Candidate screening guide — rubrics, matrices and interview kits.
Published 4/20/2026 • Updated 9/10/2026 • 15 min read
1. Rubric design
Start from business outcomes, not adjectives. For a Staff Backend role: Architecture impact, Concurrency depth, Resilience, Communication, Velocity. Assign 1–5 scale per dimension and overall weight. RecruitAI auto-generates this from your JD; edit ±5% per pillar.
Example: Core Skills 30% • Architecture 25% • Problem Solving 20% • Communication 15% • Velocity 10%
2. Matrix review
Overlay candidates on identical rubric. Use green ≥80% interview, amber 50–79% optional deep-dive, rose <50% no-fit. Share PDF for committee alignment; note every decision for audit.
3. Gap-driven interview kits
For each gap, RecruitAI suggests probe questions: e.g., for “limited GraphQL” → “Design a federated GraphQL layer for 5 microservices; tradeoffs vs REST?” This turns generic interviews into targeted evidence gathering.