Build an interview template

An interview template is a valuable resource for hiring managers looking to streamline the interview process and find the right candidate for a job. Typically, a template includes competency-based questions that align with the job requirements. Using templates to conduct interviews provides a standardized approach to evaluating candidates, leading to better hiring decisions for your organization.

Choosing a job

Before getting started, make sure you’ve created a job description. We recommend adding competencies and proficiency levels to the job so Quinto can suggest competency-based interview questions. Click Interviews in the top nav. Click Create. Search for a job and give your template a title.

You can also copy a template to get started. Click the 3-dot icon and select Duplicate.

Including instructions

When you’re creating a new template, you can choose a communication document. This is a document we include in your exported template that provides instructions for interviewers. Your site comes with a default, but you can also create your own. For example, you might use a different document for hiring executives versus more junior employees. Learn more

Once you’ve selected a document, click Create to open your template.

Adding questions

In the side panel, you’ll see a list of competency-based questions. We recommend planning to spend 10-15 minutes per question in the interview. Asking all candidates the same set of questions reduces bias and makes it easier to evaluate each candidate objectively.

By default we suggest questions associated to competencies on the job, but you can click Job related questions to switch to All questions. You can also filter the list by group or search for specific text.

Click the drop-down arrow at the top of the panel to switch to Topic questions. For example, you might want to add icebreaker questions to start the interview. Questions that haven’t been added to templates based on this job are highlighted with an asterisk to help you conduct varied interviews.

Click and drag to reorder questions. Click the Follow-ups link to open a list of leading questions to elicit a more complete response from the candidate. You can create and edit questions in the question bank, but not directly on a template.

Publishing your template

Once you’ve finished adding and arranging questions, you’re ready to publish. Click Publish on the top right of the page. This makes your template available to users who have permission to access but not manage interview templates. You’ll also see a Copy to clipboard option so you can easily paste the questions in an email or an ATS.

And that’s it! Now you’re ready to use the template when conducting interviews. You can also export a template to Word or PDF.