In my experience, interviews have typically focused on gauging my qualifications and interest in the company. Most were structured interviews, where I was asked standardized questions and given scenarios to respond to. However, I’ve still encountered ineffective questions, such as leading questions, which did not provide meaningful insight. For example, during my internship search, I got a virtual interview, which was an unstructured interview, where there were no preplanned questions. It was more of a getting-to-know-you interview and to talk about the company. While this informal style can build rapport, it lacked direction and reduced the validity of the interview, since I wasn’t asked anything that related to my fit for the role.

If I could advise past interviewers, I would work on creating questions beforehand. According to Lecture 3, there are some questions to avoid because they are not useful, including yes/no questions, obvious questions, questions that rarely produce a true answer, leading questions, and questions that are not job-related. Tools like behavioral and situational judgment questions can better predict actual job performance. According to Chamorro-Premuzic and Steinmetz, these tools and personality tests are stronger predictors of future career success than traditional interviews.

I would also recommend focusing on reducing bias. Knight (2018) suggests using structured rubrics and trained interviewers to limit subjectivity, which improves both fairness and utility. I’d also encourage interviewers to move beyond resumes and focus more on talent-based hiring. Google’s hiring practices also agree with this approach. According to Friedman (2014), the company emphasizes traits like problem-solving, leadership, and humility. These qualities are better assessed through structured interviews rather than GPA or test scores. Overall, I think companies should look at things beyond interviews and scores so better asses candidates.

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Steinmetz, C. (2013). The Perfect Hire. Scientific American Mind, 24(3), 42–47. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamericanmind0713-42

Friedman, T. L. (2014, February 22). How to Get a Job at Google. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html

Knight, R. (2018, April 19). 7 Practical Ways to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Process. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/7-practical-ways-to-reduce-bias-hiring-process