Structured interview
Structured interview: A structured interview is a candidate interview in which each person is given a reasonably consistent opportunity to answer core, job-related questions and their evidence is evaluated against criteria defined before the interviews begin.
Plain-English Explanation
The structure comes from the shared questions, evidence sought and scoring approach—not from removing human judgment. Interviewers can ask relevant follow-up questions, but they should avoid changing the test for each candidate based on intuition or similarity.
Questions are usually linked to documented selection criteria. The panel decides in advance what a useful answer may demonstrate, while remaining open to different but relevant forms of evidence from a candidate's experience.
Why It Matters
Structure helps a hiring team compare role-relevant evidence more consistently and explain how it reached a decision. It can also expose disagreement between reviewers. It does not, by itself, prove fairness, remove bias or make a hiring decision legally compliant.
A common misconception is that structured means every conversation must be identical. The aim is comparable opportunity and evidence, not a script that prevents clarification, accessibility adjustments or appropriate human discussion.
Next Step
Review each core question against the actual role criteria, identify the evidence sought and ask a qualified HR professional whether the process and any adjustments are appropriate.
Examples
- A service manager role requires conflict resolution. Every shortlisted candidate is asked for a specific example, what they did, what evidence they considered and what changed. Panel members record evidence against the same rubric before discussing their judgments.