How to make a template for an interview (Plus Tips and Example)
It can be helpful to have an interview template ready to use as a guide when interviewing people for a job. Interview templates can help you stay on track and give the whole interview process a structure. If you’re going to interview someone, you might want to make an interview template to make the process easy and quick. In this article, we talk about why it’s helpful to use an interview template when talking to job applicants. We also show you how to make an interview template, give you tips on how to make one, and let you look at a sample interview template.
Why it’s a good idea to use an interview template
Using an interview template can help in a number of ways when meeting with job candidates, such as:
- Sets up the questions and answers for the interview: An interview template can help you keep your questions and answers in order, which can help you set up the interview.
- You can look at your template at any time during an interview to remind yourself of questions or topics you want to ask or talk about.
- Helps you stay on topic: An interview template might help you stay on topic and focus on what’s most important to ask or say during the interview.
- Helps you remember important things: This template can also help you remember important information or questions you want to share with or ask the job candidate.
How to make an interview outline
Here are some things you can do to make an effective interview template:
1. Write your beginning
In the “introduction” part of the interview template, explain how you want to start the interview. You could start by telling them about yourself and the company, for instance. You might also want to know about the job candidate’s past, so you could make a list of general questions you’d like to ask them. You can also write down what you’d like to know about the candidate or what you think they might want to know about you during this part of the interview.
You might find it helpful to leave a blank space at the beginning so you can write down any notes you want to remember. This can be useful if you want to look at all of the job applicants again later.
2. Write about things that are common
In the “general information” section of the template, write down any important information you want the candidate to know. This will remind you to tell them these things. For example, you could say that you want to tell the candidate what the company’s mission statement is and how it affects how the company works. You might also want to explain how the business works. In this section, you can also write yourself a note to remind you of some questions you want to ask the candidate before you ask your main interview questions.
3. Outline your main questions
Here, write down the most important questions you want to ask the candidate at the interview. For example, you could ask them what they like about the company and what they want to do with their careers. You can add a note to the template to remind yourself to also ask follow-up questions of the candidate. You might also want to leave space for the candidate to write notes about their answers. This can help you remember some of what they say or tell you during the interview.
4. Plan your conclusion
In the “Conclusion” section, write down any last questions you have for the job applicant. You can add notes to remind yourself to tell the candidate any last-minute details about the job, like how long it might take for you to get back to them after the interview. You might also want to remind yourself to ask the candidate if they have any last questions, comments, or concerns to share with you or if they’d like to confirm their contact information.
5. Leave space to write down notes
If you want, you can also leave a space on your template blank for notes. At the end of the interview, you can use this section to write down any last important things about the candidate that you want to remember. For example, you could use this section to write about how you feel about the candidate as a whole and whether or not you want them to move on to the next step of the interview process.
How to use your interview template
Here are some things to think about before your next job interview where you will use your interview template:
- Tell the candidate how the interview will be set up: You and the person you’re interviewing might both benefit from having a general idea of how an interview works. This could help you and the other person stay on track and talk about the most important things.
- Only include the most important questions and information: It can be helpful to only include the most important questions and information on your template. This can help you stay organized and make sure that the template is easy to read.
- Leave space for your own notes: Leaving space on your interview template for you to write down your own notes may be helpful. This can help you keep all your interview notes in one place.
Format of an interview as an example
When you are writing your own interview template, it can help to look at an example. Here’s a detailed example of an interview template:
Introduction
- I’d like to say hello. Tell them what I do for a living and how long I’ve been working there.
- Ask the person running for office about him or herself.
General information
- Say a few things about me to the candidate.
- Tell the candidate in general about the company.
- Ask the person applying what they know about the business.
- Ask the person if they have any questions about you or the company.
Main questions
- How would you explain what you do at work?
- Why do you think you are the right person for this job?
- What do you find most interesting about this company?
- What kind of progress would you like to see in the next few months if you got this job?
Conclusion
- Ask the person if they have any questions.
- Tell the candidate when the company will get back to them.
- Check that the contact information for the candidate is correct.
Notes
The applicant seemed to know a lot about the company and be very prepared for the interview. They seemed like they really wanted the job and knew a lot about it. Very impressive candidate overall. I think this person should move on to the next round of interviews.
