# Structured Interview Scorecard

> Fill this in **before** the first candidate is interviewed. A rubric written afterwards is a
> justification for a decision already made.
>
> Structured interviews — same questions, agreed rubric, scored against evidence — are among the
> better-supported practices in hiring. Most organisations skip them because preparing one is
> tedious, which is exactly why this template exists.

**Role:** _______________  **Level:** _______________
**Interview stage:** ____ of ____  **Duration:** ____ minutes
**Prepared by:** _______________  **Date agreed:** _______

## 1. What we are actually hiring for

**The three things this person must be able to do:**

1. _______________
2. _______________
3. _______________

**What we are NOT looking for** (guards against the pleasant candidate who fits nothing):
_______________

**Minimum bar — below this we do not proceed regardless of everything else:** _______________

## 2. The questions

Same questions, same order, every candidate. See
[Interview Questions](/academy/interview-questions/) for worked examples of what strong answers
contain.

| # | Question | What it tests | Weak answer contains | Strong answer contains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | | | |
| 2 | | | | |
| 3 | | | | |
| 4 | | | | |

**Follow-up rule:** after every answer, ask **"why?"** or **"what would you do differently?"** The
reasoning separates candidates far more reliably than the answer does.

## 3. Scoring

Score against **evidence given**, not against impression.

| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4 | Specific example, explained the trade-off, knew the limits of their own claim |
| 3 | Correct and general, or a real example without the reasoning |
| 2 | Recognised the topic, could not go deeper when asked |
| 1 | Incorrect, or confidently invented |

| # | Score | Evidence — what they actually said |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | | |
| 2 | | |
| 3 | | |
| 4 | | |

🔴 The evidence column is not optional. A score with no evidence beside it is an impression with a
number attached, and it cannot be compared across candidates or defended later.

**A candidate who says "I have not done that, but here is how I would approach it" is answering
well.** Confident invention scores 1 — it is the most reliable negative signal available.

## 4. Practical exercise, if used

| | |
|---|---|
| Task | |
| Time allowed | |
| What we are assessing | |
| What we are deliberately NOT assessing | |
| Same task for every candidate | yes / no |

Keep take-home exercises to a few hours. Multi-day tasks at first-round screen say something about
how the organisation values people's time, and strong candidates decline them.

## 5. Decision

| | |
|---|---|
| Total score | ____ / ____ |
| Meets the minimum bar | yes / no |
| **Recommendation** | hire / no hire / another stage |
| Strongest evidence for | |
| Strongest evidence against | |
| What I would want the next interviewer to probe | |

**Write your recommendation before discussing it with other interviewers.** Otherwise the first
person to speak sets the room, and independent assessments are the reason for having more than one
interviewer.

## 6. After the decision

- [ ] Every candidate received an outcome, including those rejected
- [ ] Rejected candidates who reached a late stage got something useful
- [ ] Notes retained per our data retention policy, and no longer
- [ ] Questions reviewed — any that failed to distinguish candidates get replaced

**Questions that did not distinguish anyone:** _______________

A question everyone answers identically is measuring nothing. Replace it before the next round.