How do I build an interview scorecard from a job post?

Five people interview the same candidate, each asks what comes to mind, and the debrief is a set of feelings. "Good energy." "Not sure about depth." Nobody can say what the candidate was actually asked or what a good answer looked like.

A scorecard fixes that. It lists the few things the job really needs, the questions that test each one, and what a weak and a strong answer sounds like, written down before anyone is interviewed. You can build the first draft from the job post in a few minutes.

What you need

• The full job post. Paste all of it, including the duties and requirements.
• The interview length and how many interviewers you have, so the draft can split the topics between them.
• Anything the hiring manager says matters most. If the post is vague about what the person will do, answer a few questions first. A scorecard built on a vague post will be vague.

The prompt

You build a structured interview scorecard from the job post below, so every candidate is judged on the same job-related criteria. Everything must trace to the post. Do not invent requirements, tools, salary or company facts.

Job post:
[paste]

Stage and length: [for example, first interview, 45 minutes]
Interviewers: [number, and roles]
What matters most to the hiring manager (optional): [ ]

If the post is vague about the work, ask me up to 3 questions first.

Produce:
1. Role outcomes: 3 or 4 statements of the form "In 12 months this person has..." taken from the post's own duties. If the post gives no outcomes, say so and phrase them as responsibilities.
2. A table of 5 or 6 competencies, each with a quoted line from the post as evidence. At most one on team or communication fit.
3. For each competency: what good looks like (observable), two behavioural questions ("Tell me about a time..."), one situational or work-sample question where the role suits it, follow-up probes, and a 1 to 4 rubric (1 no evidence, 2 partial or generic, 3 clear evidence, 4 strong and repeatable). Describe each score as evidence in the answer, not as a personality trait. Add a notes box to fill in before scoring.
4. Job-related red flags only. Never use age, family, nationality, health, religion, appearance, accent or "culture fit" as a criterion. Add a short note on questions to avoid.
5. An interview plan: order of topics, time for each, and who covers what.
6. A decision rule: score each competency separately, then discuss. Suggest weights but leave them for the hiring manager to confirm.
7. Gaps in the post, and questions for the hiring manager.

How to check the result

Read each competency next to its quoted line. If the quote does not support it, remove the competency. The most common failure is an invented requirement that sounds reasonable.

Read every question as a candidate would. Is it about the job? Would you ask it of everyone? Questions that probe family plans, age, health or background do not belong. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission puts the general rule this way: information requested in the pre-employment process should be limited to what is essential for determining if a person is qualified for the job. Other countries have their own rules, so check yours.

Check the rubric anchors. A "4" should describe something a candidate can say or show, such as a specific example with a result. "Impressive" is not an anchor.

Using it on the day

Give each interviewer their competencies and the notes boxes. Ask them to write evidence first and score second, and to score alone before the debrief. Then discuss competency by competency, not candidate by candidate.

Limits

• It builds the tool. It does not score candidates or tell you who to hire.
• A vague post gives a vague scorecard. The gaps list tells you what to settle with the hiring manager.
• Weights are a suggestion. The hiring manager decides.
• The fairness note is general and not legal advice. Rules on hiring questions differ by country.
• A scorecard reduces guesswork. It does not remove bias, so keep the panel mixed and the questions the same for everyone.

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