What is an interview kit?

An interview kit is a standard set of materials used to maintain consistency across multiple interviews. These kits are often used during a structured interview, where an interviewer asks the same interview questions, in the same order, for every candidate.

Interview kits typically contain the following items:

• Pre-determined interview questions
• Instructions for the interviewer
• Scorecards for taking notes and recording candidates’ responses
• Evaluation criteria

Some companies create multiple interview kits to accommodate various types of interviews, such as phone screenings, in-person and virtual interviews and second interviews. Others make a separate kit for every position.

With interview kit software, you can create a digital kit that everyone on the interview team can access. This makes it easier to compare feedback and work together to make a hiring decision.

Interview kit software often allows you to import the candidate’s resume, portfolio and other relevant documents, ensuring all interviewers have access to the same information. You can also print the kit if you prefer a paper copy.

You can also develop an interview kit from scratch. Consider using spreadsheet or word processing software to create the components.

Why use an interview kit?

Using an interviewing kit has several benefits for employers and candidates, including:

• Increased consistency: An interview kit may contain a step-by-step hiring checklist. Following this checklist helps team members complete the same steps during each interview, ensuring consistency.
• Improved objectivity: If your interview kit contains a scorecard, interviewers can use it to assign ratings based on objective data. Having a scorecard makes it easier to connect hiring decisions to job-related criteria.
• Enhanced communication: When you distribute an interview kit to each member of the hiring team, everyone gets the same information about the role. They don’t have to spend time searching for job descriptions or creating lists of interview questions.
• Reduced time to hire: Using an interview kit ensures that interviewers follow the same process with every candidate. This can reduce the amount of time spent on each interview, minimizing time to hire.

What to include in an interview kit

The standard components of an interview kit are the same, regardless of the person being interviewed. If your company has several positions, it can be helpful to create an interview kit for each one. This allows you to customize interview questions and other kit components.

Consider including these items in an interview kit:

• Instructions: You might want to include an instruction sheet that explains your company’s interview process. Having explicit instructions allows any interviewer to use the packet, increasing consistency.
• Interview preparation guide: Include any steps required to prepare for the interview, as well as key things to look for. For example, you might note a particular qualification that’s important.
• Job description: Having the job description available helps interviewers compare the candidate’s answers and qualifications to the job requirements.
• Candidate’s resume and documents: Include the candidate’s application materials for reference during the interview.
• Interview questions: Include a list of interview questions with each kit. A standard list of questions helps ensure interviewers ask the same questions in the same order. If it’s a panel interview, decide who will ask each question beforehand.
• Scoring sheet: An interview scoring sheet allows the interviewers to record ratings for each candidate. It typically includes scoring criteria, a rating system and space for comments. The scoring sheet helps interviewers consistently rank all candidates, making it easier to compare them.

Types of questions to consider including in an interview kit

Having a mix of interview question types can help provide a well-rounded analysis of a candidate.

Types of interview questions to consider include:

• Verification questions: These questions typically come at the beginning of the interview. They can be credential-focused or experience-focused. Credential verification questions cover topics such as education, training and licenses. For experience verification questions, you might ask questions about a candidate’s previous employment.
• Behavioral interview questions: Behavioral interview questions focus on how the candidate handled job-related situations in the past. The idea is that those past actions help predict how candidates are likely to behave in the future. Examples include asking the candidate about resolving disputes, developing a new skill or handling a stressful situation.
• Situational interview questions: While behavioral interview questions focus on past experiences, situational interview questions use hypothetical situations to engage critical thinking skills. The questions focus on what the candidate would do or how they’d handle a certain situation, such as dealing with criticism from a superior or handling an upset client.
• Cultural interview questions: Cultural interview questions help you determine whether the candidate shares the values embedded in your company culture. For example, you might want to ask what type of corporate culture a candidate prefers.
• Case interview questions: Case interview questions focus on realistic business scenarios. After describing a hypothetical scenario, an interviewer asks the candidate how they’d respond.

Tips for using an interview kit

When used correctly, an interview kit can help improve consistency across multiple job roles. Consider these tips to make your interview kit more effective:

• Get the entire interview team involved in creating the questions and establishing job criteria on the interview scoring sheet.
• Conduct a mock interview to test the process before using it with real candidates.
• Get feedback from other interviewers on how well the interview kit works.
• Modify the kit as needed to make it more effective.