Run a structured job interview in a small business

Plan the interview around the work, ask each applicant the same core questions and record what their answers show. Use follow-up questions to clarify the evidence, not to change the test for someone you happen to like. Leave time for the applicant's questions and make your assessment before comparing notes with another interviewer.

This guide is for a small-business owner interviewing a shortlist. The example uses an administration and customer-service role. Adjust the scenarios to your work after completing the job description; a good answer for one vacancy may miss the point of another.

Tell candidates what to expect

Send the location or meeting link, names of interviewers, expected duration and an outline of the format. Invite the person to discuss arrangements that would help them participate. Confirm agreed changes and check that the venue or technology can support them.

The AHRC recruitment and selection guide supports common job-related questions and accessible participation. Keep the conversation about the process and the work; do not ask an applicant to give unnecessary personal or medical history to explain a routine arrangement.

A forty-minute interview plan

Time	Activity	What to record
0 to 5 minutes	Explain the role, format and agreed arrangements.	Any practical change needed before starting.
5 to 15 minutes	Customer communication scenario and clarifying prompts.	Actions, reasoning and escalation choices.
15 to 25 minutes	Prioritisation scenario and clarifying prompts.	Deadline checks, trade-offs and who needs to know.
25 to 32 minutes	Past example of finding and correcting an error.	The applicant's own contribution and the outcome.
32 to 38 minutes	Applicant questions and further role information.	Facts or expectations that need clarification.
38 to 40 minutes	Explain the next step and contact arrangements.	What you promised to follow up and when.

Original ASBG worksheet. Names, situations and figures are fictional; the readable table is the text equivalent.

The intervals total 40 minutes. They are a planning example, not a rule that overrides an agreed adjustment. Allow a separate gap afterwards to finish notes; otherwise the next interview may start before you have finished the notes.

Ask questions that reveal the work

For customer communication: "A customer is waiting for a booking confirmation, but the technician hasn't confirmed availability. What would you check, what would you tell the customer, and when would you involve the supervisor?" Listen for checking facts, avoiding an unsupported promise and a clear follow-up.

For prioritisation: "The owner asks for a report by midday. You also discover that two customers are booked into the same slot tomorrow. Talk through what you would do first and what information could change that order." More than one order of action may be reasonable. The explanation should identify consequences and communication, rather than simply promise to do everything.

For accuracy: "Describe a record error you found. How did you establish what was wrong, correct it and reduce the chance of it happening again?" Follow with neutral prompts about the person's own action. Allow relevant examples from other work or settings when they demonstrate the criterion.

Anchor the review to observable evidence

Use a short rubric: "needs clarification" when the answer is incomplete; "partly demonstrated" when a sensible action lacks a check or explanation; "demonstrated" when the answer connects checks, action and communication; and "strong evidence" when it also identifies limits and a useful follow-up. Write the evidence beside the rating.

Do not score eye contact, small talk or confidence as substitutes for the job criteria. The Interview and recruit employees notes that interview performance and job suitability are not necessarily the same. Compare evidence with the application and carry forward any factual question for an appropriate check.

Explain the next step

Explain the next stage and who will update the applicant. Avoid suggesting they have the job if a decision and terms are still outstanding. If you need to check references, agree the permitted contacts and timing first.

Keep notes restricted to the people making the decision. Get advice if the process raises unresolved discrimination, privacy or adjustment questions. This agenda does not assess legal compliance for a particular candidate or role.

Key takeaways

• Use common core questions, with focused clarification where needed.
• Record actions and reasoning against the role rather than confidence or familiarity.
• Leave time for candidate questions, clear next steps and your own evidence notes.

Return to the hiring and onboarding guide for the wider sequence.

Where to get help

• AHRC recruitment and selection guide
• Interview and recruit employees