How to Create Hiring Scorecards for Startups

Hiring for “culture fit” is how we got stuck. If we want to build HR teams that actually move the business forward—then we need to get more rigorous about how we assess our own talent. That’s where structured scorecards come in. 👉🏽 Not to box people in—but to evaluate what matters most. As I covered in my earlier post, the fundamental skills and experiences we are looking for in HR are rapidly changing and evolving. At this point, you’ve reimagined the shape of your people team and have crafted sharper, more outcome-focused job descriptions... And you’ve redesigned your interview loop to actually assess for product thinking, building, and Human Ops fundamentals. Now what? Here’s where too many teams drop the ball: they evaluate candidates on "fit-first" and gut-check the rest. But in a product-minded People team, you need more than intuition. You need clarity, alignment, and data—even in hiring. That’s where Step 4 and Step 5 come in. Let’s break it down!! Step 4: Build a Scorecard That Measures What Matters Generic scorecards lead to generic hires. So map your interviews to the skills that define success in your environment—especially if you’re evolving toward a People Ops as a Product model. 📊 Product Thinking Can they define user needs? Have they prioritized and shipped? Do they measure what they build? Can they adapt with real-world constraints? 🫶🏽 Human Ops Do they demonstrate EQ, coaching instincts, and comms clarity? Can they balance people + business? How do they handle hard moments? Can they approach human ops in a way that makes sense for your company? ✅ Use a consistent 1–5 rubric ✅ Capture real examples—not just impressions ✅ Anchor discussion in outcomes, not optics And yes, don’t forget to assess AI adoption and readiness! Understanding if your candidate has an AI first mindset will help you understand how they think about experimentation, automation, and augmentation. AI’s reshaping how we operate—your next hire needs to build for that future, not fear it. Step 5: Prep Your Interview Team (Seriously) Before the first candidate hits the Zoom room, get your team aligned. 👥 Assign focus areas—no overlapping questions 🧠 Brief them on why you’re hiring this way 📦 Share the scorecard, not just the resume 🧭 Set the standard: product mindset > traditional pedigree Remember this isn’t about filling seats! It’s about raising the bar for how People teams show up as builders and operators inside the business. 📬 If you want a peek at the actual scorecard templates and take-home exercises we use—it's all in the MPL Build newsletter. Link’s in the comments. HR leaders - how are you assessing your candidates? Tomorrow we will cover the final piece in preparing for your HR hire for the future - interview questions and setting up new hires for success. Let’s build smarter People teams for an AI-first era. #MPLBuild #PeopleOpsAsAProduct #HRLeadership #ModernHR #HRTech #AIforHR #MPLAcademy #ProductThinkingInHR

You’re not hiring the best person. You’re hiring the best interviewee. There’s a big difference. And if your interview scorecard can’t tell the two apart, it’s not doing its job. Here’s how to fix it: - Start with Outcomes, Not Attributes Don’t score people on vague traits like “culture fit” or “confidence.” Score them on their ability to deliver real outcomes your team actually needs. Have they delivered the outcomes before? Can they? - Replace Storytelling with Problem-Solving Skip the “Tell me about a time...” script. Instead, ask: “Here’s a problem we’re facing. How would you handle it?” Then listen for logic, clarity, execution and metrics. NOT smooth talk. The point isn't to get free work from them. It's to assess their depth of knowledge. Probe deeper if they're capable. - Define a Great Answer Before the Interview Starts Every question should come with clear scoring guidelines: What does a poor, average, and excellent answer look like? Seriously - write down a sample responses for each level, including the story attributes you want to hear in an excellent answer. Did they talk about planning? Stakeholder buy-in? Employee buy-in? Metrics? Whatever is important for the role. If they aren't talking about it now, they won't think of it later either. This is how you stop hiring on gut feel. - Train Interviewers Like You’d Train Salespeople You wouldn’t let your sales reps ad-lib a client pitch. Don’t let your hiring managers ad-lib high-stakes interviews. If your managers don't know how to interview, either train them or get someone else to do it. It's too important for amateur hour. - Score Separately. Debrief Together. Groupthink kills good decisions. Have each person score independently, then compare notes. That’s where true patterns emerge. and false impressions fall apart. Interviews should predict performance, not personality. And scorecards done right are your best defense against expensive mistakes. If your hiring process feels hit-or-miss, or you've been on a bad string of failed hires, this is where you start. Need help building a better scorecard? DM me. I'm happy to help.

Getting alignment on your Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP) is the first step, but what you do next is what separates well-intentioned hiring from repeatable hiring. We take the output from our ICP alignment session and build an interview guide that ensures every interviewer knows: - What we’re hiring for - How to test for it - What “great” actually looks like Here’s how we do it: 1️⃣ Prioritize the ICP traits We test the most important traits first. If we’re hiring for goal orientation, we don’t wait until round 3, we test it in round 1. 2️⃣ Pull the actual ICP language into the guide We copy/paste, not paraphrase. This keeps every interviewer anchored on the same definitions and behaviors. 3️⃣ Define success What does a 90% confidence hire look like? What should the candidate experience feel like? Clarity here improves both outcomes and experience. 4️⃣ Choose the right method As Laszlo Bock said in Work Rules, the most predictive interview format is a work sample test. So we simulate the job: - Prioritization exercises - Real-time role play - Scenario breakdowns We also use behavioral and situational questions, but never rely on polished stories alone. 5️⃣ Design the flow We script the structure: how much time, what’s being tested, how to build rapport, when to go deep. 6️⃣ Write the actual questions Yes, literally write them down. The difference between “good” and “great” often comes down to how sharp your questions are. 7️⃣ Build a scorecard with signal anchors We include: - 1–5 rating scale - Clear examples of what “great,” “good,” and “red flag” answers look like - Traits mapped back to ICP This makes calibration possible and helps avoid post-interview chaos. This system helps us avoid the “feels good” hires and focus on the ones that perform. What’s your process for turning strategy into signal? #hiringstrategy #interviewing #talentops #salesleadership #structuredinterviewing