Interview guide template

Ready interview questions and scorecards by role

Choose a role to see what to check first, which questions to ask and what a good answer sounds like. Edit the questions to fit your team, then print the guide or copy it into Google Docs.

Customer service representative interview questions and scorecard

Must-haves to check first

Can work the shifts the role needs, including weekends if required.Yes / No
Speaks and writes the support languages at the level customers need.Yes / No

Questions

Stays calm with upset customers

  1. Tell me about a customer who was angry with you or your company. What did you say first, and how did the conversation end?

    A strong answer: Lets the customer finish, repeats the problem back and moves to a next step. Does not blame the customer or colleagues.

  2. A customer asks for a refund your policy does not allow. What do you say?

    A strong answer: Says no clearly and kindly, gives the reason in one sentence and offers what is possible.

Solves the problem, not just the ticket

  1. Tell me about a problem you could not solve on the first contact. What did you do next?

    A strong answer: Follows up before the customer has to chase, and knows when and to whom to escalate.

  2. How do you find an answer you do not know while the customer is waiting?

    A strong answer: Names real sources (knowledge base, an experienced colleague, past tickets) and tells the customer how long it will take.

Writes clearly

  1. Explain to me, as you would to a customer, how to reset a password on a website you use.

    A strong answer: Short steps in order, no jargon, and checks that the customer is following.

  2. What do you check before you send a written reply to a customer?

    A strong answer: Checks that the reply answers every question asked, then the names, numbers and tone.

Keeps quality up under volume

  1. Describe your busiest day in a previous job. How did you decide what to do first?

    A strong answer: Has a clear way to prioritise, such as urgency or waiting time, and kept quality up.

  2. Which targets did you work to, such as response time or satisfaction scores, and how did you do against them?

    A strong answer: Knows the numbers and can say what they did to improve them.

Scorecard

CandidateInterviewerDate
CriterionScore (1–4)Evidence: what the candidate said or did
Stays calm with upset customers
Solves the problem, not just the ticket
Writes clearly
Keeps quality up under volume
  • 1 · No evidence
  • 2 · Some evidence
  • 3 · Clear evidence
  • 4 · Strong evidence, with examples

Decision: ☐ Move forward · ☐ Do not move forward

More on this role: Customer service interview questions with a scoring rubric

How to use an interview guide

Check the must-haves first

Ask the must-have questions at the start of the first call. When a candidate cannot meet one, the process ends there, before anyone spends an hour on an interview that cannot lead to a hire.

Ask every candidate the same questions

Use the same core questions, in the same order, for everyone on the role. Follow-up questions can differ. Fixed core questions make the answers comparable, which is the point of a structured interview.

Score each criterion right after the interview

Fill in the scorecard before you talk to the other interviewers, so their views do not change yours. Write one line of evidence for each score.

Compare the scorecards, then decide

Put the scorecards side by side and talk through the criteria where interviewers disagree. The scores support the decision, and a person makes it.

Questions about interview guides

What is an interview guide?

An interview guide, also called an interview kit, is everything an interviewer needs for one role: the must-have checks, the questions, what a strong answer shows and a scorecard. Everyone who interviews for the role uses the same guide, so every candidate is judged against the same criteria.

How many questions should a first interview have?

For a first interview of 30 to 45 minutes, 6 to 8 core questions leave time for follow-ups and for the candidate's own questions. Each guide here has 8: two for each of its four criteria.

How do you score an interview?

Rate each criterion on a 1 to 4 scale right after the interview, and write the evidence behind each rating: what the candidate said or did. Score before you discuss the candidate with other interviewers.

Can I change the questions?

Yes. Press Edit questions to change any question, criterion or must-have, and to add or remove questions. Your changes stay in your browser, and the scorecard follows your criteria. In Firstview you set the criteria for each role, and the AI Interviewer runs first interviews against them in the candidate's language.

Is the interview guide free?

Yes. You do not need an account, and you can print or copy every guide.

Works with the rest of Firstview

The same criteria can carry from the CV to the first interview and the team's notes.

AI InterviewerLive voice interviews in the candidate’s language.Learn more →NotetakerNotes from your meetings, in your own template.Learn more →Candidate BriefsShort, branded reads for managers and clients.Learn more →
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