Interview calibration
Interview calibration aligns how a hiring team interprets role-related criteria and evidence when assessing candidates.
What the team calibrates
Calibration makes the meaning of a role-related criterion more consistent across interviewers. A team might discuss what evidence would support a rating, what a strong example would include, and what remains uncertain. It can happen before interviews and recur when the team learns that a criterion is unclear. It is not the hiring decision itself.
The OPM guide to structured interviews describes anchored rating examples and interviewer practice as ways to support consistent assessment.
Where alignment has limits
Shared examples can help interviewers apply a criterion, but they do not make every judgement identical or remove bias. The CIPD selection factsheet recommends preparing role-related questions and criteria, then having interviewers assess evidence before discussion. A difference in ratings can point to missing evidence or an unclear criterion; agreement alone does not show that the criterion is sound.
Changing the standard halfway through a hiring round can also make candidates harder to compare. If the team discovers a real gap, record it and decide how to handle the current cohort before revising the process.
How to put it into practice
Write each criterion in terms of the work. Bring a response example or a short scenario, and discuss why it does or does not show the required evidence. Keep the core questions and rating basis stable for candidates in the same round. Revisit calibration when the role changes or the team sees a recurring ambiguity, and keep the resulting changes explicit.