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.
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