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 which trades they hold papers in (electrical, hydraulics, welding, HVAC) and how they run PM schedules in CMMS tools like Maximo, Fiix or SAP PM.
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 asset classes maintained, cites PM compliance and wrench-time figures, and still troubleshoots alongside technicians when a line goes down.
02
Evaluation factor
Safety discipline
30% weight
Probe their command of lockout/tagout, confined space and hot work permits, OSHA 1910 obligations, plus how they run toolbox talks and near-miss reporting for their crew.
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
Describes verifying isolation personally, has stopped a job over an unsafe practice, and tracks incident and near-miss trends with corrective actions.
03
Evaluation factor
Fault finding
20% weight
Test how they attack recurring breakdowns: vibration analysis, thermography, root cause methods like 5-Why or fishbone, and spare parts decisions during unplanned downtime.
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 a repeat failure they eliminated, names the diagnostic evidence used, and quantifies MTBF or downtime hours recovered afterwards.
04
Evaluation factor
Reliability and conduct
15% weight
Assess how they cover shift handovers, on-call callouts and contractor oversight, and how they coach apprentices or handle a technician skipping documented procedures.
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 concrete examples of holding a crew accountable, structured handover notes, and retained technicians they trained into higher trade grades.
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