Your Interview Strategy Has a GPT Now

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In my ten years as a construction recruiter, I’ve seen countless interviews. Some led to great hires, others not so much. What I learned is that successful interviewing requires an interview strategy, clear accountability, distinct lanes of responsibility, and targeted assessment categories for each interviewer. Here’s how to achieve that, using a simple job description and a custom GPT I’ve created to help hiring teams develop a cohesive interview strategy.

Step 1: Turn the Job Description Into Key Responsibilities

First, take your job description and feed it into the custom GPT. You can copy and paste it or simply attach it. I grabbed a sample superintendent job description from hiringpeople.io (not the most specific or comprehensive, but it works for our purpose). The GPT breaks down the description into key categories to assess, cutting through the fluff that usually weighs job descriptions down. It identifies what you really need to focus on, which helps streamline the interview process and keeps the team on the same page.

Step 2: Assign Deciders for Each Area

Next, we assign the “deciders.” Who’s going to evaluate which aspect of the candidate’s skills? I input a list of interviewers, and the GPT suggests which responsibilities they should assess. Why does this matter? If no one is specifically responsible for evaluating a skill or a competency, it means everyone assumes someone else will do it. The result: nobody does. This diffusion of responsibility is especially problematic in panel interviews or when large teams are involved. Having an assigned decider for each competency makes sure that someone owns that assessment.

Step 3: Designate Interview Types

Beyond just asking questions, it’s critical that each interviewer digs into specific, relevant scenarios. What challenges will the candidate face in your company? How will they solve them? These situational questions are far more telling than generic queries. GPT can generate 20 targeted questions for each interviewer, covering areas like safety, team management, and leadership.

But remember, these questions are just a starting point, your experience with your company’s unique challenges will always create sharper questions. The goal is to head into the interview with questions ready so the interviewer can focus on the conversation and relationship-building rather than scrambling to think of what to ask next.

Step 4: Create a Feedback Matrix

Finally, once the interviews are done, it’s time to document feedback, objectively and independently. The feedback matrix ensures each interviewer fills out their evaluation before talking with others. This keeps feedback authentic and prevents groupthink from clouding judgment.

The matrix is simple: rank the candidate in three areas, unqualified, qualified but needs training, or fully qualified. Add notes that explain why. These notes become the foundation of the interview debrief where interviewers defend their evaluations. It’s crucial that everyone walks in knowing their lane and being ready to share their perspective to help make the best hiring decision possible.

Interview Strategy in a Nutshell

Each interviewer should walk into the process knowing their specific responsibilities, the context of what others are evaluating, and the critical value of the feedback they provide. When used effectively, this method doesn’t just assess the candidate’s fit, it trains the interviewers as well, sharpening their skills with every interview.

I’d love to hear if you find this strategy helpful or if there are other interview techniques that work well for you. Let me know in the comments, let’s build a better interview process together!