Interview scorecard template

Ergonomics Engineer interview scorecard

Evaluate Ergonomics Engineer candidates across 4 weighted areas: technical depth, work that shipped, diagnosis under uncertainty, and working across the org. Technical depth leads at 35%, so check command of assessment methods: NIOSH lifting equation, RULA/REBA, Snook tables, ACGIH HAL TLV, ISO 11228, plus anthropometric data sources and digital human modelling tools. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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engineering applied scienceergonomicsmsd risk assessmentniosh lifting equationrula reba
TL;DR
For technical depth, look for evidence the candidate names the method chosen per hazard type, cites threshold values from memory, and explains where each tool breaks down. For work that shipped, look for evidence the candidate describes specific installed changes with before and after risk scores, injury counts, or claim costs, and who funded them. 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

Technical depth

35% weight

Check command of assessment methods: NIOSH lifting equation, RULA/REBA, Snook tables, ACGIH HAL TLV, ISO 11228, plus anthropometric data sources and digital human modelling tools like Jack or RAMSIS.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains the physics or mechanism behind their work, not just the tooling
  • Names the standards, tolerances, and constraints they designed against
  • Can defend a design decision under follow-up questions
  • Distinguishes what they personally engineered from what the team delivered

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot explain the fundamentals of their own stated specialism.

2
Needs Improvement

Knows the vocabulary but not the underlying mechanism; struggles under follow-ups.

3
Satisfactory

Solid working knowledge for the role; depth thins out on edge cases.

4
Very Good

Strong command of the domain; explains trade-offs and defends decisions well.

5
Excellent

Names the method chosen per hazard type, cites threshold values from memory, and explains where each tool breaks down.

02
Evaluation factor

Work that shipped

30% weight

Probe workstation or line redesigns they delivered: lift assists, height-adjustable fixtures, tool balancers, and the resulting MSD incident rate, recordable, or cycle-time change.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names specific programmes, parts, or systems that reached production or field use
  • States their own scope inside the project
  • Can give measured outcomes: yield, cycle time, cost, failure rate
  • Explains what went wrong and what they changed

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No delivered work; experience is coursework, lab-only, or purely observational.

2
Needs Improvement

Contributed to projects but cannot say what shipped or what their part was.

3
Satisfactory

Has delivered real work; outcomes described without numbers.

4
Very Good

Names shipped work and their scope, with some measured results.

5
Excellent

Describes specific installed changes with before and after risk scores, injury counts, or claim costs, and who funded them.

03
Evaluation factor

Diagnosis under uncertainty

20% weight

Assess how they trace a cluster of shoulder or wrist complaints with no obvious cause: task observation, video analysis, EMG or force gauge data, operator interviews, rotation history.

Evidence to listen for

  • Describes a real failure they chased to root cause
  • Shows a method: isolate variables, reproduce, measure, eliminate
  • Distinguishes correlation from cause
  • Says what they ruled out and why, not only what the answer turned out to be

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No diagnostic method; guesses or escalates immediately.

2
Needs Improvement

Trial and error with no structure; cannot explain how they narrowed the cause.

3
Satisfactory

Reasonable method on familiar problems; less structured on novel ones.

4
Very Good

Clear systematic approach with a real root-cause story.

5
Excellent

Separates exposure from confounders, gathers measured force and posture data, and revises the hypothesis when the data disagrees.

04
Evaluation factor

Working across the org

15% weight

Look for evidence of winning over production supervisors, safety, occupational health, and design engineers early enough to influence tooling or layout before capital release.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains technical constraints to non-technical stakeholders without condescension
  • Has negotiated scope, cost, or timeline with manufacturing, product, or suppliers
  • Documents decisions so others can act on them
  • Takes review feedback without defensiveness

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot communicate outside their specialism; dismissive of other functions.

2
Needs Improvement

Communication gaps cause rework; avoids stakeholder contact.

3
Satisfactory

Works adequately with other teams; documentation is thin.

4
Very Good

Communicates clearly across functions; reliable collaborator.

5
Excellent

Cites design reviews entered before tooling freeze and shows how operator and supervisor input changed the final solution.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Ergonomics Engineer

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

  1. 01

    Can you describe a project where you improved a workplace through ergonomic changes?

  2. 02

    Do you have experience implementing ergonomic improvements in a manufacturing environment?

  3. 03

    Are you familiar with writing ergonomic design specifications for new equipment or workstations?

  4. 04

    How familiar are you with conducting ergonomic risk assessments?

  5. 05

    Do you have experience with specific assessment tools or scoring methods?

See the complete Ergonomics Engineer question set
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