Interview questions to ask candidates, with a scoring guide
Structured interview questions by competency, a 0 to 3 scoring scale, and the topics the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) warns against.
At a glance
Ask every candidate for a job the same questions, in the same order, and score each answer on a scale you set in advance. That is a structured interview, the kind the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) encourages federal agencies to use. Choose 4 to 6 competencies (skills or behaviors the job needs) from the job. Leave out questions about race, color, sex, pregnancy and family plans, religion, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information.
- Before the first interview, write the questions from the job's duties and describe what an answer at each score sounds like. Use them with every candidate.
- Score each answer from 0 to 3 right after the interview, from your notes, before you compare candidates.
- Before a job offer, do not ask about disability or medical history, and never ask for genetic information, including family medical history. Questions about race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or age can be used as evidence of intent to discriminate.
What a structured interview is, and why it beats a conversation
OPM defines a structured interview as one that measures job-related competencies by asking about past behavior or about hypothetical situations.[1]
In this guide, a competency is a skill or behavior the job needs, such as interpersonal skills or problem solving.
| Feature | Structured interview | Unstructured interview |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | The same questions, in the same order, for every candidate | Candidates may get different questions |
| Scoring | A common rating scale for every candidate | A standard rating scale is not required |
| Acceptable answers | Interviewers agree on them in advance | Interviewers need not agree |
OPM's guide says unstructured interviews have little value in predicting job performance. It says structured interviews have proved reliable (interviewers rate alike), valid (they measure job performance), and legally defensible. It encourages agencies to use them.[2]
How to build an interviewer guide in 6 steps
Before you start, have the job description and the posting open. OPM's guide sets out 8 steps for agencies; these 6 are the ones a hiring manager needs.[2]
- List the job's main tasks and the competencies each one needs.
- Choose the competencies the interview will test. OPM says an interview typically assesses 4 to 6, unless the job is unique or at a high level.
- Write open-ended questions for each competency. This guide uses 2 for each.
- Write a scoring anchor for each score on each question: a description of what an answer at that level sounds like.
- Write the follow-up questions, called probes, that every interviewer may use. OPM advises very similar probes for all candidates.
- Try the questions on a colleague and rewrite any that confuse them.
The result is an interviewer guide: the competencies, the questions, the anchors, the probes, and the topics to leave out.
Interview questions to ask candidates, by competency
A behavioral question asks what the candidate did in a past situation. A situational question asks what they would do in a realistic job scenario. OPM says you can use either kind, or both.[2]
| Competency | Question | Type | A strong answer shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpersonal skills | Describe a situation in which you dealt with individuals who were difficult, hostile, or distressed. Who was involved? What specific actions did you take and what was the result? | Behavioral (OPM's example) | Specific actions that calmed the situation, and a result the candidate can name |
| Interpersonal skills | A customer says they were promised a refund last week and never got it. They are angry. What do you do in the first 5 minutes? | Situational (adapted from OPM's example) | Listening first, a clear next step, and no promise the candidate cannot keep |
| Problem solving | Tell me about the last time a process at work kept failing. How did you find the cause? | Behavioral | Steps taken to test causes, not a guess, and what changed afterward |
| Problem solving | Halfway through a shift, you find an error in an order that has already shipped. What do you do? | Situational | Who they would tell, in what order, and how they would stop the error repeating |
| Teamwork | Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate about how to do a task. What happened? | Behavioral | A disagreement stated fairly, a way it was resolved, and what the candidate learned |
| Teamwork | A teammate keeps leaving their share of the work for you. What do you do? | Situational | A direct conversation first, then escalation if needed, without blame |
| Planning and organizing | Describe the busiest week you have had at work. How did you decide what to do first? | Behavioral | A method for setting priorities, and what they chose to delay |
| Planning and organizing | Your manager gives you 3 urgent tasks at once and is then unreachable. What do you do? | Situational | A reasoned order, a note to the manager, and the tasks finished |
| Accountability | Tell me about a mistake you made at work. What did you do once you noticed it? | Behavioral | The candidate owns the mistake, fixes it, and says how they prevent it now |
| Accountability | You realize a report you sent yesterday has a wrong number. No one has noticed. What do you do? | Situational | They correct it openly and quickly |
| Learning | Tell me about the last skill you had to learn quickly for a job. How did you learn it? | Behavioral | A concrete method and evidence the skill was used |
| Learning | On your first day, you are asked to use software you have never seen. What do you do? | Situational | Resources they would use and questions they would ask |
The first question is OPM's example, quoted from its guide, and the second adapts OPM's situational example of an angry client. The other questions are this guide's.[2]
Replace any competency the job does not need with one it does, such as a technical skill. Keep the same 2 kinds of question for it.
How to score answers: a 0 to 3 scale with anchors
A rating scale works only if every interviewer reads it the same way. OPM advises at least 3 levels, with 5 to 7 as the aim, and labels on at least 3 of them. This guide uses 4 levels, from 0 to 3, which is simpler to apply in a small team.[2]
| Score | Label | What the answer shows |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No evidence | No example, an off-topic answer, or an example that shows the opposite of the competency |
| 1 | Limited | A vague or general example; the candidate's own actions are unclear |
| 2 | Meets the need | A specific example with clear actions and a result, in a situation like the job's |
| 3 | Strong | A specific example in a harder situation, with clear actions, a result, and what the candidate would repeat or change |
Score each answer right after the candidate leaves, from your notes. OPM says your notes should support each rating and include examples of the actual answers. Compare candidates only after every interview is scored.[2]
How to run the interview so every candidate gets the same chance
- Tell each candidate the same thing about the interview, including that you will take notes.
