Structured interviews and screening methods
What is a structured interview?
A structured interview is one where every candidate for a role is asked the same questions, in the same order, and scored against the same pre-agreed criteria. Decades of personnel selection research show structured interviews predict job performance significantly better than informal, unstructured conversations.
The key is that the questions and the scoring are decided before any interviews happen, not improvised during them.
Are structured interviews better than unstructured interviews?
Yes. Schmidt and Hunter's widely cited 1998 meta-analysis found structured interviews predicted job performance substantially better than unstructured ones, and Sackett and colleagues' 2022 re-analysis ranked structured interviews among the strongest selection methods available. Consistency is what makes the difference.
Unstructured interviews feel more natural, but they mostly measure how well the conversation went, not how well the person will do the job.
What is a situational judgement test?
A situational judgement test (SJT) presents candidates with realistic work scenarios and asks how they would respond. It measures practical judgement and behaviour rather than personality labels. A major 2001 meta-analysis by McDaniel and colleagues, covering over 10,000 people, found SJTs reliably predict job performance.
SJTs also tend to show smaller differences between demographic groups than many other assessment methods, which makes them a fairer tool as well as an effective one.
What are good interview questions for a small business?
Good interview questions ask for specific past examples or realistic scenarios linked to what the role actually needs. “Tell me about a time you had to prioritise two urgent tasks” is stronger than “How do you handle pressure?”, because it asks for evidence rather than self-description.
Decide which qualities matter most for the role first, then write one or two questions for each quality.
How do I score interview answers fairly?
Score each answer against a simple scale, such as 1 to 5, with a short description of what a strong, average, and weak answer looks like, written before interviews begin. Score straight after each answer rather than at the end, and score every candidate on the same questions.
Scoring at the end of an interview lets the overall impression overwrite what the candidate actually said.
Should I screen candidates before looking at their CVs?
Screening candidates on job-relevant questions before reading CVs reduces bias and saves time. CVs strongly influence first impressions through factors like school, previous employers, and presentation, which often predict performance poorly. Assessing how candidates think first means CVs are read with better context.
A short screening stage also filters out applications from people who aren't genuinely interested in the role.
Are personality tests useful for hiring?
Popular personality-type tests, such as four-colour or four-type models, are weak predictors of job performance and aren't designed for selection decisions. Assessing behaviour through realistic work scenarios, alongside structured interviews, is a more evidence-based way to understand how someone will work.
If a test sorts people into a small number of fixed types, treat it as a conversation starter, not a hiring tool.
How can I reduce bias in my hiring process?
The most effective ways to reduce bias are to decide your criteria before seeing any candidates, ask every candidate the same questions, score answers against a pre-written scale, and involve more than one person in decisions where possible. Consistency is the strongest defence against unconscious bias.
Bias tends to enter wherever a process allows improvisation. Structure closes those gaps.