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 hands-on command of W3C DIDs and Verifiable Credentials: which DID methods they implemented, SD-JWT VC or JSON-LD with BBS+, OpenID4VCI/VP flows, DIDComm messaging, status list revocation.
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
Names specific DID methods and signature suites used, explains selective disclosure and revocation mechanics precisely, and cites libraries or SDKs they wrote against.
02
Evaluation factor
Systems and trade-offs
25% weight
Probe architecture choices: ledger-anchored versus did:web or did:jwk, wallet key custody and recovery, trust registry design, and how they weighed eIDAS 2.0 ARF conformance against delivery speed.
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
Articulates trade-offs between anchoring models, custody schemes and holder privacy, with a clear rationale for why one option lost.
03
Evaluation factor
Evidence and rigour
25% weight
Test rigour around interoperability and privacy: conformance testing against ARF or Aries interop profiles, correlation and phone-home risks, GDPR data minimisation, key rotation and audit evidence.
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
Backs claims with interop test results, threat models covering issuer collusion and correlation, plus documented conformance or audit outcomes.
04
Evaluation factor
Collaboration and communication
15% weight
Assess how they aligned issuers, verifiers, wallet vendors and legal or compliance teams; look for standards body participation such as DIF, OIDF or W3C CCG working groups.
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
Describes governance frameworks negotiated with real issuers and verifiers, and translates credential mechanics clearly for legal and product stakeholders.
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