skilled trades technical operationshome automationlow voltage cablingnetwork troubleshootingz wave zigbee
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
Hands-on competence
35% weight
Check hands-on installs: Control4, Lutron or Savant programming, Z-Wave and Zigbee pairing, structured Cat6 runs, PoE camera mounts, and configuring VLANs on Ubiquiti or Araknis gear.
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 specific control platforms they have commissioned, describes wiring standards used, and explains device pairing and network segmentation without hesitation.
02
Evaluation factor
Safety discipline
30% weight
Probe low-voltage safety habits: working around live 120V panels for smart switch swaps, ladder and attic protocols, lockout practice, and any ESA, NICET or state low-voltage licensing.
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
Treats mains contact points as electrician territory, cites licence limits, and describes concrete precautions for attic, ladder and panel work.
03
Evaluation factor
Fault finding
20% weight
Test diagnosis of intermittent faults: a mesh node dropping nightly, a thermostat losing cloud link, or Sonos zones desyncing; ask how they isolate RF, DHCP and firmware causes.
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 a layered process (physical, RF interference, IP addressing, firmware, cloud) and recalls a stubborn callback they traced to root cause.
04
Evaluation factor
Reliability and conduct
15% weight
Assess conduct in occupied homes: punctuality windows, shoe covers and drywall repair, handover training for homeowners, documented as-built panel labelling, and follow-up on warranty callbacks.
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
Describes leaving labelled racks and written credentials, teaching the client the app, and a low repeat-callback rate they can quantify.
Put this rubric to work
Score every candidate against the same standard
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