--- name: interview-guide description: Generate structured, role-specific interview guides with competency-based questions, scoring rubrics, and bias-mitigation prompts. Use when preparing interviewers for candidate evaluations, creating standardized question sets for specific roles, or ensuring consistent interviewing across hiring teams. Triggers on phrases like "interview questions", "interview guide", "interview prep", "question set", "scoring rubric", "structured interview", "behavioral questions", "technical questions", "interview checklist". --- # Interview Guide & Question Generator Create standardized, role-specific interview guides that reduce bias and improve hiring quality. ## Workflow 1. Analyze the job description and required competencies for the role. 2. Map competencies to question categories: behavioral, technical, situational, cultural fit. 3. Generate STAR-method behavioral questions with expected response indicators. 4. Create technical or role-specific questions with difficulty levels. 5. Build scoring rubrics (1–5 scale) for each question with clear anchors. 6. Add bias-mitigation prompts and red-flag indicators. 7. Distribute guide to all interviewers at least 24 hours before the interview. 8. Collect post-interview feedback on question quality for continuous improvement. ## Guide Structure Every interview guide follows this standardized format: ``` INTERVIEW GUIDE — [Role Title] — [Round: Phone/Technical/Final/Culture] ================================================================ Interview Duration: [30/45/60] minutes Interviewer: [Name] Candidate: [Name] (auto-filled from ATS) Position: [Title, Level, Team] COMPETENCIES TO ASSESS: 1. [Competency A] — Weight: 25% 2. [Competency B] — Weight: 25% 3. [Competency C] — Weight: 25% 4. [Competency D] — Weight: 25% SUGGESTED TIMELINE: 0–5 min — Welcome, set expectations, candidate intro 5–15 min — Behavioral questions (Competency A & B) 15–30 min — Technical/situational questions (Competency C) 30–40 min — Role-specific deep dive 40–45 min — Candidate questions, next steps, close NOTE: Keep notes after each question. Use scoring rubric below. ``` ## Question Generation by Category ### Behavioral Questions (STAR Method) Generate using this pattern: | Competency | Question | What to Listen For | Red Flags | |------------|----------|-------------------|-----------| | Problem-solving | "Tell me about a time you faced an unexpected obstacle in a critical project. Walk me through how you identified it, what options you considered, and why you chose your approach." | Structured thinking, data-driven decisions, collaboration | Blaming others, no clear outcome, inability to articulate reasoning | | Adaptability | "Describe a situation where requirements changed significantly mid-project. How did you adjust and what was the result?" | Flexibility, proactive communication, positive framing | Resistance to change, complaining, no concrete outcome | | Leadership | "Give me an example of when you influenced a team or stakeholder who didn't report to you. What was at stake and how did you approach it?" | Persuasion without authority, empathy, strategic thinking | Over-reliance on formal authority, inability to articulate impact | ### Technical Questions (Role-Specific) **Engineering Example:** ``` TECHNICAL QUESTIONS — Senior Backend Engineer 1. SYSTEM DESIGN (20 min) "Design a URL shortening service. Walk me through: - API design and data model - Scaling considerations (read vs. write patterns) - How you'd handle the most-viewed URLs - Failure modes and how you'd mitigate them" Strong answer indicators: ✓ Asks clarifying questions first (scale, SLAs, constraints) ✓ Proposes layered architecture with clear trade-offs ✓ Discusses monitoring, alerting, and incident response ✓ Mentions security considerations 2. DEBUGGING SCENARIO (10 min) "A production API endpoint's p99 latency jumped from 200ms to 2s overnight. No code deployments happened. Walk me through your diagnostic approach." Strong answer indicators: ✓ Systematic elimination (infrastructure → dependencies → config) ✓ Uses observability tools (logs, traces, metrics, dashboards) ✓ Considers non-obvious causes (DNS, cert expiry, memory leak) ``` **Product Manager Example:** ``` PRODUCT QUESTIONS — Product Manager 1. PRODUCT SENSE (15 min) "Our user activation rate dropped 12% last quarter. How would you investigate and what actions would you prioritize?" Strong answer indicators: ✓ Segments the problem (by channel, cohort, feature, geography) ✓ Hypothesizes before diving into data ✓ Proposes both quick wins and structural fixes ✓ Ties recommendations to business impact 2. PRIORITIZATION (10 min) "You have 3 feature requests from sales, 2 from engineering (tech debt), 1 from customers, and your OKR requires a new analytics dashboard. How do you decide?" Strong answer indicators: ✓ Uses a structured framework (RICE, WSJF, or similar) ✓ Considers dependencies and risk ✓ Communicates trade-offs transparently ✓ Doesn't say "yes to everything" ``` ### Situational Questions ``` SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS — All Roles 1. "You discover a colleague has been taking credit for your work in meetings with leadership. How do you handle it?" Looking for: Direct but professional communication, escalation if needed, focus on outcomes not drama 2. "Your manager asks you to deliver a project in half the timeline you estimated is realistic. What do you