An interview evaluation form is a formal document that interviewers use to qualify and quantify an interviewee’s suitability for a position.
The form contains specific criteria or metrics which will be assessed during the interview. These may include experience, technical knowledge, education qualifications, communication skills, etc., depending on the job requirements of the open position. You, as an interviewer, fill out the form during or immediately after an interview. Therefore, it is important to have a standardized form for each interview to ensure that every candidate is evaluated based on the same criteria.
The form is thus an integral part of any interview process as it facilitates hiring suitable and competent employees. It is a means for you to provide objective feedback on a candidate as it eliminates the social appeal of the candidate. Since it contains structured criteria for evaluation, it streamlines the decision-making process when selecting candidates to proceed further in the recruitment process or hiring. With this evaluation form, you are assured of hiring employees that add value to the team.
This article will explain the essential components of this form, its benefits, and how to use it to help you create an effective interview evaluation form.
Free Templates: Interview Evaluation Form
You can use pre-made templates to create an interview evaluation form. Templates make it easier for you to quickly create a form that suits your needs and requirements. You can download the free templates below.
These templates are easy to customize, thus saving users the time and effort of creating the evaluation form from scratch every time one is needed.
Benefits of Using Interview Evaluation Forms
As an interviewer, you can use an evaluation form in the recruitment process of any organization. The interview evaluation forms help you to provide objective feedback on the candidates you are interviewing. The information collected from the interview is ultimately used to make decisions for current and future hiring practices.
Here are the different benefits of utilizing evaluation forms in your organization:
Restrain biases
You are meant to act as a neutral facilitator to provide objective feedback for all the candidates. An evaluation form facilitates this by outlining the predetermined criteria of evaluation that is free of bias.
Contribute to your work environment
The form allows you to hire employees who fit the company culture and current team. This improves the consistency of values and ethics within the organization. This, in turn, fosters a healthy and positive working environment.
Limiting liability
Using the form ensures that you are adequately trained for interviewing and guarantees consistency in your evaluations. This prevents you from asking for improper or illegal information. Accurate evaluation of candidates also limits the potential liability of discrimination, as every candidate will be evaluated equally regardless of their demographic.
Help to hire the right candidate
Hiring the right candidate is highly beneficial for any company. Using an evaluation form in the recruitment process effectively ensures the most optimal candidate for your organization. In addition, by assessing feedback from other interviewers, an informed decision can be made when hiring employees.
Provide objective comparisons
An evaluation form ensures that all candidates are compared based on the same metrics. This allows you to quickly identify candidates that stand out in each category they were evaluated.
Ensure success
Hiring an unsuitable candidate can be problematic for the employee and the company/organization in the long run. However, if thoroughly evaluated, you are assured of hiring a suitable and befitting employee, which facilitates the organization’s success and that of the employee.
What Should be Included in Interview Evaluation Form?
An interview evaluation form should aim to collect all the information needed to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for the position. As such, the components of the evaluation form may vary depending on the organization or job position.
The core components of an interview evaluation form include the following:
Candidate’s basic information
The form should contain the candidate’s basic information, such as their name and department. The department should be that of the position you are interviewing them for.
Scoring system
The scoring system is an essential part of the interview evaluation form as it facilitates the objective comparison between candidates. The system should be clearly defined. If a numbering system is to be used, it should be clear what each number represents.
For example:
A scoring system of 1-5 can be used with the number representing the following – 1 (unsatisfactory), 2 (satisfactory), 3 (average), 4 (above average) 5 (exceptional).
Categories for evaluation
The categories for evaluation are the criteria or metrics that you will be assessing a candidate on during an interview. The categories to be included in the form may vary depending on the specific position and qualifications you are looking for in a candidate.
However, the following are the main categories included in most interview evaluation forms:
- Education details: Education is often a primary requirement for most jobs. Therefore, the form should evaluate a candidate’s education. Education can be evaluated regarding formal education, training, and knowledge needed to undertake the job. This section may also enquire about the value of the candidate’s certifications. In addition, questions under this section can enquire whether the candidate went to school, level of certification, test scores, GPAs, etc. In jobs where specialized training is needed, the form should enquire about the level of the candidate’s training.
- Experience history: Experience is a significant consideration when evaluating candidates. It is essential to establish whether the candidate’s experience aligns with the role they are applying for. This category evaluates the type of experience, strength, previous duties, etc. Other factors to consider include the length of their experience and achievements in their previous jobs. This is because some positions may require a specific number of years of experience, which is vital in determining suitability for the role. Also, their achievements in previous roles demonstrate a candidate’s potential to perform in your organization.
- Communication skills: An effective interview evaluation form will often assess a candidate’s communication skills. Communication skills can be assessed through questions like how a candidate would deal with conflicts with colleagues or handle a demanding customer. A candidate’s communication skills can also be evaluated based on how they respond to questions.
