Start with the work you need done
A useful interview gives your team evidence it can compare. Before speaking to candidates, agree on the responsibilities of the role, the skills you need on day one and what can be learned after joining.
Write down the core questions and the criteria for assessing answers. The US Office of Personnel Management's structured-interview guidance describes using predetermined questions and a common rating scale. That provides a practical foundation; it does not make any interview bias-free or guarantee a successful hire.
Choose a short process with a purpose for each step
For a small team, a brief introductory conversation followed by a focused interview and a relevant work sample may be enough. Add another round only when it answers a question the earlier steps cannot resolve.
Tell candidates the steps, expected time commitment and decision timeline before they invest time. Explain how to request an accessible format or an adjustment to the process.
Use the introductory conversation to explain the role and salary range, answer questions, and discuss practical requirements such as working hours and possible start dates. Avoid treating negotiation about a start date as evidence of poor motivation.
Ask for concrete examples
Prepare the same core questions for everyone applying to the role. Use follow-up questions to clarify the evidence, while giving candidates a comparable opportunity to explain their work.
For example:
- Tell me about a project relevant to this role. What problem were you trying to solve?
- What was your own contribution, and who else was involved?
- What constraints or trade-offs did you face?
- What changed as a result? How did you assess the outcome?
- What would you approach differently next time?
Numerical results can help, but some work is confidential or difficult to quantify. Look for a clear explanation of decisions and outcomes rather than insisting that every answer contains a percentage.
Use a work sample when it adds evidence
Choose a short, fictional task that resembles the work. An engineer might explain a small debugging problem; a salesperson might practise a discovery conversation; an operations candidate might prioritise a sample set of requests.
Explain what you are assessing and how long the exercise should take. Use comparable tasks and criteria for candidates in the same process. Consider compensation for substantial assignments, and avoid using applications to obtain unpaid work for a live project.
Record evidence before discussing the candidate
Use a small set of job-related criteria, such as problem solving, a required technical skill and communication needed for the role. Define what each rating means with examples before the interviews begin.
For each criterion, record:
- The example or answer the candidate provided.
- What it demonstrates against the requirement.
- What remains unclear and needs a follow-up.
Keep "not assessed" separate from "does not meet the requirement." Have interviewers record their own assessments before comparing notes. Discuss disagreements by returning to the evidence, rather than averaging away an unresolved concern.
Keep personal assumptions out of the decision
Do not substitute school prestige, similarity to the team, accent or an unexplained impression of "culture fit" for evidence about the work. A career gap or a nontraditional path is a prompt to understand relevant experience, not an automatic rejection.
Check the rules that apply where you hire before asking about health, family circumstances, age or salary history. Asking everyone the same question does not make it lawful. For example, US EEOC guidance restricts disability-related questions and medical examinations before a job offer. Other jurisdictions have their own requirements; this article is a process guide, not a substitute for local employment advice.
Close the loop
Leave time for the candidate's questions. Confirm the next step and who will contact them. After deciding, send a clear update instead of leaving the application unresolved.
Penroll can help prepare interview questions and keep applicant notes and next steps together. Review AI suggestions against your criteria and the candidate's actual information. Your team conducts the interview and makes the hiring decision.