Interview scorecard template

Biosecurity Technologist interview scorecard

Evaluate Biosecurity Technologist candidates across 4 weighted areas: technique and experimental design, results that went somewhere, troubleshooting and reproducibility, and documentation and collaboration. Technique and experimental design leads at 35%, so probe containment practice, agent handling, and detection or decontamination techniques they run themselves. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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laboratory applied sciencebiosafetybiosecuritycontainmentpathogen handling
TL;DR
For technique and experimental design, look for evidence the candidate runs containment and detection work themselves at the stated biosafety level, with sound design behind each protocol. For results that went somewhere, look for evidence the candidate names work that changed a containment protocol or facility decision, with their own contribution clear. 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

Technique and experimental design

35% weight

Probe containment practice, agent handling, and detection or decontamination techniques they run themselves.

Evidence to listen for

  • Runs the assays and instruments themselves rather than describing what a team does
  • Designs experiments with controls, replicates, and a stated hypothesis
  • Knows what each technique can and cannot resolve
  • Understands the science, not only the protocol

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Protocol follower with no experimental design; cannot justify controls.

2
Needs Improvement

Runs standard assays; designs experiments poorly or not at all.

3
Satisfactory

Competent at the bench with sound routine design.

4
Very Good

Designs rigorous experiments and understands the limits of each technique.

5
Excellent

Runs containment and detection work themselves at the stated biosafety level, with sound design behind each protocol.

02
Evaluation factor

Results that went somewhere

25% weight

Look for programmes where their work changed a containment decision, a protocol, or a facility design.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names projects where their results changed a decision, a process, or a product
  • States their own contribution rather than the group's
  • Has taken something from bench to a larger scale, a filing, or a publication
  • Knows what happened to the work after they handed it over

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No results that went anywhere; work is entirely exploratory.

2
Needs Improvement

Contributed to projects but cannot say what their data changed.

3
Satisfactory

Real contributions; outcomes described loosely.

4
Very Good

Names results that changed a decision, with clear personal scope.

5
Excellent

Names work that changed a containment protocol or facility decision, with their own contribution clear.

03
Evaluation factor

Troubleshooting and reproducibility

25% weight

Test how they respond to a suspected breach or an unexpected detection with incomplete information.

Evidence to listen for

  • Treats a failed run as information rather than bad luck
  • Isolates reagent, instrument, operator, and biological causes systematically
  • Knows why a result failed to reproduce and can say when their own data was wrong
  • Keeps records good enough to diagnose from months later

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Repeats failed runs unchanged; no diagnostic thinking.

2
Needs Improvement

Troubleshoots by substitution; cannot explain a reproducibility failure.

3
Satisfactory

Solid troubleshooting on familiar assays.

4
Very Good

Systematic isolation of causes, and honest about their own irreproducible results.

5
Excellent

Escalates suspected breaches immediately toward the conservative option, and never quietly resolves them alone.

04
Evaluation factor

Documentation and collaboration

15% weight

Check documentation to regulatory standard and how they handle a deviation that was their own error.

Evidence to listen for

  • Keeps records to the standard the setting requires, whether that is GLP, GMP, or a defensible notebook
  • Writes up so someone else can repeat the work
  • Works with process, quality, or clinical colleagues rather than in a bench silo
  • Explains a result to a non-specialist without overclaiming

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Records would not survive audit; work is not repeatable from them.

2
Needs Improvement

Documentation is thin; write-ups need heavy editing.

3
Satisfactory

Adequate records and write-ups; collaboration is limited.

4
Very Good

Audit-standard records and clear communication across functions.

5
Excellent

Documents to inspection standard and self-reports their own deviations promptly rather than correcting quietly.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Biosecurity Technologist

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

  1. 01

    What experience do you have with high containment laboratory practices? Which biosafety levels have you worked at?

  2. 02

    What direct experience do you have with pathogen detection and diagnostic platforms?

  3. 03

    What is your experience designing diagnostic tests in a biosecurity setting?

  4. 04

    What steps do you follow when conducting a risk assessment for a potential biosecurity threat?

  5. 05

    Have you worked on biosecurity research projects? What was your role and what came out of it?

See the complete Biosecurity Technologist question set
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