An interview guide is a document that enables organizations to structure how they conduct their candidate interviews. It helps interviewers to know what to ask and in what order, and ensures the candidate experience is as good and similar as possible for all applicants to your company.
The contents of the interview guide will differ depending on factors like the role you’re hiring for, the interview method you decide to use, and your specific organizational requirements.
The contents of the interview guide will differ depending on factors like the role you’re hiring for, the interview method you decide to use, and your specific organizational requirements.
The benefits of using an interview guide
Using an interview guide during the hiring process has several benefits:
- A structured process: All interviewers following the same steps in the same order creates structure. This reduces the chances of people forgetting to ask candidates certain questions or give them critical information.
- Positive interview experience: Negative interactions during interviews cause 36% of candidates to decline job offers. Using an interview guide ensures consistency by having all candidates go through the same process, improving the overall interview and candidate experience.
- Equal assessment and fairer interviews: Using the same interview method and asking candidates the same questions means you can also use the same scoring method to assess them. Clear criteria and rating scales reduce the risk of bias, helping support DEI initiatives.
- Better hiring decisions: Equal assessment and more objective interviews lead to more objective comparisons between candidates, as well as less second-guessing after interviews. This, in turn, results in better, more confident hiring decisions.
- More confidence and credibility: An effective interview guide — in combination with proper interview training — helps interviewers to be better prepared, ask stronger questions, and maintain a professional image in the eyes of candidates and stakeholders.
- Time savings: A structured interview process creates significant time savings — less time is lost in unstructured conversations, note-taking becomes easier, and stakeholders can reach an agreement faster after interviews.
How to create an interview guide
Step 1: Clarify the role and success profile
First, determine which position or department benefits from an interview guide the most. For example, if your customer service department is growing rapidly, this could be a good place to start. Then, based on the job description (and, if you have one, the job analysis), define must-have skills, behaviors, and results to clarify the role and draft a success profile.
Step 2: Choose the interview type and format
Decide what kind of interview type and format you’ll use; you can ask hiring managers and employees currently in the role you’re hiring for what they think is best to help you make your decision.
Step 3: Build your question bank
Combine behavioral, situational and role-specific questions to create a bank of interview questions to ask candidates. Before finalizing this question bank, request feedback from the hiring manager and employee(s) currently in the role you’re hiring for, then modify it based on their advice and recommendations.
Step 4: Set up your rating scale and scoring rubric
Once you’ve determined what interview questions to ask, you can decide what behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) and scoring rubric you’ll use to indicate each candidate’s performance level. For instance, if you’re assessing a candidate’s ability to take initiative, a BARS using a five-point scale could look like this:
1: Unsatisfactory
2: Needs improvement
3: Meets expectations
4: Exceeds expectations
5: Exceptional
Step 5: Design the interview flow
Outline what your guide will look like, and include the following core elements:
- Interview invitation and briefing
- Interview setting (both online and offline)
- Candidate welcome
- Key questions
- Candidate questions
- Wrap-up
- Scoring
Additionally, include a suggested timing for each element in your interview guide.
Step 6: Add rules and guardrails
Include a short, handy list of interview dos and don’ts for the interviewers that covers the following:
Interview dos
- Prepare for the interview (read the candidate’s résumé, check their profile and references, etc.)
- Read the interview guide
- Write things down
- Allow the candidate to ask questions.
Interview don’ts
- Don’t be late for the interview
- Don’t oversell the role or the company; be honest
- Don’t make biased or quick judgments.
Step 7: Test and improve your guide
In addition to consulting with hiring managers and current employees while creating the interview guide, be sure to share the completed guide with them and ask for their honest feedback. Then, update your guide accordingly, and keep doing so on a regular basis in the future.
👉🏻 Free interview guide template
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