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Structured Interview Guide Template

A structured interview guide is the hiring manager's script for running one competency-based interview the same way with every candidate: a fixed question bank, follow-up probes for each competency, and a description of what a strong answer looks like. Use it so every candidate for a role answers the same core questions in the same order.

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Give this guide to anyone running a competency interview for a role, so the questions and follow-up probes stay consistent across candidates and interviewers. It focuses on what to ask and how to dig deeper on an answer - pair it with a separate scorecard if you also want a formal rating for each candidate.

01 Copy & adapt — replace every [placeholder]

Competencies for this role

Competency 1: [e.g. OWNERSHIP] - why it matters here: [ONE LINE ON WHY THIS MATTERS FOR THE ROLE]

Competency 2: [e.g. STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT] - why it matters here: [ONE LINE]

Competency 3: [e.g. PROBLEM SOLVING UNDER AMBIGUITY] - why it matters here: [ONE LINE]

Competency 4: [e.g. COMMUNICATION] - why it matters here: [ONE LINE]

Opening, run the same way every time

Say the same opening to every candidate: welcome them, explain the interview format, and confirm the time available.

State how many competencies you will cover and roughly how long each will take.

Ask if they have any questions about the format before you begin - not about the role itself, save that for the end.

Move straight into the question bank below in the same order each time.

Question bank: Competency 1

Behavioural question: Tell me about a time you [SITUATION TIED TO THIS COMPETENCY].

Follow-up probe: What was your specific role in that situation, versus the team's?

Follow-up probe: What would you do differently if you faced the same situation again?

What good looks like: a specific, first-person, STAR-style answer - situation, action taken and result - not a general description of how they usually approach things.

Question bank: Competency 2

Behavioural question: Describe a situation where [SITUATION TIED TO THIS COMPETENCY].

Follow-up probe: How did you know that approach was working, or that it was not?

Follow-up probe: Who else was involved, and how did you handle any disagreement?

What good looks like: [DESCRIBE THE MARKERS OF A STRONG ANSWER FOR THIS COMPETENCY]

Question bank: Competency 3

Behavioural question: Give me an example of [SITUATION TIED TO THIS COMPETENCY].

Follow-up probe: What information did you have, and what was missing?

Follow-up probe: Looking back, what would have changed your decision?

What good looks like: [DESCRIBE THE MARKERS OF A STRONG ANSWER FOR THIS COMPETENCY]

Closing

Leave the last part of the interview for the candidate's own questions.

Tell them what happens next and roughly when they will hear back.

Write your notes against each competency immediately after the call, using the guide's own headings, before you move to the next candidate.

Pass your notes and any follow-up probes you did not get to into the debrief.

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02 In practice

How to use this template

  1. Pick three to five competencies that matter most for this role and write one behavioural question and two follow-up probes for each.
  2. Run the same opening and the same question order for every candidate interviewing for this role.
  3. Use the follow-up probes whenever an answer is vague or general, to get a specific, first-person example instead.
  4. Write down what good looks like for each competency before interviews start, so you are not defining the bar mid-interview.
  5. Take notes against each competency heading right after the call, while the answers are still fresh.

Tips

A behavioural question only works if you follow it with a probe - the first answer is often rehearsed, the follow-up is not. If a candidate answers in generalities such as I usually or our team would, ask directly for one specific example instead of moving on. Write the what good looks like line before you interview anyone, not after you have already met a candidate you like. Keep the same question order across candidates even when a conversation flows naturally somewhere else - consistency is what makes candidates comparable. This guide covers what to ask; use a separate scorecard alongside it if you want a formal rating on each competency.

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FAQ

Structured Interview Guide Template — FAQs

What is a structured interview guide?
It is a set of behavioural questions and follow-up probes, organised by competency, that an interviewer runs in the same order with every candidate for a role. It standardises what gets asked, while a separate scorecard usually handles how answers are rated.
How is this different from an interview scorecard?
This guide is about the questions - what to ask, in what order, and how to probe a vague answer. A scorecard is about scoring - rating each answer on a scale with evidence. Many teams use both together, one for the conversation and one for the rating.
How many competencies should one interview cover?
Three to five is typical for a single interview slot. Covering more than that usually means rushing the follow-up probes, which is where you actually learn whether an answer is genuine or rehearsed.
What if a candidate gives a vague answer to a behavioural question?
Use a follow-up probe to ask for their specific role in the situation, what they actually did, and what the outcome was. If the answer stays general after two probes, note that directly rather than guessing at what they might mean.
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