Evaluating Candidates
Scope
Covers
- Defining an explicit hiring bar (what “great” means for this role at this company, right now)
- Turning interviews, work samples/trials, and references into evidence, not vibes
- Designing job-relevant work samples (and paid trials when appropriate)
- Running high-signal reference checks and integrating them into the decision
- Producing a decision-ready recommendation with clear risks and mitigations
When to use
- “Help me decide whether to hire this candidate.”
- “Create a scorecard and decision memo based on interview notes + references.”
- “Design a work sample / take-home (or paid trial) and a scoring rubric.”
- “Plan and run reference checks; give me a summary and recommendation.”
- “Calibrate our hiring bar for a and compare candidates fairly.”
When NOT to use
- You need to define the role outcomes or write the job description (use
writing-job-descriptions) - You need to design/run structured interviews and question maps (use
conducting-interviews) - You need legal/HR compliance guidance or to adjudicate high-risk employment issues (this skill is not legal advice)
- You need compensation/offer negotiation strategy
Inputs
Minimum required
- Role + level + function (e.g., “Senior PM”, “Founding AE”, “Staff ML Engineer”)
- Company/team context and “what’s hard” (stage, constraints, velocity expectations)
- Evaluation criteria (4–8 competencies) and any non-negotiables / red flags
- Candidate materials available (resume/portfolio + interview notes, if already interviewed)
- Which signals you want to include: interviews, work sample/take-home, paid trial, references
- Constraints: timeline, confidentiality/PII rules, internal-only vs shareable output
Missing-info strategy
- Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md (3–5 at a time).
- If criteria or notes are missing, propose a default criteria set and clearly label assumptions.
- Do not request secrets. If notes contain sensitive info, ask for redacted excerpts or summaries.
Outputs (deliverables)
Produce a Candidate Evaluation Decision Pack in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested):
- Evaluation brief (role success definition, criteria, weights, red flags)
- Scorecard (rating anchors + evidence capture)
- Signal log (all signals normalized into one table with evidence)
- Work sample / take-home / paid trial plan + rubric (if used)
- Reference check kit (outreach, script, note form, summary)
- Candidate comparison (if multiple candidates)
- Hiring decision memo (recommendation + risks + mitigations)
- Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)
Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md Expanded guidance: references/WORKFLOW.md
Workflow (7 steps)
1) Intake + decision framing
- Inputs: user context; references/INTAKE.md.
- Actions: Confirm role, level, must-haves, and the decision timeline. Identify which signals exist vs need to be created (work sample, trial, references). Record constraints (PII, internal-only, fairness).
- Outputs: Context snapshot + assumptions/unknowns list.
- Checks: The decision and decision date are explicit (who decides, by when, using which signals).
2) Define the bar + criteria (don’t improvise later)
- Inputs: role context; existing rubric/values (if any).
- Actions: Choose 4–8 criteria; define what “strong / acceptable / weak” looks like with observable anchors. Add explicit red flags. Decide whether to prioritize raw ability + drive vs “years of experience” for this role.
- Outputs: Evaluation brief + draft scorecard.
- Checks: Every criterion is measurable via evidence; no criterion is “vibe” or “culture fit” without definition.
3) Build the signal plan + evidence log
- Inputs: existing notes; planned stages.
- Actions: Decide what each signal is responsible for (interviews = behavioral evidence; work sample = in-context execution; references = longitudinal performance). Create a single signal log so you can compare apples-to-apples.
- Outputs: Signal plan + signal log table (empty or partially filled).
- Checks: No single signal dominates by default; reference checks and work samples have defined weight when used.
4) Design (or evaluate) the work sample / take-home / paid trial
- Inputs: role outputs; constraints; candidate seniority.
- Actions: Create a job-relevant task with clear deliverables and scoring rubric. If the task is >2–3 hours or resembles real work, prefer a paid trial and clarify IP/confidentiality boundaries.
- Outputs: Work sample/trial brief + scoring rubric.
- Checks: Task predicts real performance, is fair across backgrounds, and has objective scoring anchors.
5) Run reference checks (highest-signal when done well)
- Inputs: reference targets; outreach constraints; question bank.
- Actions: Prioritize references who worked with the candidate for extended periods and in similar contexts. Ask for specific examples, deltas over time, strengths/limits, and “how would you staff them?” Capture verbatim evidence and calibrate for bias.
- Outputs: Reference notes + reference summary.
- Checks: Summary contains concrete examples and clear hire/no-hire signal, not generic praise.
6) Synthesize signals → recommendation + risk mitigation
- Inputs: scorecard, signal log, work sample results, reference summary.
- Actions: Write a decision memo that cites evidence, calls out disagreements/uncertainty, and proposes mitigations (onboarding plan, coaching, 30/60/90 checkpoints) if hiring.
- Outputs: Hiring decision memo + candidate comparison (if applicable).
- Checks: Recommendation matches the weighted evidence; red flags are explicitly addressed.
7) Quality gate + calibration + finalize pack
- Inputs: full draft pack.
- Actions: Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Add Risks / Open questions / Next steps. If uncertain, propose the smallest additional signal to resolve (targeted reference, scoped trial, specific follow-up interview).
- Outputs: Final Candidate Evaluation Decision Pack.
- Checks: Evidence is sufficient for the decision; limitations and fairness risks are explicit.
Quality gate (required)
- Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
- Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.
Examples
Example 1 (final decision): “Here are interview notes for a Senior PM candidate. Create a scorecard, summarize signals, and write a hiring decision memo. Include risks and suggested mitigations.” Expected: scorecard with anchors + evidence, signal log, decision memo with explicit risks.
Example 2 (work sample + references): “We’re hiring a Founding Engineer. Design a 2-day paid trial task and rubric, plus a reference check script. Then show how we should combine those signals into a hire/no-hire decision.” Expected: trial brief + rubric, reference kit, and a synthesis framework.
Boundary example: “Tell me if this person is good. I only have their resume.” Response: require criteria + at least one high-signal input (structured interview notes, work sample plan/results, or references); propose a minimal evaluation plan and list assumptions/unknowns.