The generic competency script - tell me about a time you worked in a team - rarely separates a good technical hire from an average one. Everybody has an answer prepared, and none of those answers tell you how somebody thinks under pressure.
Ask instead about a real problem from your own site. Walk the candidate through a genuine issue you have faced with a line, a project or a quality escape, and listen to the questions they ask before they offer a solution. The questions matter more than the answer.
Probe ownership: what were they accountable for, who did they have to influence, and what happened when it went wrong. Strong candidates talk openly about failures and what they changed afterwards.
Give the candidate real information in return - the state of the equipment, the team, the backlog. People who accept a role with a clear picture of the challenge stay far longer than people sold a polished version of it.
Finally, brief your interviewers so everybody is assessing the same things. Consistency is what makes a two-stage process defensible and quick.
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