Career Control: Which Interview Style Achieves the Best Recruitment Success?

While much attention is given to the questions asked during interviews, the format of the interview itself can be equally important in determining recruitment success. Whether structured or unstructured, choosing the right format is more than just a logistical decision, it’s fundamental to ensuring that you find the right balance between technical competency and cultural fit. This balance is crucial to hiring a candidate who not only performs well in their role but also integrates well into your company’s values, processes, and long-term goals. 

Structured Interviews

In a structured interview, the interviewer develops a clear set of questions focused on specific competencies, skills and behaviours that are aligned with the role. These predetermined questions are close ended, meaning that each candidate is asked the same questions in the same order, with uniform criteria for evaluating responses.

This format provides consistency across interviews and minimises bias, making it particularly effective for assessing a candidate’s technical skills and ensuring that all candidates are measured against the same standards. While structured interviews are ideal for roles where technical skills are paramount, they may offer less insight into a candidate's interpersonal skills, adaptability, or cultural fit.

“If it were up to you, what would our company’s budgeting process look like?”

“When should a company consider issuing debt instead of equity?”

“How do you record PP&E and why is this important?”

Unstructured interviews:

On the other hand, unstructured interviews are more conversational and fluid. Instead of following a strict script, the interviewer adapts questions based on the flow of the conversation, allowing for more open-ended responses. This format is particularly useful for assessing a candidate’s problem-solving abilities, leadership style, and cultural fit, areas where there may not be a "right" or "wrong" answer.

For more senior or creative roles, where strategic thinking and leadership qualities are key, an unstructured interview allows for deeper exploration of the candidate’s values, personality, and how they might contribute to or evolve the culture of the business. However, they can introduce more variability and subjectivity into the process, which may complicate the comparison between candidates.

“How do you show leadership in the face of adversity?”

“How would you define your main drivers today, and how are these reflected in your work and career so far?”

“Which is more important in business – IQ or EQ?”

Cultural Fit vs. Technical Fit

A critical factor in hiring processes is assessing both technical fit and cultural fit. Technical fit ensures that a candidate has the skills, experience and ability required to perform the job, while cultural fit assesses how well they align with the values, beliefs, and behaviours of the company.

Balancing these factors is key to hiring candidates who will excel in their role and contribute positively to the company’s culture. While technical fit is easier to measure and guarantees immediate job performance, cultural fit is harder to quantify but crucial for long-term success, engagement, and team cohesion.

Companies traditionally focus on technical skills because they’re easier to identify and assess. However, cultural fit requires evaluating less tangible traits like personality and values, which are harder to teach or develop but equally vital for a harmonious workplace.

Which Format is Right for Your Hiring Process?

It would be wrong to say that one approach is definitively better than the other. Both structured and unstructured interviews offer unique advantages, depending on the role and the qualities you're seeking. Structured interviews provide consistency and fairness, ideal for evaluating technical skills, while unstructured interviews offer flexibility, allowing deeper insights into a candidate’s personality and cultural fit. Often, a hybrid approach combining aspects of both formats strikes the right balance. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that your hiring process assesses both technical competency and cultural alignment, leading to a hire who not only performs well but enhances your company’s long-term success.

Remember, the best interviews aren't interrogations, they're conversations that encourage candidates to engage, share their unique perspectives and show you, their potential.