Most hiring managers would prefer to swing from the hip and run with unstructured interviews, but is that the best method for selecting talent?
The good (and the bad) thing about unstructured interviews is that they’re relatively easy to conduct and hiring managers can choose their own adventure with the questions they feel are necessary at the time. While that may sound perfect to most, there are serious flaws to consider.
For example, what happens when the hiring manager notices their candidate attended the same University they did and they choose to explore with additional questions around education? Or maybe the hiring manager learns their candidate grew up in the same town and now questions are flowing about local ice cream shops and people they both might know. Both of these situations could lead to interview bias in the process.
While they may not realize it, hiring managers will lean towards candidates that are similar to them. Some may point to human nature here, but it’s certainly not helping the organization find the right fit. While unstructured interviews may be perceived to be the most effective interviewing method, studies have found they’re actually among the worst predictors of performance.
If the above hasn’t convinced you to make the switch to structured interviews, we have 4 reasons that might help you get there.
- Structured Interviews are More Reliable for Predicting Performance
Can you truly compare candidates and determine fit if they’ve all answered different questions? No, in fact, unstructured interviews can only explain 14% of an employee’s future performance. Here’s how the numbers compare:
- Structured Interviews: can explain 26% of future performance
- Unstructured Interviews: can explain 14% of future performance
- Reference Checks: can explain 7% of future performance
- Years of work experience: can explain 3% of future performance
With a structured interview, all qualified candidates answer the exact same set of questions. This makes comparing candidates answers and skill sets easier, and also puts candidates on an even playing field.
- Structured Interviews Promote Diversity
While managers may love going with their gut in hiring, unstructured interviews allow for bias and the possibility of hiring similar candidates in each position. Teams that are diverse and inclusive make stronger teams that will help attract clients and partners, stimulate innovation, and make for a better organization overall.
- Increased Legal Protection with Structured Interviews
Using the same questions for every candidate does make the structured interview more defensible in court if something should come up. While it may not erase all discrimination, a recent case review found only 13% of structured interviews were discriminatory, while half of unstructured interviews were discriminatory.
- Structured Interviews are Easier for Training Hiring Managers and Recruiters
Someone new to conducting interviews will appreciate a clear and easy to follow process that structured interviews provide. Coming up with questions on the fly can be challenging and the organization should want some control over which questions are asked. The set of questions will guide the interviewer through the process and should promote their own confidence throughout the interview.
- Structured Interviews Provide a Better Experience For Candidates and Recruiters
From the candidate’s perspective, there’s nothing worse than answering questions that may not have anything to do with the job and the skills needed to perform that job. The structured interview prevents questions from getting off track and sticks to what matters most for that specific position. This leads the candidate to feel as if they were treated fairly.
And similarly to the point above in number four, a structured interview will be easiest for most interviewers. With consistent pre-selected questions, they’ll be able to compare their notes more easily and will be able to explain clearly why a specific candidate is the better choice.
How Wepow Makes Structured Interviews Easy
Using our pre-recorded interview solution, it only takes a few steps to get started with an effective structured interview. The best part about working with Wepow is that your hiring team doesn’t need to spend any time training on structured interviews. Simply let our system guide and walk you through the following easy steps.
The above process and tools level the playing field for candidates and help your organization select the best fit. Our system ensures that all candidates receive the same questions. Once you’ve received their answers, utilize Wepow’s scoring system or build your own custom evaluation to keep rating consistent throughout the process.
Want to learn more benefits of a pre-recorded video interview? Click here to see how they’ll eliminate the hassle of scheduling and save valuable time for your recruiter.
Have a question about structured interviews and/or our pre-recorded interview solution? Send us a tweet to @goWepow.
