Job interviews are an essential part of building an all-star team. To ensure the best candidate for the position is hired, it is crucial to correctly evaluate each applicant in a short time.
Forgetting to ask an essential question could provide a less-than-full picture of the candidate. And if interviews vary from one day to the next, it can be challenging to compare applicants fairly.
An interview template keeps interviews on track and provides accurate, consistent criteria to evaluate job candidates.
This article discusses how to create an interview template that streamlines the hiring process and helps find the right person for the job.
What is an interview template?
An interview template is a tool that helps guide a hiring manager through a job interview. Interview templates come in many forms and can be customized to fit any organization’s interview process.
A typical interview template might include:
- information about the candidate
- questions to ask the candidate
- how much time to spend on each part of the interview
- a place to take additional notes
- scoring criteria
Why use an interview template?
Interview templates benefit everyone. They ensure a fair hiring process fair and streamline the process for all interviewers.
Here are a few reasons to use an interview template:
- Standardizes interviews. Sometimes candidates are interviewed by a different mix of interviewers. Sometimes two interviews for the same position happen months apart. Sometimes an interviewer has a good day during one interview and a terrible day for the next one.
- Helps interviewers remember all essential questions. It’s easy to forget a vital interview question in the moment. Having pre-planned questions on a template ensures this is less likely to occur.
- Keeps the interview on track. Most interviews are scheduled for a set amount of time, often 30 or 45 minutes. If the interviewee spends 10 minutes answering the first question, getting through the entire interview on time can be tricky.
An interview template can include time durations for each question or interview segment, making for a more manageable process and giving the candidate a chance to answer every question (and maybe even ask their own!).
- Provides standard evaluation criteria. What does a strong interview look like? How about a weak one? How to properly compare two stellar candidates? A template can include an interview scorecard. This helps interviewers quantify how well each candidate fits the position.
What are some examples of interview templates?
Interviewers can use a template for any type of interview. Here are a few interview templates that could make your process run smoothly.
Job interview template
A standard job interview template contains a list of questions to ask the candidate. It could also provide time durations for each question or other information.
Employees can tweak interview templates to fit each new position. If there are positions hired regularly, save a template for each one.
Score-based interview template
This type of interview template is also used for job interviews but focuses on providing a scoring system to compare candidates. If using a score-based template, make sure to decide before the interview what type of answer will be considered “excellent” vs. “good.” Also, if some questions are more important than others, it’s helpful to weigh the scores.
Exit interview template
Job interviews aren’t the only type of interview that can benefit from a template — they’re also helpful for exit interviews. Unlike job interviews, scoring and comparing to other exit interviews is unnecessary. But standardizing exit interviews means patterns in feedback can be compared.
monday.com’s interview template
monday.com offers a fully customizable interview template used to standardize and simplify job interviews. The template can be adjusted to fit each role and the unique interview process. Because monday.com boards can be accessed from any device, it’s easy to share the template — and collaborate on questions and scoring — with your team.
The interview template integrates seamlessly with the rest of HR work on monday.com. For example, answers from the interview can automatically populate a database of candidate information.
Related templates
70% of HR employees say they use three to six apps just to complete a single task?
One of the best parts about using monday.com’s templates is that there is no need to jump from one tool to another. The interview template is in the same place where job applications are accepted, the same place candidate information is housed, and all new hire onboarding lives.
Here are a few more monday.com templates for streamlining HR processes.
Recruitment process template
The recruitment process template keeps track of applicants moving through the hiring process. First, use the template to create a centralized database of all relevant contact information for new recruits. Then, whether rejected or hired, monday.com automations can move interviewee data to the right place without creating extra work.
Job application form template
When applicants submit the job application form, their information can be routed to the relevant monday.com board, so candidate information is never lost. Automatically assign applicants to team members.
New employee onboarding template
Congratulations on the recent hire! But HR’s work is never done, of course. Next up: Onboarding. The new employee onboarding template helps manage the workflow, from the pre-arrival checklist to introductions. Automatically assign responsibilities to team members and track tasks.
FAQs about interview templates
What should be included in an interview template?
An interview template can be customized for an existing interview process and the specific position to fill. Consider including:
- Information about the interview, like the date and interviewer’s name
- How to welcome the candidate and introduce the interviewer(s)
- Essential information to collect about the candidate
- Interview questions (with a scoring system)
- Potential start date and salary range expectations
- How to conclude the interview
How to format an interview?
Every organization will have its specific interview style, but many follow a similar pattern:
- The interviewer greets the candidate and introduces the interview process.
- The interviewer collects a copy of the candidate’s resume, references, and any basic information the company doesn’t have yet.
- The interviewer asks the candidate questions.
- The candidate is given the opportunity to ask questions.
- The interviewer lets the candidate know about the next steps.
An interview template should reflect the preferred interview format, so the interviewer knows precisely how to conduct the interview just by looking at the template.
How should an interviewer start an interview?
Before meeting the candidate, review their resume and the interview questions. Start the interview by introducing yourself and any other interviewers. Then, give the candidate a brief overview of the company and position. Don’t take too long with this! Ideally, they should already know something about your company. However, use this opportunity to talk a bit about the company culture or the background of the position.
What are the most common interview questions and answers?
According to a survey of hiring managers and recruiters, the most common interview questions are:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at work. How did you deal with it?
- What are your greatest strengths?
- How did you hear about this position?
- What are your greatest weaknesses?
- Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership skills
- Why are you leaving your current role?
- Tell me about a time you made a mistake
- What kind of work environment do you prefer?
- How would your boss and coworkers describe you?
How to make an interview kit.
An interview kit includes everything an interviewer needs to conduct an interview and rate the candidate. Using an interview template? Much of the interview kit — like the list of questions, the scorecard, and the interview schedule — can be part of that template. In addition, include any other information necessary to reference during the interview, such as the candidate’s resume or the job description.
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