Choosing an Interview Format

April 13, 2006

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Employment interviews may be highly structured, completely unstructured, or somewhere in between. Whatever form the interview takes, it involves the interaction between you and the applicant to determine whether you are suited to one another.

Structured interviews. In the structured interview, you prepare a list of questions ahead of time. You might use a standardized list for every applicant you talk to, a technique used by some businesses in an attempt to develop a format that does not discriminate. Or you might prepare a particular list of questions for each applicant based on the candidate's application or resume.

Some businesses use checklists or forms for recording applicants' answers to predetermined questions and to record impressions.

A highly structured interview that requires only short responses gives the applicant no room to explain answers or offer additional information. This approach is likely to frustrate both you and the applicant.

Unstructured interviews. Some interviewers prefer an entirely unstructured "tell me all about yourself" style. This type of interview can bring out a wide variety of information about the applicant. Sometimes, however, it degenerates into a rambling conversation and you get no useful information.

Just right. Somewhere in between the two extremes is the semi-structured interview, a style likely to work for you. You prepare some questions in advance so you're sure that certain subjects are covered. Then, you leave time for questions that arise during the course of the conversation. Candidates have the opportunity to elaborate where appropriate.

It takes time to plan this type of interview, both in deciding which questions to ask each applicant and in developing skills to "ad lib" between the prepared questions.