Career advice · Updated November 2026
Interview Scorecard Template for Kenyan Employers
A useful interview scorecard template gives every candidate for the same job the same job-related criteria, rating definitions and opportunity to show evidence. For a small Kenyan employer, a spreadsheet is enough to start. Decide the criteria before interviewing, let panel members record their own evidence, and document the final decision instead of allowing the loudest interviewer to decide from memory.
This is an editable example designed by JobInKenya, not an official government form or a promise that a numerical score makes a hiring process lawful. Check the role, applicable employment requirements and your organisation’s recruitment policy before using it.
Separate shortlisting from the interview
Shortlisting checks whether an application demonstrates the essential requirements stated in the advert. Interviewing examines relevant skills and experience in greater depth. Mixing the two can lead a panel to reward an attractive CV twice while overlooking a candidate who gives stronger work-related evidence.
Create a shortlisting sheet with the applicant’s reference code, each essential requirement, the evidence location in the application and a consistent decision: met, not demonstrated or clarification needed. Do not invent a new mandatory qualification after applications close. If the advert needs improvement, use our job-advert writing guide before the next recruitment round.
Where a requirement is genuinely unclear, agree how every comparable application will be handled. A missing statement in a CV is not automatically proof that the person lacks the skill. Keep the original requirement and the panel’s reasoning visible so later reviewers can follow the decision.
Copy this interview scorecard template
Put the job title, interview date, candidate reference and interviewer name above the table. The weights below are illustrative and total 100. Change them before interviewing to reflect the role, then use the same approved version for everyone applying for that position.
| Criterion | Example weight | What the interviewer records |
|---|---|---|
| Core job skill | 30 | Evidence from an agreed work-related question or exercise |
| Problem solving | 25 | How the candidate explains the problem, options and decision |
| Relevant delivery experience | 20 | A specific example of completing comparable responsibilities |
| Role-relevant communication | 15 | Evidence against the communication demands of this job |
| Working practices and reliability | 10 | Examples of prioritisation, handovers or meeting commitments |
Add three blank columns: rating, evidence note and weighted points. Keep a separate space for questions requiring clarification. Avoid a vague “culture fit” column that can become a preference for people who resemble the existing team. If teamwork matters, describe the actual behaviour you need and the evidence that would demonstrate it.
Define the rating scale before the panel meets candidates
One workable example is a five-point scale: 1 means the answer does not demonstrate the requirement; 2 shows limited evidence; 3 meets the agreed requirement; 4 shows stronger evidence; and 5 shows particularly strong evidence against the same criterion. These labels are a starting point, not statutory thresholds.
Write role-specific examples under each criterion so panel members do not give different meanings to the same number. For a stock-control role, evidence might include explaining how to investigate a discrepancy using records. For a customer-support role, it might include handling a realistic complaint clearly and accurately. Do not demand unrelated performance skills just because the exercise is easy to organise.
Use a separate “not assessed” marker where a criterion was not actually tested. Do not turn a panel’s failure to ask the question into a low candidate score. Arrange an equivalent assessment or record the limitation before making comparisons.
Calculate weighted points consistently
For the illustrative scale above, weighted points equal the rating divided by 5, multiplied by the criterion’s weight. A rating of 4 on a criterion weighted 30 contributes 24 points. Add the weighted points across the five criteria for a score out of 100.
That arithmetic does not create an objective truth about the person. It organises the evidence the panel has gathered. Decide in advance how you will handle an essential requirement that cannot be offset by strength elsewhere. If a compulsory licence or qualification is genuinely needed, a high communication score should not quietly cancel that requirement.
Do not announce a pass mark after seeing who has scored what. If the panel discovers that a question was unsuitable, record the problem and agree a fair approach for all affected candidates rather than changing only one person’s result.
Ask comparable questions and keep evidence notes
Use the same core questions and assessment conditions for candidates for the same position. Follow-up questions can clarify different answers, but should still test the agreed criteria. Give interviewers enough time to write evidence rather than a list of impressions such as “confident”, “nice” or “not our type”.
A better note identifies what the candidate said or demonstrated and how it relates to the job. Separate an observed answer from the interviewer’s inference. A candidate’s quiet manner, accent or personal similarity to the panel is not a substitute for evaluating the role’s actual requirements.
Section 5 of Kenya’s Employment Act addresses discrimination in recruitment, including prospective employees. A consistent interview scorecard template can help organise a fair process, but it does not remove the employer’s legal responsibilities. Review requirements and questions for unjustified exclusion before the first interview, not after a complaint.
Record individual assessments before the panel discussion
Ask each interviewer to complete their assessment independently before discussing an overall recommendation. Compare evidence and clarify material differences in scoring. Do not simply average away a disagreement where one panel member saw evidence that another missed.
Keep the initial assessments and a dated record explaining the final recommendation. If an entry is corrected, make the correction traceable rather than quietly replacing the original record. Use consistent access controls and a retention policy; interview notes contain applicants’ personal information, not unrestricted office gossip.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner explains that personal data should be relevant, limited to what is necessary, accurate and kept no longer than necessary for its purpose. Avoid adding unrelated family, health or private-life information to a scorecard. A proposed hiring decision does not create permission to circulate an applicant’s details across staff groups.
Finish the process without promising what has not been approved
Record whether the recommendation is to proceed, seek clarification or not proceed, together with the job-related reason. Keep reference checking and any necessary verification as clearly defined later steps, rather than presenting a panel score as a signed employment offer.
Before issuing terms, review our written employment-contract guide. Use the net salary calculator when explaining a proposed gross-pay package, with its stated assumptions. A scorecard cannot settle the employment terms that the candidate must consider.
Sources and further reading
Legal and data-protection guidance checked on 7 November 2026: Employment Act, section 5; ODPC: rights and data-protection principles. Elevolt’s scorecard help guide is an example of structured assessments in recruitment software, not the source of a Kenyan legal requirement.
Hiring? Visit our employer hub to see job-posting and featured-listing options. Describe the role and requirements clearly before inviting applications.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official Kenyan government scorecard?
No. It is an editable JobInKenya example. Adapt it to the role, applicable requirements and your recruitment policy.
Do the example weights have to stay the same?
No. Set role-specific weights before interviewing, then use the same approved criteria for candidates applying for that position.
Does a high total automatically mean the person should be hired?
No. Review the evidence, essential requirements and any unresolved issues, and document the final decision.
Should each interviewer score independently?
Recording individual evidence and ratings before discussion helps the panel identify disagreements rather than copy a senior member’s opinion.