Interview Methods
7
Methods
Tested by name and reliability
2×
Reliability Boost
Structured beats unstructured
STAR
The Method
Situation, Task, Action, Result
predictive validity, ranked
Which Interview Predicts Best?
Schmidt and Hunter meta-analyses show structured methods outperform unstructured by roughly 2x. Bar length reflects predictive validity.
Work Sample
90%Performs a representative task
Structured Behavioral
78%Past-behavior questions, scored
Structured Situational
70%Hypothetical scenario questions
Panel Interview
64%Multiple interviewers, one candidate
Unstructured
40%Conversational, no fixed questions
Stress Interview
28%Deliberately uncomfortable
STAR — How to Score a Behavioral Response
Sample prompt: "Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict between two team members."
S
Situation
Where, when, who?
Two engineers, blocked sprint
T
Task
What was the goal?
Unblock by end of week
A
Action
What did THEY do?
Facilitated a 1:1, set rules
R
Result
What changed?
Sprint shipped, no recurrence
red flag
Candidate uses "we" repeatedly in the Action field. Ask follow-ups to isolate THEIR specific contribution. STAR scores the individual, not the team.
Exam Traps
Behavioral asks past, situational asks future
Behavioral: "Tell me about a time when..." Situational: "What would you do if..." Candidates flip them. The exam tests the verb tense.
"Tell me about yourself" is unstructured
It is friendly small talk. The exam treats it as low-reliability filler, not a screening tool.
Stress interviews are largely deprecated
Modern HR practice rejects deliberate discomfort. The exam typically treats stress interviews as the wrong answer in best-practice scenarios.
Validity ≠ reliability
Validity = does it predict job performance. Reliability = is it consistent across raters and time. Different concepts, different evidence.
Unstructured = unreliable
Free-form chats correlate near-zero with job performance. The exam treats them as the wrong best-practice answer.
STAR is the candidate frame
Behavioral interviews reward Situation, Task, Action, Result. Specifics in each field, not abstractions.
Talk with the DMV examiner about your favorite road trip. Tells you nothing about whether the candidate can drive.
Same maneuvers, same scoring, every applicant. Reliability is high because variation drops.
Ask about a difficult parking situation they actually handled. Past behavior predicts future.
What would you do at a four-way stop with simultaneous arrivals. Lower fidelity, but useful for entry-level.
Highest predictor. Closest match between assessment and job content.
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