An example of a structured job interview is a scenario where a candidate is interviewed by a team of employees and asked the same list of questions as all other applicants for the position. This ensures the interview experience is as consistent as possible across applicants, allowing the human resources team to fairly review and compare their answers.

Example of a Structured Job Interview

In a structured job interview, the interviewer asks the same questions of every candidate. The questions are prepared in advance, and the interviewer uses a standardized rating system for each response. This approach allows the interviewer to accurately compare the interviews of different candidates.

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Job interviews are primarily categorized into two formats: unstructured and structured. The key distinctions between them lie in the consistency of questioning, the level of advance preparation, and the method used for evaluating candidate responses.

Types of Interviews in Employee Selection

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Research, including a significant meta-analysis, has demonstrated that structured interviews are more effective predictors of a candidate's future job performance compared to unstructured interviews.

Effectiveness of Structured Interviews

An unstructured interview is a type of qualitative interview that consists of a small number of general prompts or questions. This open-ended format gives participants the freedom to talk about what is important to them and guide the direction of the conversation. In psychological research, unstructured interviews are especially well-suited for sensitive topics because they allow the participants, rather than the researchers, to control the pace and depth of the disclosure.

Unstructured Interview

A structured interview is a qualitative data collection method in which the researcher adheres to a strict script. The interviewer asks a consistent, predetermined set of questions and does not deviate from them. While this approach ensures consistency across all participants, it does not allow the researcher to explore unanticipated topics or ask spontaneous follow-up questions.

Structured Interview

In an unstructured job interview, the interviewer may ask different questions of each different candidate, such as asking one candidate about their career goals and another about their previous work experience. The questions are often, though not always, unspecified beforehand, and the responses are generally not scored using a standard system.

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