When it comes to interviews, the interviewer must remain objective and disregard anything about the candidate that might influence their decision. There are many ways to handle bias in a recruitment process. The interview scoring matrix is one method that makes it easier for the interviewer to remain objective during the interview.

Reducing bias can help you improve your hiring process and increase the quality of hires. It also allows you to have a diverse workforce with many benefits of its own.

The interview scoring matrix method might not work for every business model, but it might work for you. Learn more about the interview scoring method to see if it is a good fit for your hiring method.

 

What Is an Interview Scoring Matrix?

An interview scoring matrix is a method that helps interviewers assess the candidate after their interview, as well as helps them make the best decision for their recruitment.

Interviews using this method can help you ensure that the candidates are treated fairly and that no prejudice creeps in. 

When all the candidates are evaluated using this method, it is easier for the hiring manager to compare candidates competing for the same position.

 

Steps to Create an Interview Scoring Matrix

To create the interview scoring matrix for your candidates, you must follow specific steps to properly assess them.

The following are some steps to create an interview scoring matrix for your interviews:

 

Define the Metrics to Assess

Every job role requires a different set of skills for the candidate. Come up with criteria that are necessary for an ideal candidate.

Then, run this with the entire team and get their input regarding the criteria. 

Make sure you do not miss out on any criteria that might prove vital for the candidate.

 

Define the Scoring System

Once you have decided on the criteria, you must devise ways to properly score the candidate.

This is necessary to ensure that everyone on the interview panel stays on the same page. If each interviewer uses their own scoring method, it can be confusing when you finally review the scorecard.

If you choose a star rating system or a number system, define what each value corresponds to. This can avoid further discrepancies.

 

Allow Room for Comments

The interviewer needs to strictly stick to the questionnaires and evaluate them. 

However, sometimes it is good to go off track and let the candidate talk. This might offer you some valuable insights that might have gone missing otherwise.

You might not know what the candidate is capable of. Hence, it is better to have space for comments that will help the recruitment team.

 

Interview Scoring Matrix Template

The interview scoring matrix is easy to create once you know the ideal candidate’s questions and requirements. 

The following is the same template to create your template for any requirements:

[Question 1]

[Scoring Scale: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5]

[Comment Section 1]

[Question 2]

[Scoring Scale: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5]

[Comment Section 2]

[Question 3]

[Scoring Scale: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5]

[Comment Section 3]

 

Advantages of Interview Scoring Matrix

The following are the advantage of the interview scoring matrix:

 

 

Helps You Stay on Track

Interviews can easily get sidetracked. This means you can spend considerable time with the candidate and still not get valuable information. 

This varies with each candidate. When it comes to the interview, the scoring matrix method is similar to a structured interview. 

This means the questions are pre-defined, and the interviewer can stick to the questions and evaluate the candidates. This can help save time in the interview.

 

Makes the Interview More Consistent

In unstructured interviews, it is easy to lose track of the questions, and the candidate can quickly influence the decisions of the interviewer.

Depending on the mood and the candidate, the interviewer might spend an hour or a few minutes if the interviewer is biassed.

But when the questions are fixed, they should assess the candidate based on them and score them for it.

For instance, if you follow a numerical scale of 1-5. Define what each value means:

1 – Poor 

2 – Below Average

3 – Average

4 – Good

5 – Excellent

 

Helps You Manage Requirements

When the recruitment team and the hiring manager spend time coming up with the right questions, they are spending time evaluating the candidate’s requirements.

This can help the team develop the proper requirements and assess the candidates based on everyone’s input.

This can also improve the quality of hire, and the candidate is more likely to be a good fit for your organisation.

 

Encourages Team Collaboration

The interview scoring matrix methods require input from the entire team to come up with the right questions for every job requirement.

This can help you improve the collaboration of the team. Collaborating with teammates for the interview helps clear misunderstandings regarding the requirements.

Like the hiring manager’s satisfaction, all input from your team can help you find suitable candidates using the scorecard method.

 

Disadvantages of Interview Scoring Matrix

The following are the disadvantages of the interview scoring matrix:

 

 

Limits Eye Contact

Since the interview is preoccupied with questionnaires and scoring the candidate, they reduce eye contact with the candidate.

This may make the interviewer seem disinterested in the interview, which could make the candidate have a bad experience with the interview process.

The interviewer might not watch the candidate and understand their body language. Also, taking notes about the candidate might disrupt the interview flow.

 

Keeps a Fixed Process

Every structured interview suffers from a lack of flexibility. Assessing the candidate based on the questions and the scoring scale can give you little to no room for going outside of the predefined questions.

This could make the candidate feel restricted from expressing themselves completely, which can lead to a dissatisfied interview process for both the interviewer and the candidate.

 

Needs More Time and Effort

Setting up the interview scoring matrix needs effort from the employer and the hiring manager. Based on the requirements, it might also require many other people to get involved in the process.

Coming up with the questions, getting feedback from the team, and finalising the questions can take some time. 

 

Best Practices for Using Interview Scoring Matrix

Weighing all the pros and cons, you must decide whether a structured interview model would work for you. 

The following are some of the best practices to follow when interviewing and evaluating candidates based on the scorecard matrix method:

• The drawback of not having eye contact during the interview can easily be overcome when the interviewer practices taking notes. Alternatively, conducting a video interview is better so the interviewer can replay the recording and evaluate the candidate.
• It is better to let the candidate know about the scorecards and how you’ll be evaluating them. 
• For positions where you hire frequently, you need to come up with standardised score cards so that it is easier for you to do the interviews and continue with them.
• Always collaborate with your team when you consolidate the data and make the final decisions for the job openings.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is a standard scoring system necessary in an interview scoring matrix method?

Without a standard scoring system, each interviewer could follow their own system, making it hard to consolidate and come up with a final decision. When the interview panel follows the same scoring system, they are less likely to confuse the evaluation process.

 

2. Why do we need a comment section for each question?

Since the questions are already common, each candidate might have something unique to contribute to the same question. This can help you understand the candidate better. This is why we need a comment section for each question.

 

3. What makes the interview matrix method efficient?

Having the same questions and a standardised scoring system makes the interview process easy, and every candidate is treated fairly, which can help reduce bias in interviews.

 

Closing Thoughts

The interview scoring system, as mentioned above, is one of the most common methods to reduce bias and ensure that every candidate is given the same opportunities to express themselves. This method is not without limitations, however. You need to ensure that the candidates are treated fairly, and that this method works for your hiring role. Proceed with the method only if you find it practical for your hiring efforts.

 

 

LogicMelon

Award-winning recruitment software that will find, attract, hire and analyse the way you want to work. At LogicMelon, we have experienced software recruitment marketing specialists to help you build effective recruitment solutions supported by the best customer service you’ll find anywhere!

Email: sales@logicmelon.com or call LogicMelon (UK) +44 (0) 203 553 3667 (USA) +1 860 269 3089

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