- Practical knowledge: This category evaluates whether the candidate has the practical knowledge to undertake the work. The candidate’s performance and ability to perform certain functions can be assessed and scored to determine their suitability for the position. Some positions may emphasize technical skills more than others.
- Company knowledge: A candidate’s willingness to learn about the company and its culture shows enthusiasm and preparedness for the position. This is because it requires time to learn about the company. Also, it shows a high degree of professionalism and work ethic.
- The candidate’s personality: You must hire employees who fit your organization’s culture and team members. A candidate’s personality greatly influences their likability and interaction with other workers and should therefore be evaluated. Positive qualities and common interests should be identified to assess personality.
- Interpersonal skills: The ability of a candidate to interact confidently and positively with other people and the ability of an individual to build relationships are essential for any organization. This is because interpersonal skills, to a great extent, determine the nature of the workplace environment. Therefore, interpersonal skills such as customer service, conflict resolution, etc., should be evaluated and scored during an interview.
- Salary expectations: It is essential to determine at the start whether a candidate is looking for a salary in line with the company’s compensation budget, policies, and guidelines. Sometimes you may have to adjust your salary budget to accommodate the salary expectations of your most qualified candidate. Therefore, it is essential to record each candidate’s salary expectations.
- Timeline expectation: The form should collect information regarding the timeline for the assumption of duties in their respective role if they were to be hired. You should aim to know their current job positions and any notice requirements needed by their current employer. This is so that you can plan accordingly and ensure you set a start date that factors in notice periods, additional training, and probationary period needed before an employee can start work. Once you discuss such onboarding policies with the candidate, you can get confirmation if they agree and comply with the policies to ensure a healthy working environment.
Comments
Your evaluation form should have a section to record important or additional notes during the interview. This section can also be used to comment on the candidate’s outstanding qualities.
Best Practices to Consider When Evaluating a Candidate
You need to use interview evaluation forms as an effective tool to analyze candidates and find the right person for the job. A well-structured and adequately completed form will provide a consistent, accurate way of evaluating candidates’ knowledge, experience, and suitability.
Here are some practices to consider when evaluating a candidate:
Involve team members
People who can develop interview and evaluation forms have undergone similar training or course, for example, potential colleagues, managers, and decision-makers. This will make the process more effective because they will understand the company’s and industry’s requirements. Involving different members or departments of the team to facilitate this process is an excellent way to improve efficiency. The different members can also be consulted for feedback on how the candidate fits in the organization.
Begin with a meeting
Before commencing the recruitment process for any job opening, it is crucial to hold an initial meeting whose agenda is to identify the criteria for evaluating candidates and define the interview process that identifies the most qualified candidate. Different job positions will focus on different qualifications.
For example:
A software developer will focus on technical qualifications, while a customer support officer will focus on interpersonal skills.
Add scoring system
A well-structured scoring system in your interview evaluation form can help you evaluate the applicants effectively. The scoring system should be based on criteria that would make it easier for the candidate to be rated. It is essential to ensure you employ an accurate and consistent way of rating each applicant, especially when there is a diverse and international team.
Determine cultural fit
As an interviewer, you should consider your organization’s culture when evaluating a candidate. Therefore, assessing a candidate’s personality, values, and communication style is advisable to ensure they will promote a healthy and positive workplace.
Measure their answers
It is essential to measure a candidate’s answers. How a person answers their questions can provide insight into how candidates can perform their duties and make decisions if hired. So, ask questions about past events and hypothetical scenarios and take note of the candidate’s answers. Then, compare answers from different candidates and contextualize the answers based on the value an employee can bring to the team.
Verify their references
Always check the references provided by a candidate. This is very important because a candidate’s former employers can give insight into how they performed in their previous jobs and give you an idea of how they will perform in the future. In addition, look for inconsistencies between the candidate’s claims and the referee’s testimonies. If a candidate has inconsistencies in their application, consider alternative candidates.
Check their social media
You can assess candidates’ online social media presence. Social media is an excellent way to determine a candidate’s priorities and lifestyle choices and assess their professionalism.
Assess them through assignments
Tests and assignments can be used to evaluate a candidate’s ability to perform their duties diligently. Examples of such assignments include computer tests, writing tasks, tests about technical know-how, etc.
Wrapping Up
Interview evaluation forms are effective tools that help you manage your recruitment process and increase its effectiveness, improving the quality of candidates hired. Measuring candidate performance during an interview is often subjective and open to interpretation. An evaluation form can reduce the chances of human error and bring consistency to the interview process. This, in turn, will reduce the possibility of hiring employees based on misinformed or inaccurate information.
It is essential to have team members go through the interview evaluation form so that every aspect is addressed according to the company’s agreed-upon procedures, policies, and industry standards. You can tailor an evaluation form according to your specific needs so it becomes more effective and relevant to the staff you hire.