Interview Scorecard Template

By Don Georgevich

Phase Three of the Scientific Hiring Method: Discovery

This interview scorecard template gives every interviewer one place to record the standard, the candidate’s evidence, the rating, and the questions that remain.

A useful interview form should make good evaluation easier. It should not bury interviewers in fields they will not complete or reduce the candidate to a row of unexplained numbers.

The template below is designed to be adapted to one role and one interview stage. Replace the sample criteria and questions with the outcomes and capabilities taken from the role’s Job Scorecard.

Interview details

Rating scale

Use the Interview Rubric to write role-specific anchors. A simple five-point scale may use these general meanings:

1 — Weak: Little or no relevant evidence.

2 — Limited: Some relevant evidence, but important parts are missing or depend heavily on others.

3 — Acceptable: Sufficient evidence that the candidate can perform at the required entry level.

4 — Strong: Clear evidence of independent judgment, relevant complexity, and a credible result.

5 — Exceptional: Unusually strong and repeatable evidence across comparable situations.

The general labels are not enough by themselves. Replace them with behavioral anchors for each criterion before interviewing.

Candidate evidence and ratings

Interview summary

Strongest evidence connected to the role:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Most important missing or conflicting evidence:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Critical requirement not demonstrated:

__________________________________________________________________

Recommended next evidence source:

□ Additional structured interview

□ Work sample test

□ Reference check

□ Clarification of a practical requirement

□ No additional assessment recommended

Independent recommendation

Complete this section before discussing the candidate with the interview team.

□ Advance

□ Hold pending a defined question

□ Reject

Job-related reason:

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Debrief record

Were any ratings changed after discussion? Yes / No

Original rating and revised rating:

__________________________________________________________________

Evidence that caused the change:

__________________________________________________________________

Final unresolved risk:

__________________________________________________________________

How to use the template

1. Choose the criteria from the job scorecard before interviews begin.
2. Insert one central structured question for each criterion.
3. Attach the behavioral rating anchors from the interview rubric.
4. Assign criteria to interviewers so each person knows what they must evaluate.
5. Record the candidate’s actual evidence before writing the interpretation.
6. Score independently before the team debrief.
7. Use open questions to direct the next assessment stage.
8. Combine completed scorecards during Candidate Evaluation.

A completed example

Criterion: Process diagnosis

Question: “Tell me about a time you inherited an operating process that produced unreliable results. How did you determine what was causing the problem?”

Evidence: Candidate reviewed four weeks of delayed-start data, interviewed sales and service managers, identified conflicting definitions of confirmed, and created a two-week pilot using one shared status. Delayed starts fell from fifteen to five per month.

Rating: 4 — Strong

Reason: The candidate used several evidence sources, tested the diagnosis, handled resistance, and measured the result.

Open question: The work occurred with analyst support. Can the candidate simplify the approach in a smaller organization?

Next test: A limited work sample using incomplete operating information.

What not to put on the scorecard

Do not include fields for attractiveness, similarity, accent, family circumstances, age assumptions, medical information, or general culture fit.

OPM advises that structured-interview notes and scoring should document candidate responses to job-related questions rather than appearance or personal characteristics. See OPM’s guidance on interview notes and scoring.

The EEOC advises that employment selection procedures should be job-related, used for their intended purpose, and administered without regard to protected characteristics. See the EEOC’s Employment Tests and Selection Procedures.

This page is educational and is not legal advice.

Before using the form

• The criteria come directly from the role’s outcomes and capabilities.
• Each criterion has one central question and relevant probes.
• Rating anchors describe observable evidence.
• Interviewers know which criteria they own.
• The same central standard will be used for every candidate.
• Evidence notes are kept separate from interpretation.
• Open questions identify a specific next test.
• Interviewers will complete ratings before the debrief.
• Critical minimums were set before candidates were seen.
• Completed scorecards will feed the final candidate evaluation.

Related resources

Read Interview Scorecard: How to Turn Answers Into Evidence before adapting the form. Use the Interview Rubric to write rating anchors and Structured Interview Questions to build the question set.

Return to Discover What a Candidate Can Really Do or the main Scientific Hiring Method.