over other types.

2) Structured video interviews: As the name suggests, these are conducted via a high-definition video call and offer some key benefits over face-to-face interviews. Structured video interviews, especially in the case of asynchronous video interviews are less time-consuming and are not subject to geographical constraints – making them ideal for remote hiring.

Structured video interviews are also cost-effective as they are less resource-demanding.

3) Structured tests: A structured test or questionnaire is a type of structured interview that acts as a quantitative research method.

In this type of interview, a series of standardized questions are presented in sequence. The test questions are usually closed-ended and can be in the form of MCQs, short answers, or longer responses.

Structured tests are both time and cost-effective, and they make data collection and analysis convenient.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of conducting structured interviews?

We have mentioned a few of many advantages already. Here’s a quick run-down of the key benefits of planned interviews:

1. Minimal Interviewer Bias: As mentioned previously, a structured way of conducting interviews is ideal for minimizing interviewer bias. The interviewer’s focus is on the questions, rather than personal judgments and opinions, making for a fairer and more effective interview process. 
2. Paced interview environment: With a structured approach, each interview takes around the same time to conduct – and less than an unstructured interview. This helps save time and also makes for more accurate scheduling.
3. Better preparation: Structured interviews have an underlying framework and a set of relevant questions. This saves interviewers from forgetting to ask important questions and helps maintain the focus of the interview.
4. Analysis and comparison: Conducting interviews in a planned way yields quantitative results, which recruiters can use to compare candidates reliably. 

While there are many benefits, this type of interview format is not without fault. Their drawbacks include:

1. Restriction: They require interviewers to stick to pre-defined questions, limiting the scope of the interview. If the interviewer wants to learn more about something the candidate discussed, then they are unable to without violating the structure.
2. Unfair Play: If a company’s set of predefined questions are leaked or made publicly known, then candidates may synthesize responses to each question in advance. This can taint the authenticity of the interview process and adversely affect the evaluation results.
3. Planning efforts: The format and set of questions for a structured interview require time and effort to perfect. Moreover, companies may need to update their questions and interview process as they gain new insights.

Using an online tool to conduct structured tests and video interviews, however, can solve the aforementioned.