A practical guide to structured interviews

Choose a small set of real capabilities

Identify the capabilities that distinguish success in the role. For a customer success manager, these might include diagnosing account risk, communicating with stakeholders, and planning an intervention. Avoid a long list in which every trait is marked essential.

Write a question or realistic scenario for each capability. Ask candidates to explain their approach and the tradeoffs they considered. Allow follow up questions to clarify evidence while keeping the core assessment consistent.

Define what good evidence looks like

Create scoring anchors before the interviews. A weak response may identify a problem without a plan. A stronger response may explain a sequence of actions, stakeholder responsibilities, and how the result would be measured.

Take notes about what the candidate said or demonstrated. “Seems confident” is an impression; “explained how they handled a customer escalation and what changed” is evidence that another reviewer can examine.

Discuss scores after independent assessment

Ask interviewers to record their evaluations before a group discussion. This reduces the chance that the most senior person’s view becomes everyone’s starting point. Where scores differ, compare the evidence and identify what remains unclear.

Provide appropriate adjustments so the assessment measures the intended capability rather than an unrelated barrier. Finish with a reasoned decision and useful feedback where feasible. Review the interview process itself when questions repeatedly fail to distinguish relevant strengths.

Use the same evidence for the same role

For a retail store manager, ask each candidate about staffing a busy weekend, handling a customer complaint, and reconciling daily sales. Record the evidence and the reviewer’s reasoning. A shared decision history gives the employer and recruitment team a clearer basis for discussing the shortlist.