Within a week of my application, I received a call from a staffing agency that saw my resume online. From there, they asked me if I was okay with the specific parameters of the job, e.g. schedule, job duties, and expectations. When I said yes, I set up an interview for the next week. The interview was quick (only 15 minutes) and relatively straight forward.

There are studies that suggest interviewers prefer to conduct unstructured interviews. But, a larger number of studies have found that experienced or trained interviewers view structured interviews positively. One study indicates that interviewers’ perceptions of structured interviews depend on their cognitive style (analytical vs intuitive). As expected, interviewers who are more analytical favor structured interviews. The same study mentions that people can be trained to use “different cognitive approaches in specific and short-term situations.