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Use AI to help draft an interview, but build the interview around the role’s real competencies and keep people responsible for the questions, scoring, and decisions. A sound process maps each skill to observable evidence, uses the same core questions and rating standards for every candidate, and tells candidates what AI use is allowed.
What makes an interview skills-based and structured?
A skills-based interview assesses competencies needed for the job rather than relying on general impressions or unrelated credentials. The US Office of Personnel Management defines a structured interview as an assessment of job-related competencies through questions about candidates’ past behavior, proposed behavior in hypothetical situations, or both. Candidates generally receive the same predetermined questions in the same order, and interviewers assess responses against the same rating scale and standards. OPM’s structured-interview guidance explains these features.
Structure does not mean every question must be identical regardless of context. It means the core assessment is planned and consistently applied so candidates have comparable opportunities to demonstrate relevant skills. Follow-up prompts can clarify an answer, but decide in advance which prompts are permitted and use them consistently.
Start with the work the role requires
Do not ask an AI tool to invent a generic list of interview questions and treat it as a hiring plan. First identify the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to perform the actual job. Check each against the job description and role requirements. UK government guidance published 4 March 2026 recommends developing interview questions around the skills and knowledge needed for the job and describes structured interviews as supporting fair, objective assessment. That guidance applies to England, Scotland, and Wales; it is not a universal legal rule. Read the UK guidance.
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Keep the competency list focused. If an item cannot be tied to work the person will do, or to a genuine requirement of the role, it probably does not belong in the interview. For each competency, specify what a strong answer would demonstrate. This competency-to-evidence map is a practical planning aid, not a government-mandated worksheet.
| Planning element | What to define | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Competency | A job-related capability to assess | Prioritizing competing requests |
| Evidence | Observable details that indicate the capability | Explains how urgency and impact were weighed, what was communicated, and what happened |
| Question | A prompt that gives candidates a fair opportunity to offer that evidence | “Tell us about a time you had to prioritize several urgent requests. How did you decide what to do first?” |
| Rating standard | How interviewers distinguish stronger from weaker evidence | Higher ratings require a clear rationale, appropriate communication, and a credible outcome; define the complete rubric for the role before interviews |
Choose question formats that fit the competency
Behavioral questions ask candidates to describe past experience. Situational questions ask how they would respond to a hypothetical work scenario. OPM recognizes both; its guidance does not establish that either format is universally better. Choose the format that lets candidates provide relevant evidence for the competency, and make scenarios realistic and tied to the role.
| Format | Evidence it can elicit | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral | Actions, reasoning, communication, and outcomes from a past example | Whether candidates have a fair chance to draw on relevant experience, including experience outside a formal job when appropriate |
| Situational | How a candidate proposes to analyze and respond to a defined work situation | Whether the scenario is job-relevant, clear, and assessable against the same standards |
Both formats should be understandable and accessible. Avoid prompts that test assumptions about personality, background, or credentials when the real aim is to assess a skill. If the interview format or process needs adjustment to provide an accessible opportunity, plan for that without changing the competency being assessed.
Use AI to draft, then review every question
Give an AI assistant the approved role description and competency list, not an open-ended request to “find the best candidates.” Ask for draft questions that target each competency and make the evidence sought clear. Request behavioral or situational formats where suitable, and have it flag questions that appear unrelated to the listed requirements. AI output is a starting point; a hiring manager or recruiter must judge whether each draft is suitable for the actual role.
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- Provide bounded context. Include the role’s responsibilities and approved competencies. Avoid including personal candidate information that is unnecessary for drafting.
- Request evidence-focused drafts. Ask for clear questions that let a candidate describe relevant actions or explain a response to a realistic scenario.
- Check every question. Confirm the question measures a listed competency, is clear and accessible, and does not presume a particular background or invite irrelevant personal information.
- Set the common core. Select the questions all candidates for the same assessment will receive, decide the order, and define any standardized follow-ups.
- Test the rubric before use. Make sure interviewers can distinguish the evidence levels in the scoring guide and understand how to record answers consistently.
AI can also assist with candidate communications or administrative tasks such as transcription and interview-note summaries. Anthropic describes using Claude to develop interview questions and candidate communications and to transcribe interviews; the British Council describes AI-supported CV parsing and skills mapping, as well as transcription and summaries for interview notes. These are examples of organizations’ reported practices, not proof that a specific AI product improves hiring outcomes. Anthropic’s candidate AI guidance and the British Council’s description of AI in its application process explain their respective uses.
Build the scoring guide before meeting candidates
Define the rating scale and the evidence expected at each level before interviews begin. A common scale alone is not enough if interviewers interpret it differently. Describe what an answer must demonstrate for each score, and brief interviewers on how to apply the standards. Record evidence tied to the competency rather than relying on an overall impression.
Use the same core questions, order, rating standards, and note-taking approach across candidates for the same role. If interviewers need to probe an incomplete answer, use agreed prompts and apply them consistently. Do not ask AI to make the final assessment or hiring decision: the cited employer examples support drafting and administration, not delegating candidate evaluation to a model.
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Employer use of AI to prepare interview materials is different from a candidate using AI during a live assessment. State what candidates may use to prepare, what tools are allowed during each assessment, and whether interviews or notes will be transcribed or summarized with AI. Policies vary by organization and assessment, so give candidates the rules that apply to your process rather than implying a universal standard.
For example, UK Civil Service Careers encourages mock-question practice and organizing authentic experience, while saying AI must not be used to produce responses during live assessments. Anthropic asks candidates to be transparent and authentic and says its live interviews are unaided unless otherwise indicated. These are organization-specific policies, not rules for all employers. See Civil Service Careers’ AI and recruitment guidance.
Review the interview as part of a broader assessment
After using the interview plan, review whether the questions elicited evidence relevant to the role and whether interviewers applied the rubric consistently. Revise questions that proved unclear or failed to assess the intended competency before using the plan again. Keep the job requirements—not the AI-generated wording—as the basis for revisions.
An interview may not capture every qualification a role requires. The Public Service Commission of Canada recommends considering multiple assessment methods, which may include structured interviews and reference checks, in its public-service context. That is an example of combining methods, not a rule for every employer. Read Canada’s guidance on AI in hiring.
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