Blog

Do you use the “free wheeling” style of interview? How’s that working for you?

What type of interview format or style ensures you have a best fit candidate? 

Often I find business owners and managers using the “free wheeling” interview format. They don’t review the resume in great detail and they don’t prepare questions. Some haven’t even created a job description. They don’t have the time to prepare because they are busy with business. In certain cases, it might be because they enjoy the freedom of asking questions on the fly. But this can get them into trouble. I encourage a structured interview format with predetermined questions customized to the JOB. However, I also believe that questions should be customized to the candidate’s resume, experience and on-line presence. I also advocate the flexibility to ask questions on the fly.  Why?  Because a combination of all interview formats is the most effective to determine the best candidate so you don’t rely on gut feeling alone to make your hiring decision.

Structured Interview Format – Questions Designed for the JOB

A structured interview involves creating questions aligned to the job and asking all candidates the same questions. This eliminates the risk of discrimination and allows you to assess candidates on the same criteria. It’s pretty difficult to assess if you ask candidates different questions. To do this you need to understand the job, so a clearly written and defined job description is important. If you are looking for someone with creativity, for example, you will incorporate some out-of-the-box questions that require creative thinking. If you are looking for someone with problem solving abilities you might describe a scenario and ask them to problem solve on the spot. If you are looking for someone to fill a structured position, with set hours and operational procedures, you will ask questions related to that. 

Candidate Focused Interview Format – Questions Based on the Candidate’s Resume

In addition to the structured interview format used for all candidates, questions should be designed that are related to individual candidate’s resume, experience, and on-line presence. After all, no two candidates are the same. Each brings a unique set of experiences, skills, knowledge and attributes. Candidate focused questions will be targeted to areas that need clarification or need to be expanded upon. There is nothing worse than a candidate coming to an interview and realizing that the interviewer hasn’t looked at his/her resume.  

Unstructured Interview Format – Questions that are not PrePlanned

Unstructured interview questions should be incorporated  What does this mean? It means having the freedom and flexibility to ask questions that might pop up based upon the discussions with the candidates (which are encouraged by the structured interview questions). This type of question helps clarify and probe for more information.

There is a place for all interview formats during the interviewing process! So a mixed approach is the best to ensure you have the right candidate for the position. If you need help developing an interview framework, or need effective interviewing training, please contact us.

Best regards,  Joanne

Joanne Royce, Royce & Associates, Human Resources & Training Solutions
Creating Happy, Healthy, and Productive Workplaces