Structured and conversational interviews: your guide to hiring success.
You are about to start the interview process for one of your open vacancies, do you:
A. Just go for it, handling each interview separately and personalizing the questions depending on the candidate.
B. Prepare a set of questions, identical for each candidate, leaving no room for improvising.
Depending on which answer you choose, you are opting for a specific interviewing model. Today, we will explore the nuances between structured and conversational interviews – their advantages and limitations. We will also answer the question: is there no middle ground? (Spoiler alert: there is).
Delving into structured and conversational interviews.
A structured interview is based on a pre-defined standardized set of questions (identical for every candidate) and evaluation criteria for each key competence. The focus is both technical expertise and culture alignment. There is no room for improvisation or informal spontaneous conversation.
A conversational interview is an informal discussion. This approach encourages a more natural conversation. There is no scenario prepared, questions are very open-ended and vary depending on who is sitting on the other side of the table. Hence, the discussion can go in many different ways.
Advantages and limitations of structured and conversational interviews.
By structuring the interview process, you create a standardized experience for each candidate. It is a transparent approach that enables a fair process for the candidate and easier decision-making for you, mitigating unconscious bias.
On the other hand, such a strict approach may create a very formal atmosphere, making the candidate nervous and making you, the interviewer, constrained from going off the “script” and asking follow-up questions. It can limit insights about the candidate’s personality and additional strengths that can prove valuable for the team.
A conversational discussion aims to create a supportive and friendly atmosphere. You can get to know a candidate better by engaging them in a discussion about a real problem in your organization. When they present their ideas, you can add new facts and follow-up questions, observing how they pivot their thoughts and adapt to new situations.
As the discussion can go differently for each candidate and vary depending on the day you are having, it may not be objective. Moreover, it will make it impossible to compare the candidates and evaluate them against the same criteria.
How to take the best out of both approaches?
We recommend a semi-structured approach that has predetermined questions that provide a general pattern, but also allows follow-ups and leaves space for exploring particular responses. As a consequence, makes it more flexible, people-friendly and less rigid.
How to prepare for a semi-structured interview?
✅ Prepare a job description. Ensure it reflects the role, the profile of the candidate, and the required skill set. Then, HR and the Hiring Manager should collaborate, creating a set of behavioral and situational questions to ask each candidate, based on the job description. Again, focus on both: role-specific expertise and culture alignment. Don’t forget about any additional soft skills that you need to assess e.g. leadership or cross-functional team collaboration.
✅ Remember not only to use the same set of questions for every candidate but also evaluation criteria that are agreed beforehand.
✅ Follow the pre-defined questions as much as possible, but be flexible and ask follow-up questions. Also, give the candidate space to talk.
✅ Writing down your observations will help you evaluate the candidate according to the agreed criteria. Also, any discussions you will have within your team will be less dependent on your memory and feelings and more data-driven.
Path to success.
The goal is to create a consistent and fair interview process, assessing candidate’s skills and experiences, while reducing bias. At the same time, facilitating a more natural conversation, reducing stress and letting both sides get to know each other. The recruitment meeting should provide the candidate a chance to learn about the organization, its culture and the position. The interviewer should have a chance to see the candidate’s personality, communication style and cultural fit. Success in a role and organization is much more than just a technical “match” to the job profile.
Sources:
Choosing Between a Structured or Conversational Interview – https://hbr.org/2024/06/choosing-between-a-structured-or-conversational-interview
[access: 21.08.2024]
Semi-structured Interview: A Methodological Reflection on the Development of a Qualitative Research Instrument in Educational Studies – https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jrme/papers/Vol-12%20Issue-1/Ser-5/E1201052229.pdf
[access: 21.08.2024]
[access: 21.08.2024]
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