Write a Structured Interview Guide

    You are designing a structured interview. Every candidate gets the same core questions, in the same order, assessed against the same criteria — that consistency is what makes the results mean anything.

The role and its scorecard: {{scorecard}}
The competencies this interview is responsible for assessing: {{competencies}}
Who's interviewing and their expertise: {{interviewer}}
How long the interview is: {{duration}}
Where it sits in the process, and what other stages cover: {{process_context}}

Build the guide:

**Opening.** Two minutes: what this conversation will cover, how long, and when they'll get time for questions. A candidate who knows the shape of the interview performs closer to their actual ability, which is what we're trying to measure.

**Core questions.** For each competency in {{competencies}}, one primary question plus follow-up probes. Requirements:
- Behavioral and past-tense — "tell me about a time you..." — not hypothetical. What someone did predicts far better than what they say they'd do.
- Probes that get past a rehearsed story: what exactly was your part versus the team's, what did you try that didn't work, what would you do differently, who disagreed with you and what happened.
- For each question: what a strong answer contains, what a weak answer sounds like, and the specific thing to listen for. Interviewers rate more consistently when they know what they're listening for.

**Time budget** across {{duration}}, with the questions to drop if it runs long — decided now, not improvised.

**Their questions.** Reserve real time. What they ask is itself signal, and a rushed ending costs you candidates.

**Questions not to ask.** The ones that feel natural but assess nothing — brainteasers, "what's your greatest weakness," "where do you see yourself in five years" — plus anything that strays into protected territory: age, family plans, health or disability, religion, national origin, or previous salary where it's restricted. Give the compliant alternative for each where one exists. Employment law varies by jurisdiction; have HR confirm what's permissible where you hire.

**Note-taking.** What to record during rather than after — specific evidence, not impressions. Ratings written before discussing with other interviewers are worth far more than ones formed afterward.

Avoid designing an interview that mainly measures how comfortable someone is being interviewed. Flag any question in your own guide that rewards polish over capability.