People | Jan 20

Recruit better by interviewing smarter

People | Jan 20

Structured, accessible interviews lead to fairer hiring and better performance

Ian Wylie Journalist, broadcaster, educator

Reading Time 5 minutes

For many small businesses, staff recruitment still relies on a familiar routine: CV review followed by a short interview, then reference check. It feels efficient, but according to both academic research and real-world practice, that approach often rewards confidence over competence. It also misses strong candidates who don’t shine under pressure. So, is there a smarter, fairer way to hire?

Level the playing field

Ros Marshall, Managing Director of Scottish underwear and swimwear brand Molke, has redesigned her company’s interviews to be more accessible and more transparent. Molke provides all interview questions to candidates in advance and explicitly allows notes in the interview. For Marshall, this isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about removing unnecessary barriers.

‘It means they can come to the interview fully prepared, without the anxiety of the unknown, with a clear understanding of what’s required of them,’ says Marshall. ‘It has markedly elevated the quality of our interviews, highlighting which candidates make a genuine effort when given the opportunity, and enabled everyone to perform at their best.’ Candidates who might once have underperformed because of nerves ‘now come in with detailed notes that demonstrate their hard work and determination to win the role’.

This is particularly powerful for neurodivergent candidates, but Marshall argues the benefits are universal. Some people are naturally confident performers. ‘But this doesn’t mean they’re the most passionate, hardworking, or skilled,’ she notes. When everyone gets the same information, interviewers can focus on thoughtful, job-relevant answers rather than performance skills.

Design interviews, don’t improvise them

Rea Prouska, Professor of Human Resource Management at Hult International Business School, says structure, consistency, and evidence-based assessment matter, especially for small businesses with limited HR capacity. Prouska warns that when small businesses hire under time pressure, interviews often become unstructured and overly informal. ‘They become focused on “gut feeling” rather than job-relevant evidence,’ she warns.

Prouska’s advice is blunt. ‘CVs and references are weak predictors of future job performance and are also the most prone to exaggeration or fabrication,’ she cautions. Interviews, by contrast, can be highly predictive, but only if they are structured.

A structured interview means every candidate is asked the same job-relevant questions, directly linked to the skills, behaviours, and experience the role requires. Responses are then scored against predefined criteria, rather than vague impressions. This consistency makes hiring decisions more defensible. It also makes them more accurate.

Ask better questions

Not all interview questions are equal. Prouska recommends using a deliberate mix of:

biographical questions to explore depth and relevance of past experience;
situational or hypothetical questions that test how candidates might respond to realistic challenges;
and behavioural or competency-based questions that ask candidates to describe what they actually did in comparable situations.

Crucially, these questions should be open-ended (eg. how, why, what?) rather than closed or leading. Probing follow-ups matter too, particularly in an age when candidates may have rehearsed or AI-assisted answers. Asking someone to explain their thinking in real time often reveals far more than a polished response.

Reduce bias

At Molke, all interviewers receive training on unconscious bias and use a standardised grading system agreed before interviews begin. That way, each answer is judged against the same expectations.

Prouska adds that even in very small businesses, using two interviewers instead of one can significantly improve accuracy. Panels dilute individual bias, reduce blind spots, and create fairer outcomes. For online interviews, roles should be clearly assigned in advance to avoid chaos or dominance by one voice.

Accessibility adjustments also matter. Marshall makes these suggestions: holding interviews on the ground floor, providing clear maps and directions, and avoiding assumptions about candidates’ needs. ‘Making small adjustments can lead to significant improvements,’ she says, unlocking access to “amazing candidates” who bring fresh thinking and commitment.

Go beyond the interview

Smart interviewing doesn’t stop with questions. Prouska recommends complementing interviews with evidence-based assessments that mirror real work. A portfolio of past outputs, a short but paid job trial, a work-sample test, or a simple role-play can all be more revealing than talk alone.

These tools are particularly useful for small businesses because they reduce the risk of a bad hire without requiring complex HR systems. Seeing how someone actually performs, and interacts, often answers doubts an interview cannot.

Adapt for remote hiring

Remote and hybrid work don’t change the fundamentals of good interviewing, but they do add new considerations. Employers need to ensure technology is reliable and give candidates clear preparation guidance. They should also avoid equating on-screen confidence with real-world performance.

Prouska notes that introverted candidates may thrive online, while extroverts may struggle without in-person cues. Where possible, a follow-up in-person meeting can add balance. Remote-friendly tasks, such as screen-shared walk-throughs or short presentations, also help assess communication and technical fluency.

Marshall believes accessible, structured recruitment is not a ‘nice to have’ but a growth strategy. The broader and more diverse your talent pool, the more resilient and imaginative your business becomes. Prouska agrees: careful interview design takes time upfront, but pays back through better performance, fairness, and retention.

Ian Wylie Journalist, broadcaster, educator

Ian Wylie is a journalist, editor, and broadcaster for the Financial Times, Guardian, BBC, Monocle, and others. For 16 years he was a staff writer, feature writer, and section editor at The Guardian newspaper. He also teaches on Newcastle University’s undergraduate and postgraduate journalism programmes.

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