Glossary
Interview rubric
An interview rubric is a short written guide that describes what an answer at each score sounds like for a given question or skill, so different interviewers rate the same answer the same way.
Ask five interviewers what “3 out of 5” means and you’ll get five answers. A rubric fixes that by writing down, in plain words, what an answer at each score sounds like. It turns a number scale into a standard everyone shares.
An example
Skill: Explaining things clearly. Question: “Explain how to turn on two-factor authentication (a code sent to your phone each time you log in) to someone who isn’t comfortable with technology.”
| Score | What the answer sounds like |
|---|---|
| 1 | Uses technical words, skips steps, or can’t put the explanation in order |
| 2 | Gets the steps right but rushes, and leaves some terms unexplained |
| 3 | Short steps, in order, in plain language |
| 4 | Plain steps, checks the person is following along, and warns them where they might get stuck |
Each level describes something you can hear. None of them relies on words like “good” or “excellent.”
How to write one
- Collect real answers. Notes or recordings from past interviews are ideal. If you have none, ask two colleagues to answer the question.
- Describe the best and worst answers first. The middle levels are easier once the two ends are clear.
- Describe what people say or do. “Gives a specific example” can be checked. “Seems confident” can’t.
- Keep it short. One line per level. Interviewers won’t read a paragraph in the middle of a conversation.
- Match it to the level you’re hiring for. In a rubric for an entry-level job, a good score shouldn’t require expert answers.
Testing it
Once the rubric exists, test it. This step is often called calibrating. Have two or three interviewers each rate the same three recorded answers on their own, then compare. Where they disagree by more than a point, the wording is probably unclear. Rewrite it and try again. Half an hour of testing saves weeks of inconsistent ratings.
Rubric versus scorecard
A scorecard lists the skills and how much each one counts. The rubric sits underneath it and explains how to rate each skill. You can have a scorecard without a rubric, but interviewers’ ratings will slowly drift apart.
In AI-scored interviews
AI scoring needs what a person needs: a clear idea of what a good answer looks like at the level you’re hiring for. When you set an expected level for a skill (beginner, intermediate, advanced or expert), you give the AI a reference point, just as a rubric does for a person. The more precisely you describe the skill, the more consistent the scores.