Structured interviewing: an essential tool

Let's set the context, the world of recruitment is particularly complex. Since every decision counts, evaluation interviews are an extremely important exercise for recruiters (regardless of the profession). Unfortunately, these interviews are all too often based on subjective impressions (such as feelings), leading to biased decisions. Surprisingly, it has been shown that a candidate's success in a job interview only guarantees 14% its effective performance at work. Faced with this observation, it is crucial to choose a more prepared and rigorous approach.

Do you have a minute? Take note, we have the solution.

Indeed, this is where the structured interviews are coming in, offering a methodical and objective approach that helps assess candidates fairly and consistently. Their use makes it possible to increase the reliability rate of recruitment decisions, from 14% to 26%. The risk of a critical incident is then reduced.

1 - What is a structured interview?

Let's start with a definition, it is a rigorous evaluation process that follows a pre-established set of questions and evaluation criteria. Unlike the unstructured type, where questions can vary from candidate to candidate and where evaluations are often based on subjective impressions, structured interviews establish a standardized framework for all candidates, allowing for an objective comparison of their performances, motivations, and skills.

THEmajor asset of a structured interview lies in the fact that it is capable, for a subject, of minimizing cognitive biases and promoting an equitable assessment. In addition, it provides increased reliability by reducing variations related to the individual interpretation of evaluators.

In this article, we invite you to project yourself into the world of structured interviews and to become a real expert in the field. Let's discover together thefundamental utility of this method and its positive impact on your assessment processes.

2 - Why use the structured interview technique?

The structured interview technique is used to several reasons important. Let's go look for them without further ado:

• Reliability and validity of structured interviews

If as a manager you are looking for more reliable and valid evaluations, structured interviews are the ideal solution. Designed with rigor, they surpass unstructured interviews. By following a predefined number of questions (in a specific order) and evaluation criteria, they allow reduce errors in judgment And the biases that could affect your evaluations. In this way, you get objective and consistent results in a simpler and more efficient way.

It is true that unstructured interviews are often influenced by subjective impressions, stereotypes, and reviewers' personal preferences. By opting for a standardized framework and clear evaluation criteria, structured interviews minimize these cognitive biases, thus promoting a more equitable and fair assessment of the skills and qualifications of candidates.

In addition, structured interviews allow more objective comparison of candidates, because they are evaluated according to the same parameters. This approach greatly facilitates decision-making during the recruitment process, by identifying the personalities best suited to the specific requirements of the position.

By adopting structured interviews, you ensure quality evaluations, based on objective criteria and free from the potentially biased influences of evaluators. You will thus be able to rely on solid and relevant information to make informed decisions while ensuring fairness in your recruitment processes.

• Equal opportunities for candidates

By unequivocally eliminating potential discrimination and by focusing only on the skills and qualifications of candidates, structured interviews guarantee absolute equality of opportunity!

This objective and fair approach allows each candidate to highlight their abilities and to be evaluated, at the same level, solely on the basis of their professional merits. Regardless of their origin, gender, age, or any other characteristic protected by law, candidates can feel fully confident knowing that their skills will be assessed impartially.

This is how structured interviews contribute significantly to the creation of a more inclusive hiring environment and respectful, where each individual has the opportunity to express their abilities in an equitable manner.

To be able to adopt inclusive recruitment in your company, we recommend that you check out one of our latest articles: 10 tips for inclusive hiring.

• Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of recruitment

Structured interviews are proving to be a powerful lever for reduce both time and costs associated with the selection process. Thanks to a clear framework and pre-established evaluation criteria, these interviews allow for more effective conduct and faster recruitment decisions.

By evaluating candidates objectively and accurately identifying the key competencies required for the position, structured interviews promote the selection of the most competent candidates who are best suited to the specific needs of the organization. Result : better quality recruitments and a greater match between the selected candidates and the positions to be filled.

By focusing on structured interviews, your company can thus prepare for significant savings in terms of time and resources, while ensuring increased efficiency in its recruitment process. A gain in efficiency that translates into informed decisions and better profitability for the company as a whole.

3 - How to set up structured interviews? 3 steps

To set up structured interviews, it is essential to follow three key steps Here are the must-haves:

• Preparing for the interview: the art of a well-prepared selection

When preparing for an interview, it is essential to know clearly what you want to look for first in your employees in order to prioritize the criteria. Carefully choose the questions that will allow these specific competencies to be explored, while ensuring that they are clear, objective and closely linked to the requirements of the job.

