Every role deserves the same method.
Agree what you are looking for, ask everyone the same things, and decide on the evidence.
Run a 60-day pilotTEMPLATE
General interview scorecard template.
A structured plan, sample questions, a shared rating rubric and a scorecard that work for any role. Give us an email and the scorecard arrives as a PDF.
- Interview template
- 5 competencies
- Scorecard PDF by email
In this template
- Competencies that apply to any hire
- Sample questions
- A shared rating rubric
- A four-step interview plan
- Debrief guidance
Overview
This template is the structured interview stripped back to the part that does not change with the role: the same competencies for every candidate, the same rubric for every interviewer, and evidence written down before anyone compares notes. Use it as it is, or as the starting point you edit.
The method is what makes an interview fair. The questions change with the role; the method does not.
Role summary
Most roles are not on a template list. What they share is that the panel still has to agree on what good looks like, ask the same things, and decide on evidence rather than impressions.
Agree what
good looks likeAsk everyone
the same thingsWrite down the
evidence you sawDecide together,
on the evidence
Key competencies
These five are observable in a single conversation whatever the role, which is what makes them a safe default. They are the same five the scorecard below scores. Swap any of them for your own before you print it.
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Role knowledge
- Collaboration
- Ownership
Interview plan
A general process runs three to four interviews. Add a role-specific stage when the work needs to be seen rather than described.
Screening
conversation
30 min
Core
competencies
45 min
Role-specific
exercise
45 min
Final debrief
and decision
Sample questions
Use these as a starting point, and ask every candidate for the same role the same set.
Problem solving
- Walk me through a difficult problem you owned recently.
- What did you try first, and why did you change approach?
- What would you do differently now?
Role knowledge
- What does good look like in this kind of work?
- Which part of it do people usually get wrong?
- How do you keep current in this field?
Collaboration
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone you depended on.
- How do you work with people who want different things?
- Who did you make more effective last year, and how?
Ownership
- What have you started that nobody asked you to start?
- Tell me about something that went wrong on your watch.
- How do you decide what not to do?
Rating rubric
Give every rating the same definition so two interviewers mean the same thing by a 4.
This table scrolls sideways on small screens. The first column stays in view.
| Rating | Definition | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Exceptional | Consistently exceeds expectations. Specific, senior evidence. |
| 4 | Strong | Above expectations. Clear evidence with minor gaps. |
| 3 | Meets | Meets expectations. Solid, concrete examples. |
| 2 | Below | Not yet at the expected level. Thin or second-hand evidence. |
| 1 | Does not meet | Does not meet expectations. No usable evidence for this competency. |
Scorecard template
One row per competency, a rating and the evidence behind it. The example below shows a completed card.
This table scrolls sideways on small screens. The first column stays in view.
| Competency | Rating (1 to 5) | Evidence (notes) |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 4 | Explained the situation without needing prompts. |
| Problem solving | 4 | Changed approach once the first one stalled, and said why. |
| Role knowledge | 3 | Solid on the day to day, lighter on the wider field. |
| Collaboration | 4 | Named the disagreement and what they did about it. |
| Ownership | 4 | Carried a problem past their own remit. |
| Overall recommendation | Strong yes | |
Debrief guidance
Compare independent scorecards, talk about the evidence, and decide on the whole picture.
Review scores
independently
Discuss key
strengths and concerns
Look for consistent
evidence
Agree on a
recommendation
Customization tips
- Replace "Role knowledge" with the specific skill the job turns on.
- Add one competency the team argues about most, so the argument happens on the scorecard.
- Keep five or six. Past that, interviewers score the list rather than the candidate.
- Use the same rubric wording for every role, so scores stay comparable across hires.
Common mistakes
- Writing the competencies after the interviews
- Asking each candidate a different set of questions
- Scoring on impressions with no evidence written down
- Sharing scores in the room before everyone has locked their own
- Letting the most senior voice go first
- Treating a missing competency as a neutral score
Key takeaways
- Agree the competencies before the first interview
- Ask every candidate the same things
- Score against one shared rubric
- Write the evidence, not the impression
- Lock your scorecard before you compare
- Decide as a panel, on what you saw
Get the template
Give us a work email and the scorecard arrives as a one-page PDF. We email the template and nothing else.
Go to the formFAQs
When should I use this instead of a role template?
When the role is not one of the five, or when you are running the first structured interview your team has ever run and want the method before the specifics. Start here, then add the one or two competencies the job actually turns on.
How many competencies should a scorecard have?
Five or six. Below four you are not separating candidates; above six interviewers start scoring the list rather than the person, and the last two rows get whatever the first four got.
Do all the interviewers score everything?
No. Give each interview two or three of the competencies and let that interviewer go deep on them. One sheet per interviewer, each scoring their own before the panel compares.
What if a candidate never showed evidence for a competency?
That is not a middle score. Leave it unscored and say so in the debrief. A neutral 3 for an unasked question quietly moves the average and nobody notices.
Can I build a version of this for my own role?
Yes. The template generator takes your role, your competencies and your rating labels and emails you the same scorecard with those on it.
Get the general interview template
A PDF you can print or fill in on screen. We email it and nothing else.
- 5 role competencies to score
- The 1 to 5 rating scale, with its anchors
- Space to write the evidence you saw
- Debrief steps for the panel
Run this template as software
Plan the interviews, lock each scorecard before the panel compares, and record the decision. All in one place.
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