- Ask the questions in the order on the guide, and give each candidate the same amount of time.
- Use very similar probes for every candidate. OPM says their general meaning should not change from one candidate to the next.
- Do not read the candidate's resume or other papers during the interview, since OPM says that may bias your view of the candidate.
- Hold the interview in a quiet, private room that is accessible to candidates with disabilities.
- End by asking, "Is there anything else you would like us to know?" and invite the candidate's questions.
Interview questions not to ask: what the EEOC says
The EEOC lists the protected traits. Under the laws it enforces, it is illegal to discriminate against an applicant because of any of these:[3]
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- Sex, including transgender status, sexual orientation, and pregnancy
- National origin
- Age (40 or older)
- Disability
- Genetic information
Most of these laws cover employers above a size that depends on the law. Most of them reach a private employer with 15 or more employees who worked at least 20 calendar weeks this year or last. For age, the threshold is 20 or more such employees.[13]
A state or local anti-discrimination law may still cover an employer below these sizes. Separately, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) bars national origin discrimination by smaller employers, with 4 to 14 employees.[13][10]
Most questions are not banned by name. The EEOC says federal and state laws do not clearly forbid pre-employment questions about race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or age. But it says such questions may be used as evidence of an intent to discriminate, unless a business purpose justifies them.[3]
Two topics are different. A conditional job offer is an offer that still depends on a later step, such as a medical exam. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are explicitly prohibited from asking about disability before a conditional job offer. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) restricts employers from requesting genetic information, which includes family medical history.[3][5][6]
| Topic | Do not ask, for example | What the EEOC says |
|---|---|---|
| Disability and medical history | "Do you have any health conditions?" | Generally no disability-related questions or medical exams until after a conditional job offer |
| Genetic information | "Does heart disease run in your family?" | Employers are restricted from requesting genetic information, including family medical history |
| Pregnancy, marriage, and children | "Are you planning to start a family?" | Questions on pregnancy, marriage plans, children, child care, or a spouse may be evidence of intent to discriminate |
| Religion | "Which holidays do you observe?" | Avoid questions on religious affiliation, place or days of worship, and religious holidays (religious organizations may hire by religion) |
| Race, national origin, and ancestry | "Where are your parents from?" | Questions that may indicate race, national origin, or ancestry if answered should generally be avoided |
| Citizenship | "Are you a US citizen?" | Most employers should not ask before making an offer of employment |
| Age | "What year did you graduate?" | As a general rule, age is irrelevant to whether a person is qualified; questions that reveal it should generally be avoided |
Arrest records are handled differently from convictions. The EEOC says an employer cannot refuse to hire people simply because they have been arrested. In some situations, an employer may explore the conduct behind an arrest, ask the person to explain, and then decide whether that conduct matters.[11]
With only certain exceptions, federal agencies and contractors may not ask about a criminal record until after a conditional job offer, the EEOC adds. It also notes that some states prohibit employers from even asking about criminal history until later in the hiring process.[11]
Ask about the job instead. The EEOC says an employer may ask an applicant whether they can perform the job and how they would perform it. For work authorization, the EEOC suggests a statement on the employment application: everyone hired will verify identity and eligibility to work upon hire.[5][10]
The EEOC and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) note that some states and cities also regulate how employers use background information. Check your own state's rules as well.[12]
After the interview: the offer and the records
Keep the interview notes and score sheets with your other hiring records. The EEOC says to keep hiring records, including application forms, for 1 year. The year runs from when a record was made or from a personnel action, whichever is later. A personnel action is a decision such as hiring or rejecting the applicant.[12]
The EEOC extends this to 2 years for educational institutions and for state and local governments. The Department of Labor extends it to 2 years for federal contractors with at least 150 employees and a contract of at least $150,000. If someone files a charge of discrimination (a formal complaint) against you, keep the records until the case is concluded.[12][14]
When you choose a candidate, use the offer letter template for a full-time employee. More employer guides are in the hiring guides.
Sources & approach
Scope: Covers US federal anti-discrimination and record-keeping rules as the EEOC describes them, most of which apply only to employers above a minimum size, and the structured interview guidance of the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as of October 22, 2026. It leaves out state and local laws, which can add rules, union agreements, and jobs with legal requirements of their own. It is not legal advice; for a specific question, contact the EEOC or your state's fair employment agency.
Drafted with AI assistance from the public sources cited below. Stan Sedberry checked every figure and citation against its source and edited this page on October 22, 2026.
- Structured InterviewsUS Office of Personnel Management · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Structured Interviews: A Practical Guide (September 2008)US Office of Personnel Management · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Prohibited Employment Policies/PracticesUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and DisabilityUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and Medical Questions and ExaminationsUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Genetic Information DiscriminationUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and Marital Status or Number of ChildrenUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and Religious Affiliation or BeliefsUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and RaceUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Pre-Employment Inquiries and CitizenshipUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Arrest and Conviction Records: Resources for Job Seekers, Workers and EmployersUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know (March 11, 2014)US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Federal Trade Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- Coverage of Business/Private EmployersUS Equal Employment Opportunity Commission · Accessed October 22, 2026
- 41 CFR 60-741.80, RecordkeepingElectronic Code of Federal Regulations, US National Archives · Accessed October 22, 2026
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