Interview guide template: build one interview from the job description

An interview guide is the one or two pages an interviewer works from during a single interview: a short opener, the two or three competencies this interview covers, the questions and follow-up probes for each, a note on what a strong answer includes, timing, space for notes, and a close. Build it from the job description before the first candidate, and use the same guide for everyone interviewing for that role at that stage.

Below is a template you can copy, a filled example, and how to turn a job description into the guide in about 40 minutes. If several interviewers share the load across a loop, you also need a panel interview plan so each person's guide covers different competencies.

What an interview guide is, and what it is not

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management's structured interview guide lists what an interviewer's guide should contain: general instructions, a summary of common rating biases and mistakes, and for the specific interview the competency definitions, proficiency levels, questions, a rating scale with examples, and example probes. The template below keeps that content and adds timing and a script, because a guide that runs over time loses its last competency.

From job description to guide in five steps

1. Pull the must-haves (10 minutes). Underline every requirement in the job description, then keep only the ones the hiring manager confirmed at intake as needed on day one. The questions for that conversation are in intake meeting questions.
2. Turn requirements into competencies (5 minutes). "Manages vendor contracts" is a task. The competency is what someone must do well to perform it: negotiating and holding vendors to terms.
3. Choose two or three for this interview (5 minutes). The ones this interviewer can judge best and that no other stage covers. Knockouts such as licenses or schedule belong to the screen.
4. Pick questions and write probes (15 minutes). Two lead questions per competency, with probes and a line on what a strong answer includes. Ready-made questions with anchors are in behavioral interview questions with a scoring rubric.
5. Set the timing and script the opener and close (5 minutes). Minutes per section, written in the margin, so you know at a glance when to move on.

Translating a job description: an invented example

The interview guide template

Copy this into a document. Keep it to two pages so you can see the timing without scrolling.

INTERVIEW GUIDE
Role: [title, level]            Stage: [e.g. hiring manager interview, 45 min]
Interviewer: [name]             Candidate: [name]       Date: [date]
Competencies in this interview: [C1], [C2], [C3]
Already covered elsewhere (do not repeat): [pay, notice, schedule, licenses]
Scorecard link: [link]          Scores due: [time, same day]

0:00  OPENER (3 min)
      "Thanks for making the time. I'm [name], [role]. This is a
      [45]-minute conversation about [area]. I'll ask about specific
      situations from your experience, and I'll follow up to get the
      detail. I'll take notes as we go. There will be time for your
      questions at the end. [Consent line, if recording or transcribing.]
      Any questions before we start?"

0:03  CONTEXT (5 min, not scored)
      "Give me a two-minute version of your current role: what you own
      and how you're measured."

0:08  C1 [competency]: [one-line definition]              (12 min)
      Q1: [lead question]
          Probes: [what exactly happened] [what did you do]
                  [what was the result] [what would you change]
          Strong answer includes: [2-3 observable things]
          Notes:
          ______________________________________________
      Q2: [lead question]  (skip if Q1 gave enough evidence)
          Probes: [...]
          Strong answer includes: [...]
          Notes:
          ______________________________________________
      [ ] Not assessed

0:20  C2 [competency]                                     (12 min)
      [same structure]

0:32  C3 [competency]                                     (8 min)
      [same structure]

0:40  CLOSE (5 min)
      "Is there anything else you'd like us to know that we haven't
      covered?"
      "What questions do you have for me?"
      "Next steps: [who contacts them, by when]."

AFTER THE INTERVIEW (within the hour)
      Copy evidence into the scorecard, rate each competency against
      the anchors, write the recommendation last, submit before reading
      anyone else's scorecard.

The "already covered elsewhere" line is small and saves a lot: it stops the hiring manager asking about salary and notice periods the recruiter settled a week ago.

A filled example: 45-minute hiring manager interview

An invented role and interviewer, written the way a usable guide reads:

Notice how the C3 section has one question, not two. Its twelve minutes became eight because C1 and C2 are where this hiring manager's decision will turn. Put the time where the risk is.

Writing the opener and the close

OPM's guide describes a standard opening: welcome the candidate, briefly describe the job, explain the process the same way for everyone, say that notes will be taken, and ask whether they have questions before starting. At the end it suggests asking "Is there anything else you would like us to know?" and giving the candidate time for their questions. Scripting both takes two minutes and removes the most common source of uneven treatment: a warm, long chat with some candidates and a brisk start with others.

• Say what kind of questions are coming. "I'll ask about specific situations and follow up for detail" means fewer vague first answers.
• Mention notes, and any recording or transcription. If a tool captures audio, read the consent line before the first question. Wording is in the interview recording consent script.
• Keep small talk neutral. Weather, the commute, how their day is going. Not family, background or where their name is from.
• Close with a date. "You'll hear from Dev by Friday" is a promise you can keep. "We'll be in touch" is not.

If the candidate asked for an accommodation, note it at the top of the guide so it is in place before the opener, rather than discovered during it. How to handle those requests is in ADA accommodations in interviews.

Timing for 30, 45 and 60-minute interviews

OPM's guide also recommends giving every candidate the same amount of interview time. Plan to finish one or two minutes early; you will not, but you will finish on time.

Designing the notes space

The notes space decides whether the scorecard afterwards takes ten minutes or forty. Put it directly under each question, not at the end of the document.

• Evidence, not verdicts. Room for short quotes, numbers and actions: "logged each missed visit with photos", not "organized".
• A probe checklist. Tick the probes you asked, so a thin answer can be told apart from a question you did not follow up.
• A "not assessed" box per competency, for when time runs out.
• A gaps line: what the candidate could not answer, which the next interviewer can probe.
• No space for impressions. A box labeled "overall impression" fills up with exactly what should not be in notes. What to keep out is in what not to write in interview notes.

Practical note-taking habits while listening are in how to take interview notes as a hiring manager. If you would rather keep eye contact than write, Interview Signal builds a question guide from the job description, ticks off must-ask questions as they are covered on the call, and suggests follow-ups.

Interview guide mistakes and the fix