Question rubrics
Unstructured interviews produce unreliable results. Research on structured interviewing consistently shows that predefined questions with explicit scoring criteria improve both the consistency and the predictive validity of hiring decisions. LightningHire's question rubric library is where that structure lives.
What a question rubric is
A question rubric is a structured record for a single interview question. It includes:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Question text | The exact question the interviewer asks |
| What to listen for | Specific signals that indicate a strong, acceptable, or weak answer |
| Scoring levels | 1 (weak) through 4 (exceptional) with descriptors |
| Sample strong answer | A reference point for calibration across interviewers |
A collection of rubrics organized by role or competency area is a rubric template. Templates are reused across multiple requisitions.
Creating a question rubric
- Go to Question Bank in the sidebar (or navigate via lightninghire.com/roles → question bank link).
- Click New Question.
- Enter the question text.
- Fill in the What to listen for field with concrete behavioral signals — not vague descriptors.
- Define scoring levels. Example:
- 1 — Cannot articulate the situation or impact; answer is vague or hypothetical
- 2 — Describes a real situation but impact is unclear or modest
- 3 — Clear situation, specific action, measurable outcome
- 4 — Demonstrates pattern across multiple situations; reflects on what they'd do differently
- Optionally add a Sample strong answer for interviewer calibration.
- Save.
Rubric templates
Group related questions into a template. Templates are organized by role type or competency area.
Examples:
| Template name | Questions |
|---|---|
| Senior Backend Engineer — System Design | 5 questions on architecture decisions, trade-offs, and scalability |
| Product Manager — Prioritization & Strategy | 4 questions on roadmap decisions and stakeholder management |
| General — Leadership & Collaboration | 3 behavioral questions applicable to any role |
| General — Communication & Conflict | 3 behavioral questions on cross-functional communication |
To create a template: in the Question Bank, click New Template, give it a name, and add existing questions or create new ones inline.
AI-assisted question generation
When creating questions for a role, LightningHire can suggest questions based on the role's required skills and experience level (from the requisition's evaluation criteria). Suggestions are starting points.
Always review and customize AI-generated suggestions before using them. The suggestions are calibrated to the role type; they are not calibrated to your team's culture, working style, or the specific challenges of your particular hiring context.
Assigning rubric templates to a requisition
From the requisition detail page, under Evaluation Criteria, click Assign Rubric Template. Select one or more templates. The questions in the assigned templates become the default question set visible to interviewers working on that requisition.
Using rubrics in interviews
During a recorded interview session, the assigned rubric appears alongside the transcript. Interviewers can score each question in real time as the candidate responds.
After the interview, question-level scores are available on the candidate application alongside the overall scorecard. This gives the panel a detailed picture of which competency areas were strong and which need more probing in a follow-up round.
LightningHire's interview recording feature is available on recruiter accounts. Rubric-guided real-time scoring requires an active recording session. See the recording documentation for setup.
Sharing rubrics across a hiring panel
Rubric templates are shared at the account level — any template you create is available when setting up any requisition. This means the same "General — Leadership & Collaboration" template can be used for every role that requires leadership signals, without recreating it each time.
For consistent panel evaluation:
- Assign the rubric template to the requisition before interviews begin.
- Brief the panel on the scoring levels — especially what distinguishes a 3 from a 4.
- Have interviewers submit rubric scores independently before discussing as a group.
Rubrics and scorecards
Question rubrics and scorecards work together but serve different purposes:
- Rubric — defines what to ask and how to score a specific question during the interview
- Scorecard — captures the interviewer's overall assessment after the interview, including competency ratings and a hire recommendation
A rubric-guided interview produces detailed question-level scores. A scorecard synthesizes those into a hiring signal. Both are stored on the candidate application. See Scorecards.
Related pages
- Scorecards — post-interview evaluation that pairs with rubrics
- Requisitions — assigning rubric templates to a role
- Candidates — the candidate detail page where rubric scores appear