Interview scorecard template

Junior Web Developer interview scorecard

Evaluate Junior Web Developer candidates across 4 weighted areas: technical proficiency, systems and trade-offs, evidence and rigour, and collaboration and communication. Technical proficiency leads at 35%, so check fluency in HTML, CSS and modern JavaScript: ask about flexbox versus grid choices, fetch and async handling, and any React, Vue or Tailwind work. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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TL;DR
For technical proficiency, look for evidence the candidate explains their own code line by line, names framework versions used, and distinguishes what they built from tutorial or template scaffolding. For systems and trade-offs, look for evidence the candidate weighs page load, maintainability and deadline against each other, and can name a shortcut they took plus its cost. 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 proficiency

35% weight

Check fluency in HTML, CSS and modern JavaScript: ask about flexbox versus grid choices, fetch and async handling, and any React, Vue or Tailwind work they wrote themselves.

Evidence to listen for

  • Command of the languages, frameworks, and data tools the role actually uses
  • Understands correctness, performance, and failure modes, not just syntax
  • Has opinions on testing and can justify them
  • Reads and reasons about code they did not write

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot work independently; fundamentals are missing.

2
Needs Improvement

Weak fundamentals; output needs heavy review.

3
Satisfactory

Competent for the role; needs guidance on complex or unfamiliar work.

4
Very Good

Strong practitioner; handles hard problems with little guidance.

5
Excellent

Explains their own code line by line, names framework versions used, and distinguishes what they built from tutorial or template scaffolding.

02
Evaluation factor

Systems and trade-offs

25% weight

Probe how they structured a site or app: component breakdown, state handling, responsive breakpoints, image optimisation, and why they chose Next.js, WordPress or plain static hosting.

Evidence to listen for

  • Reasons about scale, latency, cost, and failure before writing code
  • Names the trade-off they chose and what they gave up
  • Understands the data lifecycle end to end
  • Anticipates what breaks at ten times the volume

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No thinking beyond the immediate task; no awareness of scale or failure.

2
Needs Improvement

Limited architectural awareness; struggles with design decisions.

3
Satisfactory

Works within an existing design; makes sound local decisions.

4
Very Good

Designs for scale and maintainability; articulates trade-offs clearly.

5
Excellent

Weighs page load, maintainability and deadline against each other, and can name a shortcut they took plus its cost.

03
Evaluation factor

Evidence and rigour

25% weight

Test debugging habits: browser DevTools use, console and network tab investigation, Lighthouse or accessibility audit scores, and how they verified a fix beyond it looking right.

Evidence to listen for

  • Validates results rather than trusting output
  • Knows how their work is measured and what a bad result looks like
  • Can describe a time their own analysis or model was wrong and how they caught it
  • Careful about data quality, leakage, and silent failure

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Ships unvalidated work; no notion of how correctness is checked.

2
Needs Improvement

Validates superficially; misses obvious quality or leakage issues.

3
Satisfactory

Reasonable checks in place; rigour drops under time pressure.

4
Very Good

Validates thoroughly; can name a real error they caught in their own work.

5
Excellent

Describes reproducing a specific bug, isolating it in DevTools, and citing before and after Lighthouse, axe or cross browser results.

04
Evaluation factor

Collaboration and communication

15% weight

Look for Git discipline and teamwork: branch and pull request habits, code review comments they received and acted on, and handovers to designers or backend developers.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains technical work to non-technical stakeholders
  • Gives and takes code or peer review constructively
  • Documents enough that the work survives their absence
  • Aligns with team process rather than working around it

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot work in a team; resistant to feedback.

2
Needs Improvement

Communication issues create rework; lone-wolf tendencies.

3
Satisfactory

Adequate team member; documentation and review participation are light.

4
Very Good

Communicates well; reliable reviewer and collaborator.

5
Excellent

Cites real pull request feedback that changed their code, writes clear commit messages, and asks designers questions before building ambiguous mockups.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Junior Web Developer

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

  1. 01

    What coding languages are you familiar with? Which ones are you still learning?

  2. 02

    Tell me about your favourite development project so far and what it was like from start to finish.

  3. 03

    Can you describe your experience with responsive design?

  4. 04

    What is your approach to structuring your CSS and JavaScript?

  5. 05

    What is your process for testing and finding bugs in an application?

See the complete Junior Web Developer question set
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