Hiring the right people is the cornerstone of steady scalability for any organization.
But finding those right-place, right-time hires isn’t easy, and it takes time. More than time, hiring managers have to be seriously skilled at finding the exact blend of talent and personality that will be a fit for their team and the role.
Getting it wrong can cost businesses around 30% of a first-year salary, with some HR agencies saying that the wrong hire could actually cost businesses upwards of $240k to $850k per employee.
So, how you define your interview process – matters.
The Interview Process
What your interview process looks like will be different depending on the level of the role you’re hiring for, the experience of the potential hire, and where you are in the interview process. Tailoring your interview approach to fit the specific context and objectives of the role is important and will usually form a mix of structured and unstructured discussions:
1. Initial Screening: HR accepts applications and will review the candidates’ qualifications and experience to verify they are a match for the job.
2. First Formal Interview: With the right initial qualifications, candidates will move to a more in-depth interview, typically with the hiring manager. This interview can be structured or unstructured, depending on the role.
3. Skills Assessment: Depending on the job, candidates may complete a skills assessment or technical test to evaluate their ability to perform specific job-related tasks and expertise.
4. Second Interview and Team Meetings: Strong candidates interview with potential team members, senior leadership, or cross-functional teams to gauge cultural fit, collaboration skills, and specific job-related scenarios for a well-rounded evaluation.
5. Additional Interviews or Job Offer: Occasionally, a third and final interview may be needed to finalize the decision, but typically, the second interview shows enough talent and personality to make an offer (or not).
What is a Structured Interview?
A structured interview involves a systematic approach where each candidate is asked the same set of predetermined questions. Structured interviews are often used for initial formal interviews to cover the checklist of needs for the company and position.
It will usually begin with a brief introduction and explanation of the interview process, followed by a series of specific, job-related questions designed to assess skill, experience, and competency. Each response is noted and evaluated against a standardized scoring system based on the company’s objectives. The interview usually concludes with questions from the candidate about the role.
There are a few key benefits of structured interviews:
- Fairness and Reduced Bias: Structure provides an identical experience for each interviewee, which can help eliminate interviewer bias and ensure candidates are evaluated solely based on their responses.
- Consistency and Reliability: By asking the same questions, managers can collect comparable data points, making it easier to compare candidates’ qualifications and suitability for the role.
- Conversational and Data-Driven: While structured interviews follow a set format, they don’t have to be rigid. Interviewers can still have an easy conversational tone, allowing candidates to feel at ease while also gathering essential information.
Unstructured Interviews
An unstructured interview is more conversational and flexible by nature, giving the interviewer and candidate a sense of more natural, neutral dialogue. Unstructured interviews usually begin with casual introductions, followed by open-ended questions that let the interviewee share their experiences, skills, and personal stories.
Unstructured interviews look for a deeper understanding of the candidate’s personality and fit for the role. There is no strict question list, allowing the timelines to flow organically and take on a more conversational approach. And this style of interview has its benefits:
- Human Connection: Unstructured interviews allow interviewers to connect with candidates on a more personal level, allowing candidates to express themselves more freely which provides better insights into their personality and cultural fit within the organization.
- Adaptability: The flexible nature of unstructured interviews allows interviewers to delve deeper into specific areas of interest or concern, tailoring the conversation to the candidate’s unique background and experiences.
Defining Your Interview Approach
Choosing the right interview approach is critical to accurately and holistically assessing your candidates to make the most informed hiring decisions.
Different roles and stages of the interview process will require different approaches:
Interviewing for Early-Career Positions:
For early-career positions, structured interviews can be particularly effective. These roles often require candidates to demonstrate specific skills and knowledge, and a structured approach looks to accurately assess these skills. By providing a consistent framework, structured interviews help to objectively evaluate candidates’ qualifications.
Interviewing for Senior Positions:
For more senior positions, where strategic thinking and leadership qualities are crucial, an unstructured, conversational approach may be more appropriate. The unstructured approach allows interviewers to explore candidates’ thought processes, problem-solving abilities, and leadership styles in a more nuanced way. The flexibility of unstructured interviews enables a deeper understanding of how candidates might navigate complex challenges that directly influence the role.
The Balanced Approach:
A balanced approach that integrates both structured and unstructured interviews can provide a comprehensive perspective on candidates and help support different stages of the interview process. Combining both gives the candidate the most holistic vantage point and also allows close team members or direct reports to be influenced and impacted by the hire.
Ultimately, hiring the right people is an art that requires a nuanced approach to the interview process. As StellaPop’s Recruitment Specialists, we can help you envision what the right hire might look like.
