Hiring managers often trust their guts when making hiring decisions. The problem is, our guts are terrible at making hiring decisions, and data-based hiring methods in general always outperform our instincts by at least 25 percent. In fact, when it comes to data-based hiring methods, one in particular stands above the rest: the structured interview. Structured Interviews, when administered correctly, have a predictive validity of 62 percent - twice as high as the predictive validity of unstructured interviews.
Structured interviews are one the most reliably predictive candidate assessment methods out there -- and yet, 92 percent of employers continue to make use of unstructured interviews, instead of relying on structured interviews exclusively.
For all the benefits they offer, traditional Structured Interviews do come with some challenges that can be difficult for companies to overcome. This eBook explores some simple ways that recruiters can overcome the challenges of structured interviews and reap the rewards of this assessment method.
Better Legal Defensibility with Structured Interviews
Structured interviews also present a better way for HR departments to ensure that they comply with all government hiring regulations. When the questions are prepared ahead of time, organizations can make sure that none of their interviewers are asking about things they shouldn't be.
Moreover, structured interviews can act as an organization's legal defense against any unfounded charges of discrimination. When every candidate goes through the same exact interview - and when that interview adheres to government regulations - an organization can easily prove that no illegal criteria entered into consideration during the hiring process. All an HR professional has to do is pull out the interview record, and the proof is there.
In 2015, Jennifer Yugo, who holds a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology, wrote that roughly half of the unstructured interviews challenged in court have been found to be discriminatory, whereas only 13 percent of structured interviews challenged in court were found to be discriminatory.
