Interview Evaluation Form

For the hiring process, proper interview notes are not just handy; they are a necessity. Inconsistent notes and vague impressions will make your hiring decisions hard to justify. The best approach is to establish consistent procedures for all hiring processes and utilize a standardized form during interviews to evaluate candidates. It will not only make fair comparisons of candidates easier but will also safeguard against any bias.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your hiring process and establish a consistent format for evaluations during interviews, then this Interview Evaluation Form Template is the resource you need. Developed by industry experts, this template provides a structured framework for documenting candidates’ performance during job interviews, making it easy for you to compare applicants, track decisions, and maintain accountability throughout your hiring process. 

What is the Primary Object of the Interview Evaluation Form

It is a structured document that is used by interviewers to evaluate job candidates. It includes a rating scale, key competencies (such as communication, qualifications, and cultural fit), and space for comments. 

A primary benefit of using such a form is to maintain consistency in evaluations, promote objective decisions, and minimize bias in hiring. 

In addition to this, it provides documentation of the interview process and keeps the hiring process fair and organized. 

Read on to see how this evaluation form template will transform your hiring process and keep all your interview notes organized!

What This Template Offers

This template features structured sections that organize all information during an interview. Let us take a closer look at each section to understand how it can facilitate organized interview notes.

The form begins with the header; you can fill in basic information such as the candidate’s name, the position they’re applying for, the interview date, and your own name as interviewer. These are open-ended fields and make sure that each form is clearly tied to a specific candidate, making follow-up and record-keeping easy. 

Rating Criteria

Qualifications

This is where you ask specific questions and assign ratings. It is presented in a table format and lists the competencies against which candidates would be assessed.  These competencies range from educational background and technical qualifications to communication skills, decision-making abilities, and cultural fit—the interviewer selects a score from 1 to 5 by ticking a checkbox. 

In addition to this, we have also included an open space for comments against each competency. You can use this space to write any remarks that explain your rating. For instance, if you interview a candidate who has solid experience and is particularly related to the job that is being advertised, you give them a rating of 5 against  professional experience, and you can write in the remarks: 

“5 plus years of experience. Demonstrates strong leadership potential, and her experience matches the role’s responsibilities.” 

Or if you have a candidate who does possess technical knowledge but has no experience with the software program you use in your company, you can give them a rating of 3 and write in your remarks something like this:

“Solid understanding of basic tools, but lacks hands-on experience with some of the advanced software we use.”

At the end of this section, you can write the total score to quickly arrive at a numerical snapshot of how the candidate performed overall. 

With this combination of structured scoring and written feedback, we have provided a form that helps to provide a well-rounded and justifiable evaluation of each candidate. 

Additional Comments and Concerns

However, the form just does not stop at the numbers! You will also find space here to add any additional comments about the candidate. This flexibility gives you the chance to record anything that has impacted your judgment of the candidate. For instance, maybe the candidate has not yet finished his final education (think of someone in the last semester or waiting for the results), and if you found him a close match, then that can be written here, and maybe the HR will keep his CV for any future opening. 

Evaluation Summary and Recommendation

Nearing the end of this evaluation form, you will find two summary sections. One allows you to indicate whether the candidate meets, exceeds, or falls short of expectations, using checkboxes. 

The final section asks for a hiring recommendation, and you can simply check whether the candidate is recommended or not. These summaries pull together all the details above into a clear decision point.

Overall, this form is more than a checklist. It gives you immense freedom as an interviewer to clearly provide the reasons for your decisions, making for a transparent selection procedure for the candidate. 

What Makes this Template so Useful?

• Fully Editable Format: The template is delivered in Microsoft Word and Google Docs formats so you can easily customize fields, competencies, or rating criteria to match your company’s needs.

• Print-Ready:  The form is created for both digital use and easy printing. It is ideal for in-person interviews where hard copies are needed or for remote hiring.

• Customizable Sections: The form is pre-filled with commonly assessed areas like communication skills, qualifications, and cultural fit, but you can fully adapt it to your job-specific criteria.

• Summary Sections: The summary sections make it easy to add your overall impressions, final recommendations, and hiring decision to wrap up evaluations clearly.

Can this Form be Used for Panel Interviews?

In many companies, it is the norm to arrange panel interviews when selecting candidates for a job. Naturally, panel interviews are a great way to assess candidates from various angles, and your chances of finding the most suitable candidate increase manifold. However, there is a big challenge: how to coordinate the various interviewers’ assessments? 

This evaluation form solves this problem easily. All interviewers will assess the candidate according to their own judgment using the same form. Because everyone is using the same rating scale and criteria, their feedback can be easily compared. Plus, this gives an auditable record of the panel’s collective assessment. 

Supporting Inclusive Hiring and Fairness

This interview evaluation is far more than a tool for helping you with managing your interview notes. It has been skillfully designed to promote fairness and reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process. 

The structured criteria in the form let you assess all candidates through the same lens, regardless of their background, gender, ethnicity, or other personal characteristics. This not only aligns with the DEI best practices but also supports compliance with equal opportunity employment laws, such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines.

If your organization values inclusive hiring, then this form is your strong ally in creating a hiring process that is transparent and gives everyone an equal chance. 

Download this interview evaluation form template to support better decision-making and bring fairness to your next round of interviews!