The creation of a evaluation grid is a crucial step. It should include relevant assessment criteria and be based on standardized questions to ensure a fair comparison between candidates.

Our advice : in this perspective, the use of a dedicated online platform can greatly facilitate the creation and management of these evaluation grids, allowing you to focus on what matters most. Yuzu is also a specific tool that facilitates the management of these online evaluation grids. Indeed, our solution makes it possible to assess the soft skills of candidates in an objective and coherent manner, thus contributing to informed recruitment decisions. Thanks to this, you can focus on the essentials of the maintenance and improve your candidate experience.

Evaluate the soft skills of your talents with Yuzu!

As each position is unique, it is essential to think of a structured interview grid model adapted specifically to its requirements. By adapting your grid model according to the skills required for each position, you will maximize the relevance of your evaluations and ensure an accurate and targeted assessment.

Finally, it is crucial to ensure that all internal parties involved fully understand the method structured maintenance and are trained to apply it consistently. A clear understanding and adequate implementation guarantee a fair and objective evaluation, thus strengthening the quality of your selections.

So, by carefully preparing for your structured interviews, you will create a solid foundation for accurate, fair, and effective candidate assessment, leading to more informed hiring decisions and talented, competent teams.

• Interview process

To start the interview with flying colors, it is essential to create a warm and welcoming environment. Take a few moments to put the interviewer at ease, and briefly explain how the interview went. This will allow the candidate to feel confident and to understand the expectations of this valuable exchange.

Take this opportunity to speak in person Of clear and engaging information about the company, its culture and the specificities of the position to be filled. By enlightening the candidate on these elements, you will allow him to better understand the environment in which he could evolve, thus promoting better mutual understanding.

The core of the interview lies in following up on the pre-established evaluation grid and the use of standardized questions. This informed choice guarantees an objective and fair evaluation of candidates. Be sure to ask questions that encourage concrete, specific answers, allowing for in-depth exploration of their skills, experiences, and potential fit for the job.

Remember that the interview is a dynamic exchange: let the candidate ask for data or other information and let him answer your questions as much as possible. You will learn a lot more about him. In fact, you will get additional clarifications. This will help you better identify the candidate's abilities, knowledge, and behavioral competencies, while establishing authentic dialogue.

By following this approach, you will create an engaged and interactive interview environment, where each exchange is an opportunity to discover the potential and abilities of candidates.

• Assessment and decision making

Once the interviews have been successfully conducted, it is time to enter the crucial phase of assessment and decision making. You have collected the answers of the candidates with care and attention, now it is time to evaluate them rigorously and impartially!

For this, it is recommended to use a Rating scale predefined for each evaluation criterion. This scale will allow you to quantify candidate performance objectively. Thanks to this evaluation grid, each criterion will be evaluated accurately and consistently, thus eliminating biases and subjective judgments.

Once the evaluations are complete, you need compare results of each candidate according to pre-established criteria. This crucial step will allow you to have a global and comparative vision of the skills and qualities of each candidate. By doing things fairly, you will be in a position to make objective and informed decisions.

It is essential to keep goals and requirements in mind of the position during this evaluation phase. Identify the candidate who best matches the skills and qualities you are looking for. Based on the results of the assessment, you will be able to determine which candidate is the most qualified and best suited to the position.

By following these methodical steps, you will create perfect harmony between the talents revealed during structured interviews. The decisions taken will be objective, equitable and in perfect harmony with the needs of your organization.

4 - How can you successfully organize your interviews fairly between candidates?

To organize your interviews fairly between your candidates, we invite you to follow our various tips :

• Neutrality of the interview

When it comes time for the interview (in-person or remote situation), it is essential to be neutral, impartial and to avoid any form of discrimination. Your objective : to give each candidate a chance, by putting aside prejudices and irrelevant questions for the assessment of essential skills for the position.

Be aware of your own biases and be careful not to let these unconscious influences guide your decisions. Each candidate deserves to be treated equally, regardless of their diversity, background, or characteristics protected by law. It is in this state of mind that you will be able to truly value the skills and qualifications of candidates, offering them an equal chance to stand out.

Our advice : avoid personal or discriminatory questions. Simply assess the qualifications and skills needed to excel in the position at hand.

By embracing neutrality, you open the doors to fairness and justice in the assessment process. Each candidate will have the opportunity to shine, show their full potential and stand out based on their professional merits. In this way, you will contribute to the construction of an inclusive and respectful recruitment environment, where only skills and qualifications will prevail. Stand out!

