Interview Guide Template

INTERVIEW GUIDE TEMPLATE

This template will assist you with a well organized interview that yields you the information you need to complete an unbiased comparison of candidates. Select competencies and questions relevant to the position you are trying to fill. Assess four to six competencies and choose one question per competency, for a maximum of sixquestions.

Interview Guide for Entry-level and Front-line Positions
Position Title:
Candidate Name:
Interviewer’s Name:
Date of Interview: / Location of Interview:

Prepare for the Interview

Review résumé and candidate application information, paying particular attention to relevant jobs and experience as well as education and training. Highlight areas to review in the interview.
Review competencies required for the target position and select relevant interview questions.

Start the Interview

Greet the candidate, giving your name and position as well as the names and positions of other interviewers present.
Explain the purpose of the interview:
to help the organization make a fair decision on the most qualified candidate for the job, and
to help the candidate understand the organization and position.

Describe the interview process to the candidate:

a brief review of past jobs, experience and education,
questions to explore candidate's specific experiences and accomplishments that relate to the job, and
time for candidate's questions about the position.

Inform the candidate that you will be taking notes throughout the interview.

Establish Rapport

Try not to reveal approval or disapproval, agreement or disagreement through your words, gestures or facial expressions.
Do not challenge answers or engage in debate with the candidate.
Keep your body language neutral and make notes continuously.
Nod, smile and encourage the candidate throughout the interview.
Use silence (up to 10 seconds) to encourage candidates to expand on short answers; ask if they would like to say any more or if they would prefer to move on.

Pace the Interview

If there is a clock in the room, be sure the candidate can see it clearly.
Gently steer the discussion to the next question if the candidate exceeds allotted time for a particular question.

Probe and Follow-up

Prompt the candidate to obtain missing or additional information. Use general questions such as “Can you please tell us a little more about that?” and “What did you do next?”
If candidates have difficulty thinking of an example, ask them to think about an example they have already provided and consider its relevance.
Candidates can always return to a question and expand on their answers if time permits.

Take Notes

Don’t be selective in your note-taking—write everything down.
Take notes of factual data (examples of work, quotes from candidate), not your judgments.
Allow the candidate to make notes or record the question.
Even though these notes may be solely for you and those individuals involved in the hiring decision, never make notes related to prohibited grounds such as ethnic background and age.

Rate Candidates

Immediately after the interview, take a few minutes to review and complete your notes.
Using the scale below, assign a rating to each competency based on behavioural examples the candidate provided.

5 / Well Above Standard (significantly exceeds requirements)
Evidence of competency is exceptional and reflects superior ability to perform; all aspects of the competency are demonstrated to a high degree.
4 / Above Standard(exceeds requirements)
Evidence of competency is above-average and reflects more than an adequate ability to perform; all or most aspects of the competency are demonstrated at above-average.
3 / Meets Standard(meets requirement)
Evidence of competency meets expectations and reflects an adequate ability to perform; candidate may have demonstrated minor weaknesses in some aspects of the competency, but none of major significance.
2 / Below Standard(below expected requirements)
Evidence of competency is inadequate in key respects.
1 / Well Below Standard(falls significantly below requirements)
Evidence of candidate demonstration of the competency is far from adequate in all or most respects.

Competency Evaluation: Dependability, Initiativeand Diligence

Definition:
Demonstrates dependable work habits and demonstrates initiative in the workplace, works with diligence.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

Uses good judgement about work absences and attendance
Has good attendance record and work performance
Can work with minimal supervision
Takes action to resolve issues without prompting
Uses work time productively
Has prepared for the interview

Example Interview Questions

How would your previous supervisor describe your job performance and work attendance?
How many days did you miss in the last 3 months?
What outside situations could affect your dependability at on the job?
Everybody misses work sometimes, what are some legitimate reasons to miss work?
What specific comments, positive or negative did your previous supervisor share with you about your performance?
What do feel is an acceptable number of absences in a year?

Describe a difficult problem you encountered recently where no supervisor was immediately available and how you handled it?

What was the problem?

What factors did you take into consideration when determining how to proceed?

What steps did you take?
What was the outcome?
How did you communicate the situation to your supervisor afterwards?

Two hours before your start time you learn that the weather is going to be bad and the traffic will be worse, how would you respond?

What is your personal checklist to ensure you are ready to start at the job and leave the job daily?

Every construction job has down time, how did you fill downtime on your last job site?

Describe the most difficult or challenging job assignment you have done, how did it end?

What was the situation?
Why was it challenging or difficult?
What obstacles did you face?
How did you deal with these obstacles?
What was the outcome?

