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
Hands-on competence
35% weight
Check the range of work: stud framing, roof trusses, staircases, formwork, second fix joinery. Ask which saws, routers and jigs they own and what tolerances they hold.
Evidence to listen for
Names the equipment, materials, and tolerances they work to
Can describe a job start to finish without hand-waving the hard parts
Holds the tickets, licences, or certifications the work requires, and they are current
Knows what they are not qualified to touch
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot describe the work concretely; lacks required tickets or licences.
2
Needs Improvement
Basic familiarity; needs supervision on routine tasks.
3
Satisfactory
Competent on standard work; slower or unsure on unfamiliar jobs.
4
Very Good
Skilled and independent across the normal range of the role.
5
Excellent
Names specific builds (hipped roof cuts, geometric stairs), works to millimetre tolerances, and describes tooling and setup without prompting.
02
Evaluation factor
Safety discipline
30% weight
Probe CSCS or equivalent cards, working at height, dust extraction on mitre and track saws, silica and wood dust controls, plus how they handle site RAMS.
Evidence to listen for
Treats procedure as protection rather than paperwork
Can describe a time they stopped work and why
Knows the specific hazards of this trade and the controls for each
Reports near misses instead of hiding them
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Casual about safety; describes shortcuts with pride.
2
Needs Improvement
Follows procedure when watched; cannot name the hazards that matter.
3
Satisfactory
Sound safety habits; less certain on unfamiliar hazards.
4
Very Good
Safety is instinctive; can describe stopping work over a real concern.
5
Excellent
Cites current cards and training, describes on-tool extraction and guard discipline, and recalls stopping work over unsafe scaffold or edge protection.
03
Evaluation factor
Fault finding
20% weight
Test how they handle out-of-square walls, sagging joists, rot behind trim, or door frames that will not close, and how they decide repair versus replace.
Evidence to listen for
Has a method for narrowing a fault rather than swapping parts
Reads schematics, manuals, or error codes and acts on them
Knows when to escalate rather than guess
Can describe a fault that took real work to find
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Parts-swapper; no diagnostic method.
2
Needs Improvement
Fixes symptoms; cannot explain how they found the cause.
3
Satisfactory
Solid on familiar faults; less structured on new ones.
4
Very Good
Clear systematic method with a real hard-fault story.
5
Excellent
Walks through measuring, probing for moisture or movement, tracing root cause, then explains a fix that holds and its cost impact.
04
Evaluation factor
Reliability and conduct
15% weight
Look for evidence of turning up for staged programmes, coordinating with plasterers and electricians, snag list closure, and how they treat client property and finishes.
Evidence to listen for
Turns up, on time, prepared
Handles shift work, callouts, or travel as the role requires
Documents work so the next person can pick it up
Deals with customers or site staff professionally
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Unreliable attendance; unprofessional on site.
2
Needs Improvement
Inconsistent; documentation is an afterthought.
3
Satisfactory
Dependable; paperwork is adequate.
4
Very Good
Consistently reliable, documents well, professional with customers.
5
Excellent
Gives references and repeat clients, hits programme dates, leaves clean sites, and flags delays to the site manager early.
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.
