Basics of an interview scoring sheet

An interview scoring sheet, also known as an interview scorecard, is a tool that interviewers use to score a candidate’s qualifications for a position. Hiring managers use score sheets to ensure a company evaluates candidates in a fair, consistent manner and that interviewers rate each candidate using an objective measurement tool.

Evaluating all candidates using the same criteria helps hiring managers clearly and accurately compare each candidate’s qualifications and suitability for the position.

“This can be best practice for both new and experienced interviewers, especially when meeting with a high volume of candidates. Agreeing on defined criteria for scoring before interviews begin may help streamline the overall process and improve chances of agreement.”

—Joe Scotto, HR leader

An interview scoring sheet typically includes the following:

• Consistent rating system
• Specific questions aimed at evaluating a candidate’s skills, traits, qualifications and experience
• Clearly defined criteria specific to the position
• Comments section
• Total score section

Create, distribute and discuss score sheets to hiring managers before interviews for a position begin. This is so that all hiring managers are aware of the key criteria being sought after and to ensure that interviewers are objective throughout the interview process.

How structured interviews relate to scoring sheets

Scoring sheets can help to make hiring more consistent and objective. However, they can’t achieve this goal effectively unless the interviews are consistent. To achieve this, design a structured interview that lends itself to a consistent rating system with consistent scoring.

Structured interviews might seem limiting to those new to the process. Providing time for candidates to review and answer their questions, such as introducing role play, can help make the process a success.

Pros and cons of using a scoring sheet

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of using scorecards in the interview process:

Pros of using interview scoring sheets

Several benefits of using scorecards during an interview can provide. These benefits include:

• Organizing the interview: By following preselected questions and similarly interviewing each candidate using an objective rating system, interviews are much more likely to go according to plan.
• Keeping interviews consistent: Scorecards can help ensure interviews remain consistent from candidate to candidate and that interviewers follow an objective outline of questions when interviewing candidates.
• Remaining objective during evaluation: Using scorecards to guide the interview process can be a good way to maintain objectivity and consistency and rate interviewees using the same scale.
• Recalling information quickly: By using scorecards to track feedback, interviewers can more easily review each candidate.

Potential cons of using interview scoring sheets

The following are potential disadvantages of using scorecards during the interview process, such as:

• Limited answers: Asking particular questions means that a candidate can only answer in a set number of ways. By following a scorecard and only asking certain questions, you may risk missing out on learning other relevant information about the candidate that isn’t on your scorecard.
• Limited engagement: Interviewers should consider discernment and discretion when completing an interview scoresheet during an interview as this may limit engagement with the candidate.
• More time: Implementing the use of scorecards can require an adjustment period for hiring managers to become accustomed to using this tool. Interviews may take longer and/or hiring managers may require extra time during their day to become familiar with using scoring sheets. Consider reviewing the scorecard after the first time it’s used to set alignment with the process.

How to create an interview scoring sheet

Creating an interview scoring sheet is straightforward when you understand your goals.

Consider the following steps when implementing an interview rating sheet in your own company:

1. Have a structured interview with meaningful questions.

The basic elements of a scoring sheet are the questions and the scoring system. You can’t effectively make use of scoring sheets without an effective, structured interview plan. If you aren’t already using structured interviews in your business, the first step toward more consistent and objective interviewing is to implement one.

Consider the soft skills that are important in your industry and the most common dilemmas that arise and choose relevant questions.

2. Consider additional scoring categories.

Demonstrating confidence, engaging respectfully with the interviewer, being thoroughly prepared and maintaining a professional presentation are important in interviews. Encourage hiring managers to note these characteristics in their evaluations.

You might consider creating additional scoring categories besides the questions, such as how potential hires conduct themselves and the clarity of communication during the interview.

3. Create a defined scoring system.

If you ask two people what a numeric score means, they likely won’t agree. One person might rate 5/10 to be an adequate, average score, while another might consider that 7/10 borders on failure. Consider expressing the meaning of each potential score in words to help the interviewers be more consistent.

It can become increasingly challenging to assign distinct meanings to each potential score as the number of possible scores rises and scoring on a scale of 1–10 may not be the most effective approach. Consider scoring on a 1–4 or 1–5 basis. You might describe the values in a 1–4 scoring system as follows:

• 1: The answer missed the key point of the question.
• 2: The answer included some good elements but was incomplete or too vague.
• 3: The answer addressed the question convincingly but had notable gaps in content or depth.
• 4: The answer fully addressed the question, demonstrated clear understanding and showed strong competence.

It can also be important to have agreement on how ratings will be scored to support better parity among those conducting interviews and rating applicants. Review possible scenarios and answers with the interview team prior to using the system to align on the types of answers that would result in different levels of scoring.

4. Decide on a format for your scoring sheet.

Design of your scoring sheet so that it allows the interviewer to clearly score each individual question and add all the scores. In general, visual simplicity is preferable and there’s no need to have more than one column for each candidate you’re scoring.

Interview scoring sheet template and sample

There are numerous ways to design a scoring sheet template, but the basic requirements are straightforward. Ideally, it includes the questions your hiring manager is asking, while also clearly indicating how the candidate scored on each question.

You might use a single scoring sheet that has the names of all or multiple applicants or you can use a different scoring sheet for each candidate as long as you use a single, universal set of questions for all candidates.

Here’s a template scoring sheet that uses six questions and a 1–5 scoring system. Rather than relying on intuition, it’s important to define each number as having a specific meaning. In this case, consider:

• 1/5: The answer missed the point of the question entirely or was otherwise wholly inadequate
• 2/5: A poor or incomplete answer that nonetheless contained good points
• 3/5: A basically adequate answer that hits the key points of the question, but which goes no further
• 4/5: A strong answer that goes beyond the basic requirements of the question
• 5/5: An excellent answer that is exactly or closely aligned with your ideal response

Interview scoring sheets help promote objective, consistent candidate evaluations when paired with structured interviews. They can reduce bias, aid memory and potentially improve hire quality, though they may limit engagement or spontaneity. With clear criteria and a defined scale, you can streamline hiring and support fair decisions.

Interview scoring sheets template for PDF & Excel

Check out our interview scoring sheets template that you can use to grade candidates after interviews.