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interview-guide-structure.md
93 lines · small-business/skills/job-post-builder/reference/interview-guide-structure.md at 2574e29
1# Interview Guide Structure
3This reference covers how to build the interview guide and scoring rubric.
4A good guide reduces bias, improves consistency, and makes debrief conversations
5sharper because everyone evaluated the same things the same way.
7---
Interview Guide Structure
This reference covers how to build the interview guide and scoring rubric. A good guide reduces bias, improves consistency, and makes debrief conversations sharper because everyone evaluated the same things the same way.
Raw lines 1 to 8
Recommended Document Structure
Raw lines 9 to 1011### Section 1: Role Summary
12One paragraph. Remind interviewers what we're hiring for and why.
13Include the stage of the process this guide covers (phone screen, full loop, etc.)
Section 1: Role Summary
One paragraph. Remind interviewers what we're hiring for and why. Include the stage of the process this guide covers (phone screen, full loop, etc.)
Raw lines 11 to 1415### Section 2: Interview Stage Map
16A simple table showing who interviews the candidate at each stage and what
17competency each stage is assessing. This avoids interviewers asking the same
18questions and lets them compare notes on different dimensions.
20| Stage | Interviewer(s) | Competencies Assessed |
21|---|---|---|
22| Phone screen | Recruiter | Communication, baseline fit |
23| Hiring manager interview | HM | Role-specific scope, leadership |
24| Peer interview | Team member | Collaboration, working style |
25| Skills/case interview | Senior IC | Technical depth, problem-solving |
Section 2: Interview Stage Map
A simple table showing who interviews the candidate at each stage and what competency each stage is assessing. This avoids interviewers asking the same questions and lets them compare notes on different dimensions.
| Stage | Interviewer(s) | Competencies Assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Phone screen | Recruiter | Communication, baseline fit |
| Hiring manager interview | HM | Role-specific scope, leadership |
| Peer interview | Team member | Collaboration, working style |
| Skills/case interview | Senior IC | Technical depth, problem-solving |
27### Section 3: Competency Question Bank
28For each competency, include 4–6 behavioral questions and 2–3 follow-up probes.
30**Format:**
32#### [Competency Name]
33*What we're evaluating:* [1-sentence description of what good looks like]
35**Questions:**
361. Tell me about a time you [specific situation relevant to this competency]...
372. Describe a moment when you had to [challenge]...
383. Walk me through how you [process or decision relevant to the role]...
40**Follow-up probes (use any of these to go deeper):**
41- What was the outcome?
42- What would you do differently?
43- Who else was involved and what was your specific role?
44- What was the hardest part?
46**Typical competency areas to cover (adapt to the role):**
47- Communication & stakeholder management
48- Problem-solving & analytical thinking
49- Ownership & accountability
50- Collaboration & influence
51- Domain/technical skills
52- Adaptability & learning
Section 3: Competency Question Bank
For each competency, include 4–6 behavioral questions and 2–3 follow-up probes.
Format:
[Competency Name]
What we're evaluating: [1-sentence description of what good looks like]
Questions:
- Tell me about a time you [specific situation relevant to this competency]...
- Describe a moment when you had to [challenge]...
- Walk me through how you [process or decision relevant to the role]...
Follow-up probes (use any of these to go deeper):
- What was the outcome?
- What would you do differently?
- Who else was involved and what was your specific role?
- What was the hardest part?
Typical competency areas to cover (adapt to the role):
- Communication & stakeholder management
- Problem-solving & analytical thinking
- Ownership & accountability
- Collaboration & influence
- Domain/technical skills
- Adaptability & learning
54### Section 4: Scoring Rubric
55For each competency, define what a 1, 3, and 5 look like.
56This gives interviewers a shared frame of reference and prevents grade inflation.
58| Score | Label | What it means |
59|---|---|---|
60| 5 | Exceptional | Exceeds bar; would be a top 10% hire for this competency |
61| 4 | Strong | Clearly meets bar; evidence is specific and compelling |
62| 3 | Meets bar | Adequate evidence; some gaps but nothing disqualifying |
63| 2 | Below bar | Gaps are significant; would need close management in this area |
64| 1 | Does not meet bar | Clear deficiency; would be a blocker for this role |
66Write out the 1/3/5 behavioral anchors for each competency so interviewers
67aren't just using their gut.
69**Example — Ownership & Accountability:**
70- **5:** Proactively identified a problem no one asked them to solve; drove it
71 to resolution and documented learnings for the team.
72- **3:** Followed through on assigned work reliably; flagged risks early but
73 didn't typically expand scope independently.
74- **1:** Waited for direction; examples were vague about their personal
75 contribution vs. the team's contribution.
Section 4: Scoring Rubric
For each competency, define what a 1, 3, and 5 look like. This gives interviewers a shared frame of reference and prevents grade inflation.
| Score | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Exceptional | Exceeds bar; would be a top 10% hire for this competency |
| 4 | Strong | Clearly meets bar; evidence is specific and compelling |
| 3 | Meets bar | Adequate evidence; some gaps but nothing disqualifying |
| 2 | Below bar | Gaps are significant; would need close management in this area |
| 1 | Does not meet bar | Clear deficiency; would be a blocker for this role |
Write out the 1/3/5 behavioral anchors for each competency so interviewers aren't just using their gut.
Example — Ownership & Accountability:
- 5: Proactively identified a problem no one asked them to solve; drove it to resolution and documented learnings for the team.
- 3: Followed through on assigned work reliably; flagged risks early but didn't typically expand scope independently.
- 1: Waited for direction; examples were vague about their personal contribution vs. the team's contribution.
77### Section 5: Debrief Guide
78A short set of instructions for running the post-interview debrief:
79- Each interviewer shares their scores before discussion begins (no anchoring)
80- Focus debrief time on competencies where scores diverged
81- Identify any disqualifying signals separately from overall score
82- Decision framework: "Would we be excited to have this person on the team?"
83 not just "Did they clear the bar?"
85---
Section 5: Debrief Guide
A short set of instructions for running the post-interview debrief:
- Each interviewer shares their scores before discussion begins (no anchoring)
- Focus debrief time on competencies where scores diverged
- Identify any disqualifying signals separately from overall score
- Decision framework: "Would we be excited to have this person on the team?" not just "Did they clear the bar?"
Raw lines 77 to 86
87## Question Writing Tips
89- Behavioral questions ("Tell me about a time...") surface real evidence, not hypotheticals
90- Situational questions ("What would you do if...") are fine for roles where
91 the candidate has no prior experience in that specific domain
92- Avoid leading questions ("We value collaboration — how collaborative are you?")
93- One question at a time — don't bundle two questions into one
Question Writing Tips
- Behavioral questions ("Tell me about a time...") surface real evidence, not hypotheticals
- Situational questions ("What would you do if...") are fine for roles where the candidate has no prior experience in that specific domain
- Avoid leading questions ("We value collaboration — how collaborative are you?")
- One question at a time — don't bundle two questions into one