A practical guide for HR managers and SME owners who want to structure selection interviews with consistent questions and objective evaluation criteria.
The structured selection interview is a key tool for Swiss companies that want to make the recruitment process fairer, more efficient and more comparable across candidates. Unlike informal interviews, where questions change from one meeting to the next, a structured selection interview uses standardized questions and shared evaluation criteria, allowing candidates to be compared on objective grounds and reducing the influence of personal impressions or unconscious bias. In this article we look at how to design and conduct this type of interview in practice, so that SMEs and HR managers can apply it right away in their selection processes.
Why choose a structured selection interview
Many SMEs in Ticino and across Switzerland deal with interviews conducted differently by each manager, with improvised questions and unclear judgment criteria. This approach makes it difficult to compare candidates and increases the risk of decisions based on subjective impressions rather than concrete elements.
Greater consistency between interviews conducted by different people Ability to compare candidates on a level basis Simpler documentation of the decision-making process More professional perception of the company by candidates
A structured selection interview therefore helps make the recruitment process more transparent, both for those selecting and those applying.
How to prepare interview questions
Preparing the questions is the first step in building an effective structured selection interview. Questions should be defined before the meeting and remain the same for all candidates applying for the same position.
Questions based on the skills required for the role Situational questions, asking how the candidate would handle a specific case Behavioral questions, based on real past experiences Questions to check motivation and interest in the company
It is also useful to prepare some follow-up questions, to be used only if the initial answers are unclear, while keeping the basic structure the same for everyone.
Defining objective evaluation criteria
To make the interview truly useful, standardizing the questions is not enough: a shared evaluation system is also needed. Before starting the interviews, the selection team should decide which aspects to observe and how to assess them.
Technical skills related to the specific role Communication and teamwork abilities Consistency between stated experience and answers given Motivation and alignment with the company's values
A simple evaluation sheet, with the same scoring scale for each criterion, makes it easier to compare candidates after the interviews and to discuss decisions more objectively with the rest of the team.
How to conduct the structured selection interview step by step
Once questions and criteria are prepared, it is important to follow a clear sequence during the meeting, so that each candidate has a similar experience and receives the same information about the company and the role.
Brief presentation of the company and the open position Explanation of the interview structure to the candidate Prepared questions, asked in the same order for everyone Final time for candidate questions and clarifications
Keeping this structure does not mean being rigid: it is still possible to personalize the tone of the conversation, as long as the main content remains consistent from one interview to another.
Reducing unconscious bias in selection
Even with defined questions and criteria, some unconscious biases can influence the evaluation, for example based on first impressions, personal similarities with the candidate, or stereotypes related to age, background or career path.
Involving several people in the evaluation, comparing scores only after each interviewer has filled in their own sheet independently, and periodically reviewing the criteria used are useful practices to limit this kind of influence and make decisions more solid over time.
The role of JobCourier in the selection process
Building a structured selection interview is easier when the company can rely on applications that are already consistent with the desired profile. JobCourier supports SMEs in Ticino and across Switzerland in publishing job ads and finding candidates, allowing HR managers to focus on the evaluation phase rather than just collecting applications.
Thanks to a simple publishing process and targeted visibility on the local job market, companies can dedicate more time to preparing questions and evaluation criteria, applying the principles of the structured interview right from the early stages of selection.