Describe a situation where you did something significant without being asked?

What was the situation?
Why was the situation significant?
What challenges did you face?
How did you deal with these challenges?
What was the outcome?

What did you do to prepare for this interview?

What do you know about our company?
Do you know anyone in the company, who, what did you learn?
What do you look for in a job?
What do you find most and least appealing about this job?
Provide me your brief definition of this job?

Question ______Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Thinking Skills

Definition:
Analyzing and synthesizing information to understand issues, identify options, solve problems and support sound decision-making.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

breaks down straightforward situations into discrete tasks or activities
distinguishes critical from irrelevant pieces of information
gathers input and information from different sources to reach a conclusion
identifies critical connections and patterns in information and data
draws logical conclusions based on in-depth analysis of information
recognizes latent causes and predicts consequences of actions and events
anticipates obstacles and next steps.

Example Interview Questions

Can you give an example of a problem you had to analyze?
Did you follow a process to analyze the problem?
What components did you determine were contributing to the problem?
How did analyzing the problem help you find a solution?
What was the outcome?

Describe a problem that required you to gather information from different sources.

What was the problem?
What types of information did you need to seek out?
How did you determine which information was most essential?
How did you know which information was less relevant or even irrelevant?

Explain a situation where you had to make a decision or solve a problem based on several options.

What was the decision or problem?
What options were available to you?
What factors did you take into consideration when determining how to proceed?
What was the outcome of the situation?

Was there a time when you could foresee a particular solution that would be most successful in a specific situation?
What was the problem you were addressing?
What was the solution?
Why did you believe this particular solution would work in this situation?
Did the solution work? Why or why not?

Describe a situation in which you anticipated that certain obstacles were going to create a problem.

What was the situation?
What obstacles did you anticipate?
How did you know these obstacles were going to arise?
What did you do to deal with the anticipated obstacles?
What was the outcome?

Question ______Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Customer Service

Definition:
Providing service excellence to customers.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

responds to customer needs in a timely, professional, helpful, and courteous manner regardless of customer attitude
clearly demonstrates to customers their opinion is valued
strives to meet service standards consistently
follows up with customers during and after delivery of services to ensure needs have been met
keeps customers up-to-date on progress of the service they receive and changes that affect them
ensures service is provided to customers during critical periods
prioritizes customer issues and addresses most pressing concerns

Example Interview Questions

Describe a situation where a customer was particularly satisfied by your response to a request or need.

Describe the situation.
What was your role in meeting the request, and what did you do?
What effect did your response have?

Illustrate an instance when you went out of your way to be responsive to a customer.

Describe the situation.
How did you know what the customer wanted and what was important?
What did you do for the customer?
What was the outcome?

Recount a situation when you followed up on a problem or issue to ensure customer satisfaction.

Describe what you did for the customer.
What was the issue or problem?
How did you follow up with the customer?
What plan did you offer the customer for follow-up on outstanding issues, if any?
How satisfied was the customer with this?

Was there an instance when your ability to stay in contact with a customer proved critical to providing good service?

Who was the customer?
What did you do to stay in touch?
How did staying in touch prove to be critical?

Question ______ Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Communication

Definition:
Listening to others and communicating effectively, fostering open communication.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

listens and pays attention actively and objectively
presents details and facts logically with appropriate phrasing and vocabulary
shares information willingly and on a timely basis
communicates honestly, respectfully and sensitively
recalls others’ main points and takes them into account in own communication
checks own understanding of others’ communication (e.g., paraphrases, asks questions)
elicits comments or feedback on what has been said
maintains continuous, open and consistent communication with others

Example Interview Questions

Please give an example of a time when you had to rely on oral information from others to complete a task.

Describe the situation.
How did you ensure you had all the necessary information?
What did you do to be certain that you understood this oral message?
What was the result?

Sharing information is often crucial to success. Talk about a time when your listening and speaking skills proved to be especially critical to ensure an objective was met.

Describe the situation.
What were you and others trying to communicate?
In what way did your listening skill prove useful?
How did you ensure that others truly understood what you had to say?
What challenges, if any, did you encounter in communicating orally with others?

/ 3. Describe an instance when establishing two-way communication with an individual or group was especially challenging.

What was the situation?
What made establishing two-way communication a challenge?
What did you do to ensure communication was two-way?
To what extent were you successful?
On what evidence or criteria do you base your evaluation of success?

It is important to be receptive to others’ ideas and opinions. Was there a time when you had to elicit comments or feedback from another team member on an important issue?

