Two managers meet the same candidate. The first finds them brilliant, the second unconvincing. They did not get the wrong person: they simply did not ask the same questions, or judge against the same criteria. This is the problem with the unstructured interview, and it is what the structured interview tries to solve. The principle is simple: the same questions, linked to the skills the role requires, asked in the same order to every candidate, and scored on the same grid. Putting it into practice is less simple, especially when you have to convince managers used to “getting a feel” for candidates. This article compares the two approaches, explains how to build the questions, distinguishes behavioural questions from situational ones, shows how to score answers and how to train managers.
Unstructured and structured interviews
The unstructured interview
In an unstructured interview, the recruiter follows the conversation: they pick up on the candidate’s background, ask whatever questions come to mind and form an impression. This flexibility has its advantages, notably for building trust. But it has a major flaw: two candidates do not go through the same interview, and the decision rests largely on the overall impression, the one that forms in the first few minutes.
The structured interview
The US federal agency in charge of the civil service, the Office of Personnel Management, defines it as an assessment method designed to measure job-related competencies 🔗: every candidate gets the same questions, in the same order, and their answers are scored on the same scale, with the same benchmarks. The aim is twofold: to assess more accurately and consistently, and to give every candidate the same chance to show what they can do.
Why it reduces bias
Hiring biases are often unintentional: a preference for profiles like our own, the halo effect of a prestigious degree or company, the excessive weight of first impressions. The structured interview does not remove them, but it frames them. By forcing you to judge each skill separately, on concrete examples, it limits the place of the overall impression. It is also a tool for preventing discrimination, a subject on which the Défenseur des droits 🔗 (the French rights ombudsman) publishes recommendations for employers.
Structured does not mean mechanical
A structured interview does not rule out a welcome, a presentation of the role or follow-up questions. It sets a common base; the recruiter remains free to dig into an answer to get a precise example.
Building questions from the skills
Start from the role
Everything starts with the analysis of the role, carried out during the brief with the manager. From it you draw four to six key skills: the ones that really make the difference between someone who succeeds and someone who fails in the role. For a customer account officer, this might be handling an unhappy customer, organising a portfolio and administrative rigour; for a team leader, leadership, conflict management and safety.
Define each skill
A vague skill (“good people skills”) produces vague questions. Define it through observable behaviours: “explains a difficult decision to a customer without losing the relationship”, “prioritises tasks when several urgent matters arrive at once”.
Two or three questions per skill
For each skill, prepare one main question and one or two follow-ups. Write them down: this is what guarantees that every candidate gets the same ones.
Avoid questions that measure nothing
- overly general hypothetical questions (“How would you describe yourself?”);
- questions about private life, which are prohibited anyway;
- questions with an obvious right answer (“Are you rigorous?”).
Behavioural questions and situational questions
Behavioural questions
They focus on real situations: “Tell me about a time you had to handle a very unhappy customer.” The assumption is simple: the way a person acted in the past tells you something about how they will act. To get a usable answer, the recruiter guides the candidate towards a four-part structure: situation, task, action and result.
Situational questions
They describe a hypothetical scenario linked to the role: “A customer calls you at six in the evening about an order that was not delivered, which they expected that morning. What do you do?” They are useful for candidates with little experience, or for rare but critical situations.
Practical exercises
Depending on the role, the interview may be complemented by an exercise: writing a letter, analysing a file, a role play. For technical roles, these tests are often central; developer candidates, for example, prepare specifically for them, as shown by how a developer prepares for a technical interview 🔗, and the recruiter has every interest in fitting them into the same structured framework. The tech recruiter CV example illustrates this kind of process.
Useful follow-ups
- “What happened next?”
- “What did you do, personally?”
- “What would you do differently today?”
These follow-ups bring the candidate back to the facts and to their own role.
Scoring answers consistently
One grid per skill
For each skill, a simple scale, for example from one to four, with a description of what each level represents. The lowest level describes a vague answer or one with no example; the highest, a precise answer with an appropriate action and a result.
Score during or right after the interview
Memory distorts quickly. Take factual notes during the interview (what the candidate said, not what you think of it), then score each skill immediately afterwards, before discussing with the other assessors.
Compare assessments
If several people meet the candidate, each scores independently before the group discussion. The discussion then focuses on the score differences, skill by skill, with the examples to support them. This rule prevents one enthusiastic or negative opinion from sweeping the whole group along.
Deciding
The decision is based on all the scores, taking into account the skills judged essential. A very low score on a critical skill may be enough to reject a candidate, even if the other scores are good. These rules must be set before the interviews.
Training managers in the method
Explain why
Managers rarely resist the method itself; they resist what they perceive as a loss of freedom. Start by explaining what it brings: stronger decisions that are easier to defend, and fewer failed hires during the probationary period.
Short, practical training
Half a day is often enough: presenting the method, building a grid for a real open role, practising behavioural questions in pairs, a scoring exercise on a case. Managers remember better what they have practised on their own recruitment.
Provide ready-to-use tools
An interview guide per role, with the questions, follow-ups and scoring grid, makes the method easy to apply. Build it into the ATS if possible, so that scores are recorded in one place. Our article on recruiter interview questions gives examples of questions by skill.
Track the results
Over time, compare interview scores with how the people hired actually do: departures during the probationary period, the six-month review. This tracking makes it possible to adjust the questions and convinces sceptical managers.
What this method says about you on a CV
Having rolled out structured interviews is a strong argument for a recruiter or head of recruitment. Write it with its effect: “Rolled out structured interviews with scoring grids for four job families and trained thirty managers.” The head of recruitment CV example shows how to include it, and our article on the diversity and inclusion CV links it to discrimination prevention. To format these lines, create your CV for free: the tool handles the presentation, and the PDF stays readable by the ATS that you yourself configure for your recruitments.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Structured Interviews 🔗: definition and principles of the structured interview.
- Défenseur des droits 🔗: recommendations on preventing discrimination in hiring.
Frequently asked questions
Is the structured interview suitable for every role?
Yes, with adjustments. For an entry-level role, situational questions are preferred; for an experienced role, behavioural questions. Very technical roles often add a practical exercise.
How many questions should you plan?
For a one-hour interview, eight to twelve main questions, spread over four to six skills, leave time for follow-ups and for the candidate’s questions.
Should the candidate know the interview is structured?
It is not compulsory, but announcing it is good practice: the candidate understands why the questions ask for precise examples, and prepares their answers better.
Can you keep some free conversation?
Yes. Many recruiters start with a presentation of the role and end with the candidate’s questions, outside the grid. What matters is that the assessed part is identical for everyone.