Make equitable hiring decisions with structured interviews

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Executive summary

Hiring the most qualified candidates for open roles can be challenging because there are so many opportunities for bias to creep into the process. To prevent these biases from factoring into decision-making, Catalyst recommends using a modified structured interview method as part of hiring procedures. Inclusive organizations embed equity throughout an employee’s journey, from before the hiring process even begins, through hiring, career progression, and retention. Recognizing that one-on-one structured interviews—an organizational best practice—take time, hiring teams may use additional interview formats. The following recommendations on how to prepare for, and conduct, structured interviews also may assist in reducing bias during other processes.

How bias infiltrates the hiring process

  • Implicit bias:

    Everyone holds implicit biases which are associations or attitudes about people or social groups that operate beyond a person’s control and awareness, inform perceptions, and can influence decision-making and behavior. There are many types of implicit bias—including affinity bias, availability bias, and confirmation bias—all of which can crop up during interviews, even when interviewers think they are entering into conversations with a non-judgmental and open mind.

  • Perceived likeability:

    Evidence demonstrates that unstructured interviews—where each candidate is asked questions not consistent across the candidate pool—are riddled with bias.1 In unstructured interviews, some questions may have been prepared ahead of time, but many also are asked spontaneously, based on what the interviewer finds interesting during the conversation. These questions are often fueled by whatever the candidate is talking about that the interviewer connects with, such as a mutual acquaintance, previous employer, or shared history or passion. While this may seem like a good way to gauge how well a candidate will fit with the team, hiring for “likeability” increases the ways in which bias can influence decision-making.2

  • Co-interviewer influence:

    Panel interviews—when two or more people question a candidate at the same time—carry additional risk since interviewers may influence one another during or after the process.3

If coordinating schedules is an issue, panel interviews may be helpful, as long as interviewers follow a pre-set protocol of questions and each person immediately and independently fills out and locks in their score sheets before entering the evaluation phase. Whether interviews are conducted one-on-one or by a panel, interviewers should never discuss candidates with one another until the joint evaluation discussion.

De-bias the interview process with structured interviews

Structured interviews, sometimes called standardized interviews, can help de-bias the interview process and guide hiring committees to more meritocratic and fair results. They are a tool HR and hiring managers can use not only to improve the experiences of candidates going through the process, but also to ground decisions in equitable, skills-based data. Although sometimes the structured interview method refers to each candidate being asked identical questions in the same order by multiple interviewers, the modified method presented here allows for some variety while maintaining rigor.

Structured interviews feature:

  • Competency-based questions, which are crafted beforehand and asked of all the candidates.
  • Interviewer score sheets.
  • A comparative group discussion after all candidates have been scored.4
  • Guidance for conducting interviews.

Ready to find your next great hire?

Overview

  • Many recruiting software products and Applicant Tracking Systems now have structured interviewing features and scorecards built into the system. Check if your hiring software has tools to facilitate this approach.5
  • If you do not have access through your hiring software, the accompanying worksheets will get you started.

Leading by example: Ulta Beauty

As part of their efforts to create equitable career pathways for employees starting with recruitment, Ulta Beauty standardized its interview processes, using a set number of interviewers and interview questions when screening candidates.13

Endnotes

  1. Bohnet, I. (2016, April 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review.
  2. Carnahan, B. (2023, May 25). 6 best practices for creating an inclusive and equitable interview process. Harvard Business School.
  3. Bohnet, I. (2016, April 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review.
  4. Bohnet, I. (2016, April 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review.
  5. Greenhouse and SmartRecruiters are two companies that have software that automate structured interviews. Please note: Catalyst cannot recommend or endorse specific products. Better decision-making starts with structured hiring. Greenhouse; Interview scorecard. SmartRecruiters.
  6. Merchant, N. (2019, March 22). Stop eliminating perfectly good candidates by asking them the wrong questions. Harvard Business Review.
  7. Ferrari, S. (2021, January 5). 8 thoughtful ways to build more inclusive interview practices. Fast Company.
  8. Ferrari, S. (2021, January 5). 8 thoughtful ways to build more inclusive interview practices. Fast Company.
  9. Carnahan, B. (2023, May 25). 6 best practices for creating an inclusive and equitable interview process. Harvard Business School.
  10. Kahneman, D., Lovallo, D., & Sibony, O. (2019, March 4). A structured approach to strategic decisions. MIT Sloan Management Review.
  11. Tarki, A. (2019, August 13). How to avoid groupthink when hiring. Harvard Business Review.
  12. Forging career pathways for people from marginalized racial and ethnic groups (Practices). (2022). Catalyst.