How did you demonstrate your interest in what they had to say?
What questions did you ask?
In the end, did you have a good idea of that person’s thoughts about the issue?
What was the result?

Question ______ Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Safety

Definition:
Identifying hazardous or potentially hazardous situations and taking appropriate action to maintain a safe environment for self and others.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

understands and applies relevant health and safety regulations and policies
maintains and updates knowledge of safety issues
acts to correct obviously unsafe conditions in the workplace
recommends improved safety procedures where appropriate
identifies potentially unsafe conditions in the workplace
conducts analysis to avoid hazards in the workplace

Example Interview Questions

Describe an instance when you applied a health and safety regulation to some aspect of your job.

What was the situation?
What regulations did you apply and why?
What actions did you take?
What was the outcome?

What have you done to stay up-to-date with health and safety issues in your workplace?

What do you do to stay current?
Where do you get the most recent information?
How do you apply this information?

Have you ever identified a need or opportunity for improvement to existing safety procedures?

What was the situation?
What needed improvement and why?
What recommendations did you make?
What was the outcome?

Have you ever conducted an analysis of a health or safety issue and identified a potential hazard as a result?

Describe your analysis.
What were the standards against which you conducted this analysis?
What did you determine?
How did your analysis impact the workplace?

Question ______ Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Adaptability

Definition:
Ability to adjust behaviour and perspective to work effectively in ambiguous or changing situations with diverse individuals and groups.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

expresses willingness to do things differently
understands and recognizes the value of other points of view and ways of doing things
displays a positive attitude in the face of ambiguity and change
changes own behaviour or approach to suit the situation
applies rules or procedures flexibly while retaining the organization’s values
adapts behaviour to perform effectively under changing or unclear conditions

Example Interview Questions
1.People see things differently. Describe an instance when, dealing with a problem, you made a special effort to recognize the value of another person’s point of view.

What was the situation or problem?
What was your point of view on how it should be handled?
What was the other person’s point of view?
How was the situation or problem handled?

2.It can be frustrating when things are not clear-cut. Have you encountered such a situation? How did you deal with it?

Describe the situation.
What was unclear about it?
What made it frustrating?
What was the outcome?

/ 3. Give an example of a situation where you changed your behaviour or approach in response to circumstances and people involved.

Why did you need to change your approach?
Describe how you changed your approach or behaviour.
How easily did you adapt to the situation?
What was the outcome?

4. Specify an instance when you were able to solve a problem or better serve a customer by applying flexibility to a rule or procedure.

Describe the situation.
What rule or procedure was involved?
What aspects of the rule or procedure were flexible?
What was the outcome?

Question ______ Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Responsibility

Definition:
Developing, implementing, evaluating and adjusting plans to reach goals while ensuring optimal use of resources and quality customer service.
Look for evidence that the candidate:

plans and organizes own activities to accomplish pre-determined standards or procedures
seeks clarification of priorities as needed
monitors quality and timeliness of own work
uses resources at immediate disposal
identifies who needs to be involved and when
distinguishes who will do what and when, taking into account group members’ skills, needs and, if possible, preferences
sets timelines and work steps
tracks progress and use of resources (e.g., people, materials, tools)
makes needed adjustments to timelines, steps and resource allocation
prepares for effective accomplishment of next steps

Example Interview Questions
1. Provide an example of a situation when planning and organizing tasks was especially critical—for example, to meet a tough deadline or deal with several priorities at once.

What was the situation?
Describe how you planned and organized your tasks.
How did you ensure that your tasks were completed on time and that priorities were met?
What was the outcome?

2. Have you ever recognized you were overloaded and had to clarify and reorganize your priorities to get things back on track?

What was the situation and what responsibilities did you have?
What caused you to recognize you were overloaded?
What did you do to get things back on track?
How did things work out?

/ 3. Describe a specific work or school project or activity in which you had to identify tasks and set priorities for others. How did you plan and organize work so the group could reach its goal?

Describe the project or activity.
How did you assign tasks and set priorities?
What factors did you take into account in assigning tasks and setting timelines?
What was the outcome?

4. Have you assigned tasks and priorities and monitored the progress of others?

What project or task was involved?
What factors did you consider in assigning tasks and setting priorities?
How did you monitor progress?
Did you need to deal with any missed deadlines or unacceptable work?
Was the project completed on time?
Was the objective met?

Question ______ Take CARE: remember to record Circumstances, Actions and Results and Evaluate objectively
RATING
Well Below Standard / Below Standard / Meets Standard / Above Standard / Well Above Standard
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Rationale

Competency Evaluation: Ability to Work with Others