do?" Looking for: Negotiation skills, data-backed pushback, offering alternatives (scope reduction, resource request) 3. "You're given a task that conflicts with company values or ethics. How do you respond?" Looking for: Courage to raise concerns, understanding of escalation paths, alignment with values ``` ### Culture Add (Not "Culture Fit") ``` CULTURE ADD QUESTIONS 1. "What's a belief or practice at your previous company that you think was wrong and you'd want to change here?" Looking for: Critical thinking, willingness to challenge norms, constructive framing 2. "Describe a time you received feedback that changed how you work. What was it and how did you incorporate it?" Looking for: Coachability, growth mindset, specific behavioral change 3. "What kind of team environment brings out your best work? What environment drains you?" Looking for: Self-awareness, honest assessment, reasonable expectations ``` ## Scoring Rubric Standardize scoring across all interviewers: ``` SCORING RUBRIC — 1 to 5 Scale 5 — EXCEEDS: Response demonstrates exceptional depth, clear examples with quantifiable impact, goes beyond what's expected for this level 4 — STRONG: Response shows solid competence, good examples, meets or slightly exceeds expectations for the role 3 — MEETS: Response is adequate, demonstrates basic competence, meets minimum requirements 2 — DEVELOPING: Response is limited, lacks specificity or depth, below expectations for this level 1 — INSUFFICIENT: Response shows lack of relevant experience or understanding, does not meet minimum requirements NO SHOW / UNABLE TO ASSESS — Candidate didn't participate or question wasn't asked ``` ## Bias Mitigation Prompts Include these reminders in every interview guide: ``` ⚠️ BIAS ALERTS — Review before interviewing BEFORE THE INTERVIEW: → Read the candidate's resume WITHOUT looking at demographic info → Note your initial impression — then consciously set it aside → Focus ONLY on the competencies listed in this guide DURING THE INTERVIEW: → Ask the SAME questions in the SAME order to every candidate for this role → Give every candidate equal time to answer (use a timer) → Take notes immediately — don't rely on memory → Watch for "halo effect" (one great answer coloring your view of everything) → Watch for "similar to me" bias (favoring candidates who share your background) AFTER THE INTERVIEW: → Score each competency BEFORE writing narrative feedback → Use evidence from notes, not "gut feeling" → Avoid vague language: "good culture fit" → specify what you observed → If you can't point to a specific answer, don't score it ``` ## Interviewer Scorecard Template ``` INTERVIEWER SCORECARD — [Candidate Name] — [Role] =================================================== COMPETENCY SCORES: Problem Solving: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Notes: ________________ Communication: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Notes: ________________ Technical Skills: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Notes: ________________ Teamwork: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Notes: ________________ Role Readiness: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Notes: ________________ OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: ☐ Strong Hire ☐ Hire ☐ Lean Hire ☐ Lean No Hire ☐ No Hire KEY STRENGTHS OBSERVED: [Specific examples with evidence] AREAS OF CONCERN: [Specific examples with evidence — not impressions] WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO WORK WITH THIS PERSON? ☐ Yes ☐ No Why: _________________________________ ADDITIONAL NOTES: [Any other observations, context, or questions for the hiring team] ``` ## Question Bank Management Maintain a living question bank: ``` QUESTION BANK MAINTENANCE ========================= Review cadence: Quarterly (or after every 20 interviews) Process: 1. Collect interviewer feedback on each question (clarity, discrimination power, relevance) 2. Retire questions with low discrimination scores (where all candidates score similarly) 3. Add new questions based on evolving role requirements 4. Validate questions against actual performance data (do "strong" ratings predict on-the-job success?) 5. Ensure representation across all competency areas 6. Update scoring rubrics as role expectations evolve Quality metrics for questions: - Discrimination index: Variance in scores across candidates (target: > 0.3) - Interviewer agreement: Inter-rater reliability (target: > 0.7) - Predictive validity: Correlation with 6-month performance ratings (target: > 0.4) ``` ## Integration Points - ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby): Candidate data, interview scheduling - Performance systems: Historical data for question validation - Calendar/Video tools: Interview logistics - Survey tools: Interviewer feedback collection - Analytics: Question quality tracking, bias detection ## Edge Cases - **Executive roles**: Add strategic vision questions, board presentation simulations, scenario-based leadership assessments - **Remote roles**: Include questions about self-management, async communication, and remote collaboration tools - **Diversity hiring**: Use structured scoring more rigorously; ensure diverse interviewer panels - **High-volume roles**: Simplify guide to 5–7 key questions; use scoring shorthand for efficiency - **Contract/temporary hires**: Shorter guide focused on immediate task capability, skip deep cultural questions