This Interview Scorecard Template helps recruiters and hiring managers turn a conversation into a fair, structured evaluation. Instead of a vague thumbs up or down, you rate each candidate against the same competencies, back every rating with evidence, and end with a clear recommendation. When you record the interview, the transcript and summary let you tie each score to something the candidate actually said, so your feedback holds up under scrutiny and stays consistent across the whole panel.
Interview & Candidate Details
e.g., Maria Alvarez
Enter the candidate's full name so this scorecard maps to the right person.e.g., Product Designer (Mid-level), Sales Development Rep
State the role and level so ratings are judged against the right bar.e.g., Sam Okafor (Design Lead), Portfolio review (Round 2)
Record who is scoring and which stage this is, so panel feedback can be compared later.e.g., REQ-3310
Add the job or candidate reference so you can paste this scorecard into the matching ATS record.Competency Ratings
e.g., 4/5 - Solid grasp of design systems; walked through component tradeoffs clearly
Rate the core skills the job requires on your standard scale and add one line on why.e.g., 3/5 - Reached a workable answer but needed prompting to consider edge cases
Rate how the candidate broke down and worked through the problems you posed.e.g., 5/5 - Explained decisions clearly and credited teammates specifically
Rate clarity, listening, and how the candidate works with others based on the exchange.e.g., 4/5 - Motivated by the mission; asked sharp questions about how the team ships
Rate alignment with the role's expectations and what the candidate would add to the team. Assess contribution, not sameness.Evidence & Examples
e.g., 'I ran the A/B test myself and killed the variant when it dropped conversion' (see summary)
Capture specific things the candidate said that justify your ratings. Pull these from the transcript or summary so they are accurate.e.g., Data-driven, takes ownership, communicates tradeoffs well
List the clearest strengths, each tied to a concrete moment rather than a general feeling.e.g., Thin on stakeholder management; no example of resolving conflicting priorities
Note weaknesses or unanswered questions the next interviewer should probe.e.g., Ask for a concrete example of leading through a disagreement
Flag what the panel should dig into next so nothing falls through the cracks.Overall Recommendation
e.g., 4/5, or Strong Hire on a Strong Hire / Hire / No Hire scale
Give a single summary rating using your team's standard scale.e.g., Advance, Hold for comparison, Do not advance
State your clear recommendation so the hiring team knows where you land.e.g., Strong problem-solver with clear evidence of ownership; leadership scope still unproven
Summarize the reasoning behind your recommendation in two or three sentences, grounded in the evidence above.e.g., High, Medium, Low
Note how confident you are, which helps the panel weigh conflicting scores during the debrief.How to Use This Template
- Set the competencies and rating scale before interviews start, and make sure every interviewer uses this same scorecard so scores are comparable.
- With the candidate's consent, record the interview using CraftNote so you have an accurate, speaker-labeled transcript and AI summary to refer back to.
- During the interview, focus on the candidate and jot only rough impressions; you will fill in precise ratings afterward from the record.
- After the interview, use the transcript and summary to complete the Competency Ratings and Evidence sections, quoting what the candidate actually said to justify each score.
- Finish the Overall Recommendation, then export the scorecard as PDF or DOCX, or paste the summary and your ratings into your ATS or scorecard tool manually. CraftNote does not sync to your ATS directly, so you copy the finished evaluation across.
Customization Tips
- Swap the competency rows to match each role, using your own scorecard rubric so ratings mean the same thing for every candidate in that pipeline.
- Add anchored descriptions to your rating scale (what a 3 versus a 5 looks like) to reduce drift between interviewers.
- Add a 'Would work with again' or panel-specific field if your team runs a structured debrief and wants a quick gut-check alongside the ratings.
- Keep a 'Do not assess' note for topics that are off-limits, so interviewers stay focused on job-related competencies and avoid bias.