# Example: Build a Structured Interview Kit

Fictional company, role and people.

## What the user pasted

> Need an interview guide for the hiring manager round, 45 mins, Shift Team Lead at Fernhill Foods (warehouse, 12 people on a night shift). JD says: run the shift to plan, keep people safe, coach new starters, deal with problems when things go wrong (late trucks, no-shows), good with WMS, forklift licence nice to have. First line manager role is fine. Recruiter screen already checked licence and shift availability. Interviewer is Tomas (ops manager). Want it fair, last time every interviewer asked different stuff.

## What the skill produced

# Interview kit: Shift Team Lead, hiring manager interview

**Length:** 45 min · **Interviewer(s):** Tomas (operations manager) · **Criteria status:** Proposed, confirm before use

## Plan and timings

| Section | Criterion | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | - | 5 min |
| Question 1 | Handling disruption to the shift plan | 10 min |
| Question 2 | Keeping the team safe | 10 min |
| Question 3 | Coaching new starters | 10 min |
| Candidate questions and close | - | 10 min |

## Opening script

"Thanks for coming in. I'm Tomas, I run operations here. I'll ask everyone the same three questions, so it's fair, and I'll take notes as we go. We'll leave ten minutes at the end for your questions. If anything would make today easier for you, just tell me."

## Questions (same order for every candidate)

### 1. Handling disruption to the shift plan

**Core question (behavioural):** "Tell me about a shift where the plan fell apart, for example late deliveries or people not turning up. What did you do?"

**Probes:**
- "What did you decide first, and why?"
- "Who did you tell, and when?"
- "How did the shift end, and what did you change afterwards?"

**Rating scale:**

| Rating | What the answer shows |
|---|---|
| 5 | Re-planned quickly using clear priorities, moved people deliberately, told the right people early, and fixed the cause afterwards |
| 4 | Level 3, plus clear priorities or follow-up on the cause |
| 3 | Kept the shift running and informed others, but acted mostly as things happened, with limited follow-up |
| 2 | Parts of level 3, but others had to step in or were told late |
| 1 | Waited for others to decide, or cannot describe their own actions |
| Not enough evidence | Too little to rate; not the same as 1. Note what is missing |

### 2. Keeping the team safe

**Core question (situational):** "It's 3 a.m., you're behind on dispatch, and you see an experienced picker skipping a safety step to go faster. What do you do?"

**Probes:**
- "What do you say to them, in your own words?"
- "What if they push back?"
- "Has something like this happened to you? What did you do?"

**Rating scale:**

| Rating | What the answer shows |
|---|---|
| 5 | Stops the unsafe act at once, explains why calmly, deals with the time pressure openly, and follows up so it does not become normal |
| 4 | Level 3, plus some attention to the pressure behind it |
| 3 | Stops the unsafe act, but does not address the pressure behind it or follow up |
| 2 | Mentions the safety step, but does not clearly stop the act |
| 1 | Lets it go because of the deadline, or leaves it to someone else |
| Not enough evidence | Too little to rate; not the same as 1. Note what is missing |

### 3. Coaching new starters

**Core question (behavioural):** "Tell me about someone new you helped get up to speed. How did you go about it?"

**Probes:**
- "How did you know they were ready to work alone?"
- "What did you do when they made a mistake?"

**Rating scale:**

| Rating | What the answer shows |
|---|---|
| 5 | Planned the learning, showed then watched, checked progress against clear standards, and adapted to the person |
| 4 | Level 3, plus some checking of progress |
| 3 | Showed the new starter the job and was available for questions, with little checking of progress |
| 2 | Parts of level 3, with gaps in showing the job |
| 1 | Left them to learn alone, or has no example |
| Not enough evidence | Too little to rate; not the same as 1. Note what is missing |

## Closing script

"That's all my questions. Over to you, what would you like to know? ... Next, we'll get back to you by [date / TBC]. If you have questions before then, contact [recruiter / TBC]."

## Scorecard

**Candidate:** [ID] · **Interviewer:** Tomas · **Date:** [date]

| Criterion | Rating (1-5 or Not enough evidence) | Evidence (what they said or did) |
|---|---|---|
| Handling disruption to the shift plan | | |
| Keeping the team safe | | |
| Coaching new starters | | |

- [ ] I scored every criterion before the debrief or talking to other interviewers

## Better tested another way

- Using the WMS: the JD asks for it, but an interview will not show hands-on skill. Suggest a 10-minute practical task on the WMS (or a screenshot walk-through) at another stage. [TBC: task details]

| Rating | What the task shows |
|---|---|
| 5 | Completes the task quickly and accurately, and explains each step |
| 4 | Level 3, plus explains most steps |
| 3 | Completes the task correctly, with some hesitation |
| 2 | Parts of level 3, with errors or steps missed |
| 1 | Cannot complete the task |
| Not enough evidence | Too little to rate; not the same as 1. Note what is missing |

## Questions not to ask

- Family, childcare or plans for children, even to check night-shift availability (the recruiter screen already confirmed availability)
- Age, health, religion or nationality
- "Would you fit in with the lads on nights?" Stick to the criteria.

## Adjustment requests

- Contact: [recruiter / TBC]. If a candidate asks for a change (extra time, a quiet room, questions in writing), agree it with the contact and do not note it on the scorecard.
- If a candidate asks to see the interview topics in advance, apply one rule to every candidate for this stage: all or none.

## Open questions

- Confirm the three criteria with Tomas, and where the WMS task fits. [TBC]
- Response date and recruiter contact [TBC]
