Structured interviews: questions, rating scales and interview notes
For hiring managers, interview panel members and HR staff who already know why structure matters and now need to build and use the kit: job-based competencies, behavioural and situational questions, anchored rating scales, probes, notes that justify each rating, and panel consensus. Built on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's structured interview guidance, with U.S. EEOC pages for questions to avoid. Covers U.S. federal law only at an awareness level; it is not legal advice, and your HR team and local law govern your process.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 65 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Write behavioural and situational questions, with planned probes, for four to six job-related competencies chosen from a job analysis
- Write a rating scale with one range for all competencies and described levels with behavioural examples
- Write interview notes that record what the candidate said and support each rating
- Run a panel consensus that resolves rating differences from evidence and records the result
- Identify common rating errors and pre-offer questions U.S. EEOC guidance says to avoid
Course outline
- 1.Writing behavioural and situational questions with planned probesLesson · 14 min
- 2.Writing a rating scale with described levelsLesson · 10 min
- 3.Writing interview notes that support each ratingLesson · 8 min
- 4.Running a panel consensus from evidenceLesson · 8 min
- 5.Rating errors and pre-offer questions to avoidLesson · 10 min
- 6.Structured interviews: questions, rating scales and interview notes: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Structured interviews: questions, rating scales and interview notes: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- U.S. OPM: Structured Interviews (assessment and selection policy page)
- U.S. OPM: Structured Interviews: A Practical Guide (September 2008)
- U.S. OPM: Structured Interview: Example Question and Rating Scale
- U.S. EEOC: Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices
- U.S. EEOC: Pre-Employment Inquiries and Disability
- U.S. EEOC: Pre-Employment Inquiries and Marital Status or Number of Children
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.