Interview Plan

Design the process before it starts. A clear plan keeps interviews fair, focused, and efficient — and protects the candidate experience.

Role

Hiring manager

Core competencies

What are we actually assessing for?

3–5 things. Not "culture fit" — observable behaviors and capabilities. These should map directly to the must-haves in your JD.

Interview stages

Who does what, in what order

Each stage should assess different things. Avoid repeating the same questions across stages — it wastes everyone's time and signals poor coordination.

Stage 1

Stage name

Owner

What this stage assesses

Pitch / opening

Key questions

Stage 2

Stage name

Owner

What this stage assesses

Key questions

Stage 3

Stage name

Owner

What this stage assesses

Format / brief

Stage 4

Stage name

Owner

What this stage assesses

Key questions

Evaluation

How we score and decide

Agree on this before interviews start. Consistent criteria reduce bias and make the debrief faster.

Timing

Target pace between stages

Slow processes lose good candidates. Set expectations now so the team can move.

Saved

Take it further

Generate questions and a pitch

Turn this plan into a phone-screen pitch and stage-by-stage questions you can use in the actual interviews. Edit to fit your voice.