Interview scorecard template

Air Traffic Controller interview scorecard

Evaluate Air Traffic Controller candidates across 4 weighted areas: ratings and technical competence, situational awareness under load, decisions under pressure, and communication discipline. Ratings and technical competence leads at 30%, so check current ratings and endorsements, the units and airspace worked, and command of separation standards. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

See AI scoring
safety critical operationsair traffic controlatcaviationsafety critical
TL;DR
For ratings and technical competence, look for evidence the candidate current ratings for the environment, with separation standards and local procedures known cold. For situational awareness under load, look for evidence the candidate keeps the full picture during a spike, reprioritises deliberately, and flags saturation before reaching it. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Ratings and technical competence

30% weight

Check current ratings and endorsements, the units and airspace worked, and command of separation standards.

Evidence to listen for

  • Holds the current ratings, licences, or endorsements the position requires
  • Knows the rules, minima, and standards cold, not approximately
  • Familiar with the equipment and airspace, network, or plant in question
  • Clear on the boundary of their own authority

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Lacks required ratings, or shaky on the standards that keep people alive.

2
Needs Improvement

Holds the ticket but hesitant on rules and minima.

3
Satisfactory

Competent and current; slower on unfamiliar configurations.

4
Very Good

Rules and minima are second nature; strong on the specific environment.

5
Excellent

Current ratings for the environment, with separation standards and local procedures known cold.

02
Evaluation factor

Situational awareness under load

30% weight

Test how they hold the whole picture when traffic spikes and one aircraft needs disproportionate attention.

Evidence to listen for

  • Keeps the whole picture while handling one problem
  • Describes how they shed or reprioritise tasks when volume spikes
  • Notices the thing that has gone quiet, not just the thing that is loud
  • Knows their own saturation point and says so before reaching it

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Tunnel vision under load; loses the wider picture entirely.

2
Needs Improvement

Copes at normal volume; degrades badly when it spikes.

3
Satisfactory

Holds the picture in most conditions; occasional fixation.

4
Very Good

Maintains awareness under high load and reprioritises deliberately.

5
Excellent

Keeps the full picture during a spike, reprioritises deliberately, and flags saturation before reaching it.

03
Evaluation factor

Decisions under pressure

25% weight

Assess a real decision they made with incomplete information, and how they handled getting one wrong.

Evidence to listen for

  • Decides on incomplete information rather than freezing
  • Chooses the safe option when uncertain, and can say why
  • Recovers from their own error without concealing it
  • Can describe a real event where they made the call

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Freezes, or gambles when the safe option was available.

2
Needs Improvement

Slow to commit; defers decisions that were theirs to make.

3
Satisfactory

Decides adequately in familiar situations.

4
Very Good

Decides quickly and safely, and owns errors openly.

5
Excellent

Decides quickly toward the safe option under uncertainty, and reports their own errors without concealment.

04
Evaluation factor

Communication discipline

15% weight

Judge phraseology discipline, readback practice, and the completeness of their position handovers.

Evidence to listen for

  • Uses standard phraseology and readback discipline without shortcuts
  • Hands over completely, including what is unresolved
  • Speaks up to someone senior when safety requires it
  • Stays measured on the loop when the situation is not

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Sloppy phraseology; incomplete handovers.

2
Needs Improvement

Drifts from standard phrasing under pressure.

3
Satisfactory

Disciplined communication; handovers occasionally thin.

4
Very Good

Precise phraseology and complete handovers, and will challenge seniority on safety.

5
Excellent

Phraseology and readback stay precise under pressure, and handovers include everything still unresolved.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Air Traffic Controller

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    What air traffic control or aviation experience do you have, and which units and sectors did you work?

  2. 02

    Which air traffic control certifications, ratings, and endorsements do you currently hold, and when were you last current?

  3. 03

    How comfortable are you working with complex radar and navigation tools, and which systems have you used on position?

  4. 04

    How proficient are you at interpreting weather data, and how does a deteriorating METAR change how you run your sector?

  5. 05

    How do you hold the whole traffic picture during peak hours when one aircraft demands most of your attention?

See the complete Air Traffic Controller question set
Put this rubric to work

Score every candidate against the same standard

Add these weighted factors to Hirevire and let AI evaluate recorded answers against your rubric.

Explore AI Scorecards