Structured Interviews: A Simple Framework for Fairer, Better Hires

In a free-flowing interview, two candidates for the same job can have completely different conversations. One gets asked about cricket and their hometown; the other gets grilled on Excel formulas. When you compare them later, you are comparing two different tests.

Unstructured interviews also reward confidence and fluency in English more than ability. A field sales candidate from Nagpur who speaks mostly Marathi may be far better at closing shopkeepers than a polished talker, but a casual interview rarely brings that out. Structure forces you to look for the skill you actually need.

Finally, structure protects you. If a rejected candidate asks why, or a manager questions a hire, you have written notes and scores to point to rather than a vague 'did not feel right'.

Before writing a single question, list the four to six competencies that separate a good performer from an average one in this specific role. Talk to the person who will manage the hire and, if possible, to someone already doing the job well.

Keep competencies concrete. 'Good attitude' is not measurable; 'stays polite and firm with an angry customer' is. If your job description is vague, fix it first — our guide on writing a job description helps here.

• Telecaller: clear speech in Hindi and the local language, handling rejection, following a script, logging calls accurately
• Accounts executive: Tally entries, GST return basics, bank reconciliation, attention to detail, meeting month-end deadlines
• Warehouse supervisor: shift planning, handling labour absenteeism, stock accuracy, safety discipline
• Developer: problem solving, code quality, debugging, explaining technical choices to non-technical colleagues

For each competency, write a mix of behavioural questions (about what the candidate has actually done) and situational questions (what they would do in a realistic scenario from your workplace). Behavioural questions work best for experienced candidates; situational ones work well for freshers who have less history to draw on.

Add a short practical task where the role allows it. A five-minute mock call for a telecaller, a typing test for a data entry operator or a small Tally voucher entry for an accountant often tells you more than ten questions.

• Behavioural: 'Tell me about a time a customer refused to pay or complained loudly. What did you say and what happened?'
• Situational: 'It is 9 pm, two of your eight pickers have not turned up and a big dispatch leaves at 6 am. Walk me through what you do.'
• Technical: 'Here is a purchase bill with GST. Show me how you would enter it in Tally.'
• Motivation: 'This role needs Saturday working and travel within the city on a two-wheeler. How does that fit your situation?'

A rubric is simply a description of what a weak, acceptable and strong answer looks like for each question. Write it before the first interview, not after, otherwise you will unconsciously shape it around the candidate you liked.

A 1–5 scale is enough. Describe at least points 1, 3 and 5 in a line each. For example, for the angry-customer question: 1 = blames the customer or gives no example; 3 = stayed calm and passed it to a senior; 5 = calmed the customer, solved the issue or set a clear follow-up, and can say what they learned.

Keep the rubric on one sheet per candidate, with space for notes. A simple Google Sheet or a printed form works perfectly well.

Open with a two-minute welcome: who you are, what the role is, how long the interview will take and that you will be taking notes. This settles nervous candidates, especially freshers and people attending their first formal interview.

Then ask your questions in order. You can ask follow-ups such as 'what exactly did you say?' or 'what was the result?' — probing for detail is allowed and useful. What you should avoid is wandering into unrelated topics or asking personal questions about marriage plans, religion, caste or family background, which have no bearing on the job and can come across as discriminatory.

Leave five minutes at the end for the candidate's questions and to explain next steps and timelines clearly.

1. 1Welcome and explain the format (2 minutes)
2. 2Quick confirmation of basics: notice period, current location, salary expectation (3 minutes)
3. 3Competency questions in fixed order, with follow-up probes (20–30 minutes)
4. 4Practical task if relevant (5–15 minutes)
5. 5Candidate's questions and next steps (5 minutes)
6. 6Score each answer immediately after the candidate leaves

If two people interview, each should score alone before comparing. When the owner says 'I loved her' first, everyone else tends to agree. Independent scoring catches things one person missed.

Where scores differ by two or more points on a question, talk about the evidence: what exactly did the candidate say? Often one interviewer heard a specific example the other overlooked. Decide on the total and on any must-have competency, for example a minimum of 3 on 'handles cash honestly' for a cashier, regardless of other scores.

Structure is not only for office jobs. When you hire twenty delivery riders or security guards in a week, a short structured checklist is what keeps quality consistent across different supervisors and walk-in days.

For these roles, keep it to six to eight questions plus one practical check: a short ride with the supervisor, a document check for the driving licence, or a role-play of stopping a visitor at the gate. Ask questions in Hindi or the local language if that is what the job will need. If you are hiring at scale, see our pages to hire delivery boys or hire security guards for role-specific pointers.

On BetterJobs you can move candidates through an applicant pipeline — applied, shortlisted, interview, offer, hired — so each supervisor can see who has been interviewed and who is pending.

If you have never used a scorecard, start with a single printed page per candidate. At the top, write the role, the date, the candidate name and the interviewer. Below that, list each competency with its questions, a 1–5 score box and a few lines for notes. At the bottom, add a total, any must-have that was not met, and a final recommendation: hire, hold or reject.

Keep notes factual. Write what the candidate said and did — "handled mock call politely, forgot to confirm address" — rather than opinions like "seemed smart". Factual notes are far more useful when you compare candidates a week later or when a second interviewer joins the decision.

The framework is simple, but a few habits quietly undo it. Watch out for these in your first few rounds.

After every five or six hires for a role, look back: did the people who scored highest actually turn out to be your best performers after three months? If not, adjust the questions or the rubric. A structured interview is a living tool, and small tweaks based on real results make it sharper every hiring cycle.

• Changing questions between candidates because 'this one seemed different'
• Writing the rubric after interviews have started
• Scoring at the end of the day from memory instead of right after each interview
• Letting one strong impression (good English, same college, same town) override weak scores
• Making the interview so long that good candidates with other offers lose interest