Interview scorecard template

Zero Waste Consultant interview scorecard

Pre-screening scorecard for Zero Waste Consultant candidates.

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public sector communitycircular economytrue certificationwaste auditwaste diversion
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

Outcomes that landed

30% weight

Check for measurable diversion gains they drove: baseline versus post-program landfill tonnage, contamination rates in single-stream, TRUE or LEED Zero Waste certification levels achieved for named clients.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names programmes or initiatives that were adopted, funded, or delivered
  • States their own role rather than the department's
  • Gives measured reach or impact
  • Distinguishes work that landed from work that stalled, and explains why

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No delivered work; describes intent and process only.

2
Needs Improvement

Involved in initiatives but cannot say what resulted or what they owned.

3
Satisfactory

Real delivery with adequate ownership; impact described loosely.

4
Very Good

Named outcomes with clear personal scope and some measures.

5
Excellent

Cites specific diversion percentages before and after, tonnage figures, avoided disposal costs, and the certification credits earned for each account.

02
Evaluation factor

Stakeholder facilitation

25% weight

Probe how they handled resistant janitorial crews, procurement officers, and haulers: bin-placement negotiations, staff training sessions run, green team structures they set up and kept alive.

Evidence to listen for

  • Brings a real contested case, not a philosophy of engagement
  • Names the competing interests and the resolution method
  • Uses concrete engagement formats and can point to input that changed a decision
  • Treats every group as legitimate

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Diplomacy-speak with no case attached, or contempt for one group.

2
Needs Improvement

Recalls conflict but no method; engagement is a box to check.

3
Satisfactory

Real case and workable approach; resolution thin on specifics.

4
Very Good

Names the tension and method; cites engagement that shaped the outcome.

5
Excellent

Describes winning over skeptical facilities and custodial staff with concrete tactics, and names ongoing green team or champion structures that survived past handover.

03
Evaluation factor

Regulatory and policy command

25% weight

Test command of local flow control ordinances, EPR and organics mandates, disposal bans, hauler contract terms, and standards such as TRUE, ISO 14001, or GRI waste disclosure.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names the statutes, funding rules, and processes they have worked under
  • Explains how those requirements sequenced their work
  • Owns the compliance thinking rather than deferring it entirely
  • Knows where the discretion sits

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Outsources all regulatory thinking; cannot name a framework.

2
Needs Improvement

Generalities about compliance; no sequencing or named rules.

3
Satisfactory

Knows the main frameworks; sequencing described loosely.

4
Very Good

Names relevant frameworks and how they shaped a timeline.

5
Excellent

Names the specific mandates and standards governing past clients and explains how contract or ordinance detail changed the program design.

04
Evaluation factor

Evidence and reporting

20% weight

Assess how they run a waste characterization study: sort methodology, sample size, container-by-container capture, and how findings become dashboards or annual sustainability report figures.

Evidence to listen for

  • Uses data to choose between options, not to justify a decision already made
  • Names the sources and methods behind their numbers
  • Reports to funders, councils, or the public in terms those audiences can use
  • Tracks whether the intervention worked

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No use of evidence; decisions are assertion.

2
Needs Improvement

Cites data but cannot explain its source or limits.

3
Satisfactory

Uses evidence competently; evaluation after the fact is thin.

4
Very Good

Evidence drives choices and is reported clearly to lay audiences.

5
Excellent

Walks through a hands-on sort protocol, quantifies confidence in the data, and shows how audit numbers drove the recommendations they delivered.

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