To interview a candidate, you prepare against a written scorecard, run a consistent structure (open, core questions, their questions, close), ask behavioral and situational questions, and score answers against a rubric before deciding. Doing this the same way for every candidate is what lets you compare people fairly instead of picking whoever you liked most. This guide walks through each step so a single interview gives you real signal, not just a nice chat.
Key takeaways
- Interviewing a candidate well starts before the call: review the resume, define your criteria, and pick questions tied to those criteria.
- Use the same structure and the same core questions for every candidate in a role so you can compare them fairly.
- Mix behavioral, situational, and role-specific questions, then score each answer against a written rubric instead of relying on gut feel.
- Watch for common bias traps like the halo effect and hiring for likability, and always agree on clear next steps before you close.
Prepare before the interview
Most weak interviews are lost before they start. Ten to fifteen minutes of prep turns a vague conversation into a focused one.
- Re-read the resume and note two or three specific things to dig into (a gap, a big project, a short stint).
- Define 4 to 6 criteria the role actually needs, such as core skills, ownership, communication, and role-specific knowledge.
- Write a scorecard: list those criteria with a simple 1 to 5 scale so every interviewer rates the same things.
- Choose your questions in advance and map each one to a criterion, so no question is there just to fill time.
- Block enough time (usually 30 to 60 minutes) and decide who covers what if more than one person is interviewing.
If you are screening a large pool, a short one-way (asynchronous) video interview lets candidates record answers to a few set questions on their own time. You review them quickly and only bring the strongest into live interviews, which saves hours of scheduling.
Structure the interview
A predictable flow keeps you on time and gives every candidate a fair shot at the same questions. Here is a simple structure for a 45 minute interview.
- 1
Open (about 5 minutes)
Introduce yourself and the plan for the call, then ask an easy warm-up question. This settles nerves so you hear how the person really thinks.
- 2
Core questions (about 25 to 30 minutes)
Work through your prepared behavioral, situational, and role-specific questions. Follow up on vague answers and take notes as you go.
- 3
Candidate questions (about 5 to 10 minutes)
Let them ask about the role, team, and work. The questions they ask tell you what they care about and how much they prepared.
- 4
Close (about 3 to 5 minutes)
Explain the next steps and timeline, thank them, and confirm how and when they will hear back. Leave a clear, honest impression.
Guard the core-question block. If the open or their questions run long, trim there, not the part that actually scores the candidate.
Choose the right question types
Different question types reveal different things. Use a mix so you see past performance, thinking under pressure, and real skill.
| Question type | What it reveals | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral | How the person actually acted in a real past situation | Tell me about a time you missed a deadline. What happened and what did you do? |
| Situational | How they would approach a realistic problem they have not faced yet | A key client is unhappy the day before launch. How would you handle it? |
| Role-specific | Depth of the concrete skills the job needs day to day | Walk me through how you would set up reporting for this team from scratch. |
| Motivation | Why they want this role and whether it fits what they are looking for | What made you apply here, and what are you hoping to do differently next? |
For behavioral answers, listen for the situation, the action they personally took, and the result. If someone keeps saying 'we,' ask what they specifically did.
Take notes and score against a rubric
Memory fades fast and favors whoever you saw last. Score during and right after the interview, not at the end of the week.
- Write down what the candidate said, not your judgment of it: capture their actual example before you rate it.
- Rate each criterion on your 1 to 5 scale and add one line of evidence for the score.
- Fill in the scorecard within a few minutes of the call, while the details are fresh.
- Keep ratings independent when interviewing as a panel: score on your own before comparing, so one loud opinion does not sway everyone.
A rubric is not about being rigid. It just forces you to name why one candidate beats another, which is exactly what you will need when you defend the decision later.
Avoid bias and common mistakes
Good structure only helps if you notice where judgment slips. A few traps show up in almost every hiring process.
- Halo effect: one impressive answer (or a shared background) makes you rate everything else higher.
- Hiring for likability: enjoying the chat is not the same as the person being able to do the job.
- Talking too much: if you speak more than the candidate, you learned very little about them.
- Leading questions: hinting at the answer you want teaches the candidate what to say.
- First-impression lock-in: deciding in the first five minutes and spending the rest looking for proof you were right.
The fix for most of these is the same: ask everyone the same core questions, score against the rubric, and separate what happened from how you felt about it.
Decide the next steps
Right after the interview, turn your notes into a clear recommendation while everything is fresh.
- 1
Total the scorecard
Add up ratings across your criteria and note any must-have that scored too low to ignore, even if the average looks fine.
- 2
Make a call: advance, reject, or hold
Decide whether the candidate moves to the next round, is not a fit, or needs one more data point before you can say.
- 3
Compare, do not just react
If several people interviewed, line up scorecards side by side and discuss evidence, not vibes, before agreeing.
- 4
Close the loop with the candidate
Follow up within the timeline you promised. Even a short rejection note protects your employer reputation.
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