Interviewing Style

The company can use a range of interviewing approaches to develop an accurate and fair selection method. The decision is based on factors such as the nature of the position, the industry, the corporate culture, and the type of information the employer wants from the applicant.

Structured or unstructured interviewing strategies are available. Structured interviewing’s major goal is to identify job abilities that are critical to the role. All applicants for the position are asked the same set of questions by the interviewer. This easy approach allows the interviewer to fairly evaluate and compare candidates. Some interviewers ask the questions in a specific order, while others may not do so but nevertheless ensure that all of the intended questions are answered.

In most cases, structured interviewing gives the interviewer the information they need to make a recruiting choice. Because all applicants are asked the identical questions, it can also be useful in fighting against claims of discrimination in recruiting and selection.

In an unstructured interview, the interviewer does not have a set agenda and instead lets the applicant determine the interview’s speed. The majority of questions are open-ended, allowing the candidate to provide more information than if asked closed-ended questions that just require a brief response. Furthermore, in an unstructured interview, questions can be tailored to an applicant’s abilities and experience levels. However, when applicants are not asked the same set of questions, the lack of structure may make it impossible to compare and score them.

The following are the most common forms of interviews:

• The pre-interview over the phone.
• The one-on-one interview, which can be conducted behaviorally, competency-based, or situationally.
• The panel discussion.