Structured Interview

Unstructured Interviews
An unstructured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer asks questions which are not prepared in advance. Instead, questions arise spontaneously in a free-flowing conversation, which means that different candidates are asked different questions.
The main advantage of an unstructured interview is its personalised approach. This is especially useful for technology roles where the experience of candidates can vary dramatically. Additionally, since unstructured interviews allow for a free-flowing conversation, they feel more casual, which puts the candidates at ease, resulting in a more natural and honest interview.
Because different candidates are asked different questions however, it is harder to compare their answers and evaluate candidates equally and objectively. If you need a programmer for a specific software integration, it will be useful to compare like for like answers regarding their approach.
Semi-structured Interviews
What about semi-structured interviews? A semi-structured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer asks only a few predetermined questions while the rest of the questions are not planned in advance.
Since semi-structured interviews combine both the structured and unstructured interview styles, they can offer the advantages of both. They allow for the objective comparison of candidates, while also providing an opportunity to spontaneously explore topics relevant to that particular candidate.
But compared with structured interviews, semi-structured interviews are less objective and legally harder to defend.
Which type is best for you?
A good place to start is by looking at your job requirements, and defining your candidate persona. A candidate persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal candidate. This persona is formed by defining the characteristics, skills, and traits that make up your perfect hire. If your candidate-persona has very clearly defined characteristics, then a structured interview might work best. If your candidate-persona includes a broad range of characteristics, then an unstructured interview will likely give you the best feel for the candidate and how they would fit into your organisation. Or if you really aren’t sure, a semi-structured interview will provide you with the best of both worlds.
Interviewing is hard work. But by clearly defining which type of interview you are giving, you will be more likely to find and hire your ideal job candidate, improve your candidate experience and make your recruiting efforts more successful.