Why Do You Use Unstructured Interviews?

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are about work history and may ask what the candidate liked or did not like about their past employer. The interviewer may also ask about the applicant’s skill sets and experience. Another example is asking about the applicant’s career goals and where he sees himself in five years (Mack, n.d.).
Structured interviews use a standardized scoring system so each identical answer given by each applicant is given the same score (Aamodt, 2016). Structured interview questions should relate to the job analysis results and concentrate the behavior and the skills of the candidates to determine if they match those needed for the job position. The interview questions should focus on the candidate’s background like experience and willingness to perform the …show more content…

According to Aamodt (2016), they add incremental validity when combined with cognitive ability tests. Structured interviews over the phone are also more valid than unstructured interviews in person. Another advantage is structured interviews will stand up in court while unstructured interviews are not as legally defensible because they are not based on a job analysis. Another reason structured interviews are defensible in court is because they have a much lower adverse impact than unstructured interviews. Unstructured interviews can be viewed as discriminatory because they focus on education and general intelligence. Another strength of structured interviews is that race and gender do not impact the interview while this is an issue with unstructured interviews (Aamodt, …show more content…

What do you know about our company? These questions let the interviewer know if the candidate has reviewed and researched the company’s culture through the website or from other means. The questions also give the interviewer insight on whether the applicant associates with the organization’s values and vision (Banks, n.d.). Although structured interview questions can also be open-ended, the difference is the consistency because the same questions are asked of every applicant.
Cognitive and GPA testing are the most likely to result in adverse impact if caution is not used. Integrity tests, references, and personality tests have the lowest levels of adverse impact. Structured interviews also have low adverse impact and are perceived as fair and job-related (Aamodt, 2016). Both interviews and assessment tests are susceptible to adverse impact and disparate treatment if they are not based on a job analysis. The tests and interview questions should relate to the job position or provide information about the company’s

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