• Consistency in the assessment

When it comes time to assess candidates, it is essential to ensure rigorous consistency. To do this, using a standardized assessment grid is proving to be an essential cornerstone.

However, the consistency doesn't end there. It is equally important that all evaluators follow the same evaluation methodology and use the same criteria. This helps to avoid differences in judgment and potential biases that could influence the results.

Our advice : to achieve this harmony, we recommend that you organize preliminary meetings, where evaluators can meet, discuss and harmonize their expectations. These exchanges create a common language and ensure that all members of the recruitment team share a coherent vision of assessment.

• Transparency and communication with candidates: pillars of a fair recruitment process

Establishing transparent communication with candidates throughout the hiring process is critical. From the start, it is important to clearly explain the evaluation process and the criteria used. This transparency promotes a mutual understanding of expectations, allowing candidates to prepare appropriately.

After interviews, it is essential to provide candidates with a constructive feedback. This means highlighting their strengths, but also highlighting areas that need improvement. By focusing on the skills and qualifications required for the job, the feedback provided allows candidates to understand where they stand and how they can progress.

By adopting these principles of transparency and communication, you can create fair interviews that truly focus on candidate skills, while avoiding discrimination and bias. This reinforces the integrity of your recruitment process and promotes a fair and objective assessment of candidates, thus ensuring a fair and respectful professional environment for all.

5 - How to take notes during interviews and write an effective report?

Control your note-taking and write powerful reports with these wise advice :

• Effective note-taking methods

First of all, use abbreviations and acronyms understandable to save time when taking notes. For example, use “NP” for “irrelevant.”

Organize your notes of clear and structured way using titles, subtitles, or numbers. This will help you quickly find important information when writing the report later.

After the interview, reread your notes to ensure they are clear and understandable. If necessary, add additional information to complete or clarify certain points.

By tracking this, you will be able to capture essential information during interviews and facilitate the subsequent writing of accurate and useful reports for the recruitment process.

• What to include in the interview report

Take into account the nonverbal expressions and behaviors of the candidate. Note gestures, attitude, eye contact, and other nonverbal signals relevant to assess communication and interpersonal skills.

If the candidate asked questions about the company or the position, summarize these questions as well as the responses that you provided. This shows the candidate's interest and commitment to the position.

If you have observed discrepancies or inconsistencies in the candidate's answers, write them down as well. For example, if the skills mentioned in the resume do not match the answers provided during the interview.

Finally, don't forget to include the datum of the interview, the noun of the candidate, the workstation concerned and your own identifying information as the reviewer.

By bringing all of these elements together in a clear and comprehensive interview report, you will have a valuable tool for evaluating candidates, making informed decisions, and communicating effectively with other team members involved in the hiring process.

• Sharing the report with the parties concerned

You will then have to present the report to your clients (if you are a firm), to recruiters, managers and members of the recruitment team involved in the selection process. With this information, they will be in a better position to make an informed decision.

Use the report as reference during final recruitment decisions. The information recorded in the report should serve as an objective basis for evaluating candidates and selecting the most appropriate for the position.

By following these recommendations, you will be able to take notes effectively during interviews and produce complete and relevant reports to facilitate decision-making during the recruitment process.

To remember

Structured interviews are proving to be one of the first essential tools for carrying out the objective evaluation mission and therefore recruiting added value. These interviews provide relevant information on the skills and qualifications of candidates, while minimizing biases and discrimination.

La careful preparation of the interview (defining the objectives, selecting the appropriate questions and developing a standardized evaluation grid) promotes a consistent and equitable evaluation of candidates. In addition, training in the structured interview method ensures that this process is applied consistently and accurately.

During the interviews, the neutrality is essential. By avoiding personal or discriminatory questions and by focusing on the skills and qualifications required, we ensure that evaluations are objective and based on measurable criteria.

La Effective note taking And the Writing a report comprehensive make it possible to record key information and to facilitate the comparison of candidates. By sharing these reports with the parties involved, transparency and clear communication are ensured throughout the recruitment process.

To conclude this guide, adopting structured interviews promotes objective evaluations, reduces the biases inherent in unstructured interviews, and increases the chances of finding the most qualified and best suited candidates for the position. This essential tool thus contributes to more fair, equitable and efficient recruitment processes. So are you convinced that using structured interviews is the right method? If it is not the case, know that it exists innovative ways to recruit.

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