Creating an Interview Plan

It’s tempting to skip creating an interview plan and just start talking to candidates. Don’t. You will almost certainly be lacking some signals when it comes time to make a hiring decision. It doesn’t need to take up a ton of time.

Even if you are experienced at interviewing and hiring, you need to clearly define the attributes you are looking for and exactly when and how you plan to assess each of them.

The process

A simplified version of the process can look something like this:

1. Write down exactly why you are making this hire and the outcomes you are expecting.
2. Write down every trait you think a candidate should have to get these outcomes. These can be skills, natural abilities, knowledge in particular topics, and experiences.
3. Stack rank the attributes by importance.
4. Set aside everything after the top 5-7 attributes. If you try to assess too much you won’t get strong signals on the most important things. You can always come back to things you’ve cut if you’re on the fence about a candidate.
5. Write a short rubric for each trait. Define behaviors and evidence for different competency levels (bad, good, and great). Write a few bullet points to describe what each level looks like.
6. Map the behaviors and evidence you are looking for to parts of the interview process. Be specific about what questions you will ask or what tasks you will have the candidate complete. Be clear about who is responsible for and how you will measure the results.

Use the hiring plan to get alignment from your team. Making sure everyone is one the same page early in the process will help you with decision making down the line.

Iterate on it as you complete interviews. If there was a signal missing during decision making you need to go back to the plan and find a way to assess it consistently and reliably.

Tips for creating an interview plan

Some things to think about when choosing and defining traits:

• When writing the rubric, focus on behaviors, knowledge, and background information you can actually assess during the interview process.
• Be realistic about the types of candidates you can actually get given the position, salary, the state of your company, and potential upside of the role.
• Look at previous hires you’ve made and the attributes that make them successful. The right skillset and personality is heavily dependent on the situation, company, and it’s culture.
• Sometimes soft skills and attitude are actually more important for on-the-job success. If that’s the case, put them at the top of the list and prioritize them over the hard skills, even if they are harder to measure.
• When assessing experience, try to avoid being overly focused on years of experience. It can be an OK proxy when reviewing resumes but often does not reflect actual skill.
• Think about the types of companies where experience is relevant. The skillset required to successfully fill a role at a startup is often very different than what it takes at a larger company.

Soft skills and personality traits

The hard skills required for a role are usually pretty obvious. Soft skills and personality traits can be much more challenging to brainstorm and select. Here are some common ones I find myself using often:

• Ownership - Candidates with strong ownership have a history of taking initiative, self-motivation, and a commitment to delivering on the projects they take on.
• Problem Solving - Great problem solvers are able to break problems down, brainstorm a variety of solutions, and evaluate options in a thoughtful way.
• Top Performer - Top performers show a clear upward trend in the scope, volume, or complexity of the work that they do. They should have a clear history of getting exceptional results.
• Communication Skills - Good communicators make complex ideas easy to understand, listens well, change how they communicate for different people and situations, and convince others effectively.
• Collaboration Skills - Individuals with strong collaboration skills excel at working within teams, effectively sharing ideas, and supporting group outcomes while respecting diverse perspectives.
• Pragmatic - Pragmatic individuals are practical and focused on achieving results; they apply realistic approaches to solve problems and adapt to changing circumstances efficiently.
• Fast Learner - Fast learners quickly grasp new concepts and skills, adapting rapidly to new environments or technologies with minimal guidance.
• Decision Making - Effective decision-makers evaluate information critically, consider various outcomes, and make informed choices promptly to benefit their projects or teams.
• Motivation - Motivated individuals display consistent enthusiasm, a strong work ethic, and a persistent drive to improve and achieve their goals.
• Creativity - Creative individuals think outside the box, innovating unique solutions and bringing fresh, inspiring ideas that drive progress and engage others.
• Analytical Ability - Those with strong analytical abilities are skilled at dissecting complex data, spotting trends, and deriving meaningful insights to inform strategic decisions.

Example rubric

This is an example of what a rubric might look like.