This guide outlines various structured interview methods—behavioral, situational, competency-based, panel, STAR, and others—that use standardized questions and objective criteria. These approaches aim to reduce unconscious bias, ensure fair evaluation, and focus assessments on job-relevant skills and behaviors.
Which Structured Interview Guides Best Mitigate Unconscious Bias?
AdminThis guide outlines various structured interview methods—behavioral, situational, competency-based, panel, STAR, and others—that use standardized questions and objective criteria. These approaches aim to reduce unconscious bias, ensure fair evaluation, and focus assessments on job-relevant skills and behaviors.
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Behavioral Interview Guide
Behavioral interview guides focus on past behavior as an indicator of future performance, asking candidates to provide specific examples of how they handled situations relevant to the job. This method reduces unconscious bias by standardizing questions and evaluating responses against objective criteria rather than subjective impressions.
Situational Interview Guide
Situational interview guides present hypothetical scenarios and ask candidates how they would respond. By focusing on situational judgment rather than personal traits or backgrounds, these guides help minimize unconscious bias through consistency and role-relevant evaluation.
Competency-Based Interview Guide
Competency-based guides concentrate on assessing key skills and competencies demonstrated by the candidate. Using a structured format with predefined competencies ensures that all candidates are judged on the same criteria, thereby reducing the influence of unconscious biases.
Panel Interview Guide
While not a type of interview question per se, a structured panel interview guide involves multiple interviewers following the same format. Diverse panels using uniform questions provide checks and balances that mitigate individual biases during evaluation.
STAR Interview Guide
The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework structures responses, encouraging candidates to use consistent formats. Interviewers assess answers based on concrete evidence and outcomes, which supports objectivity and reduces bias.
Job-Related Criterion Reference Guide
This guide links questions directly to job requirements and criteria. By anchoring questions to essential job tasks and competencies, interviewers avoid off-topic evaluations influenced by unconscious stereotypes.
Standardized Rating Scale Guide
Incorporating standardized rating scales in interviews fosters objective scoring of candidate responses. Structured rating anchors diminish subjective bias and ensure fairness across all interviews.
Structured Panel Interview with Blind Review Guide
Combining structured interview questions with blind review processes, such as anonymizing candidate information during evaluation, further reduces unconscious bias stemming from demographic or background information.
Cultural Competency Interview Guide
While assessing a candidate's cultural awareness, this guide applies uniform questions relevant to job duties. Structured formats help minimize cultural biases by focusing on demonstrated competencies rather than assumptions.
Cognitive Ability-Based Structured Interview Guide
This approach uses validated cognitive tasks and job-relevant questions delivered in a consistent format. By grounding evaluations in measurable cognitive skills, it lowers the impact of unconscious preference or bias related to non-job factors.
What else to take into account
This section is for sharing any additional examples, stories, or insights that do not fit into previous sections. Is there anything else you'd like to add?