Understanding Different Types of Interviews: The Impact of Structure on Outcomes

Understanding Interview Types

Interviews are a critical part of the hiring process. They are designed to uncover a candidate’s skills, competencies, experience, and cultural values fit. However, not all interviews are the same and understanding the types of interviews by focus and purpose and understanding format types helps organizations design fair, effective, and insightful processes.

Types of Interviews by Focus or Purpose

When categorized by focus or purpose, interviews generally fall into the following types:

• Behavioural Interviews focus on understanding how a candidate has acted in specific past situations to predict future performance.

• Situational Interviews explore how a candidate might respond to hypothetical work scenarios.

• Competency-Based Interviews evaluate key skills and behaviours required for the role, such as teamwork, leadership, or problem-solving.

• Technical Interviews assess specialized knowledge, practical ability, or problem-solving related to a technical field.

• Case Interviews present a business problem or scenario to test analytical thinking and communication.

• Task-Based or Skills Test Interviews require candidates to complete a specific activity that reflects the job’s real demands.

• Portfolio Interviews involve reviewing work samples or projects to discuss accomplishments, methods, and outcomes.

• Speed Interviews are short, timed sessions, similar to “speed dating”, used to quickly evaluate many candidates and identify those who should advance to the next stage.
  

Each of these interview types can be conducted in either structured or unstructured formats.

Understanding Format Types

When it comes to interviews there are two main formats that are generally used: Structured Interviews and Unstructured Interviews.

Structured Interviews

A structured interview is carefully planned to ensure consistency, fairness, and comparability.

Key characteristics:

• All candidates are asked the same core questions.

• Answers are scored against a predefined rubric.

• Probing questions are used to clarify vague answers, uncover depth, assess outcomes, and provide context.

• Probes are job-related, neutral, and consistently applied to maintain fairness.
  

Example:

Core Question: “Tell me about a time you managed competing priorities."

Probes:

• “What were the competing priorities?”

• “How did you decide what to focus on first?”

• “What was the outcome?”
  

This approach ensures a structured interview is both fair and insightful, allowing natural conversation while maintaining consistency.

Unstructured Interviews

An unstructured interview is more conversational and flexible.

Key characteristics:

• Questions are often spontaneous or adapted during the conversation.

• Candidates may not be asked the same questions, making comparisons difficult.

• Risk of bias is higher because questions are not pre-planned or standardized.

• Scoring and defensibility are more challenging.
  

While unstructured interviews allow natural dialogue and flexibility, they lack consistency and reliability for evidence-based hiring decisions.

What Research Shows

There is a large body of research supporting the use of structured interviews, showing that they are more reliable and predictive of job performance than unstructured approaches. Studies consistently find that structured interviews reduce bias, improve fairness, and enhance the overall quality of hiring decisions.

Research also indicates that structured interviews are most effective when interviewers are trained, questions are clearly tied to job requirements, and scoring criteria are standardized. Allowing for well-designed probing questions within a structured format further improves the accuracy of evaluations while maintaining consistency and fairness across candidates.

How Each Interview Type Can Be Applied

A notepad and pen ready for an interview

Key Takeaways

• Structured interviews are widely regarded as the gold standard for fair, consistent, and comparable hiring. They incorporate probing to clarify, elaborate, and explore the depth of a candidate’s responses. Each question is directly linked to the job requirements, and scoring criteria are standardized to ensure objectivity and reliability.

• Probing within structured interviews allows for flexibility and natural conversation while maintaining fairness. Thoughtful, job-relevant probes ensure candidates’ responses are fully understood and can be consistently evaluated.

• Unstructured interviews allow flexibility and conversation, but questions are not pre-planned, may vary between candidates, and carry higher risk of bias. Candidate comparisons are often difficult, making hiring decisions less reliable.

• Proper training and documentation are essential for all interview types to ensure fairness, consistency, and defensible hiring decisions. Interviewers must be skilled in maintaining ethical standards, minimizing bias, and upholding professional boundaries. In structured interviews, training also focuses on the consistent use of standardized questions, scoring criteria, and job-relevant probes -

• tools that further enhance fairness and reliability. Clear documentation of candidate responses and evaluations supports transparency and evidence-based decision-making in every interview approach.

• All interview types benefit from structure: even when exploring different competencies or skills, a well-designed structured approach strengthens fairness, comparability, and insight.

Ready to Strengthen Your Interview Process?

We’ve developed a range of Structured Interview Guides designed to help you conduct consistent, fair, and insightful interviews.

You can browse our selection on our product page at All Products | R. G. Virtual Group on our website. If you don’t see a guide for the job category you need, we’re happy to create one for you. Simply email us at inbox@rgvirtualgroup.com with the job title or a brief description of the position.

Better interviews lead to better hiring decisions—and we’re here to help you get there.