Download printable PDF: Structured Interview Scorecard: Roofing and Commission Sales
Structured Interview Scorecard: Roofing and Commission Sales
A free, printable interview guide for small trade companies. No HR department needed.
This scorecard helps you interview every candidate the same way: the same questions, the same short role-play, and the same rating guide. That makes it easier to compare what people actually said and did, instead of who felt most familiar. It is a tool for organizing evidence and discussion. It does not make the hiring decision, and it is not a pass/fail test. You and your team make the call.
Not legal advice. Hiring laws vary by state and city. This guide supports consistent, job-related interviews. It does not guarantee that any hiring process complies with the law. Check with your own attorney or HR advisor if you have questions.
Candidate and interview details
On the printable, write these details by hand. There is no online form: Candidate name; Role / location; Interview date; Interviewer name; Format (in person / phone / video); Other interviewers.
Interviewer instructions
Before the interview
- Read your job post so you can describe the pay structure, worker type (W-2 or 1099), schedule, leads and territory accurately.
- Print one blank scorecard for each candidate. Write only on that candidate's copy.
- Plan about 45 minutes: 5 minutes welcome and job overview, 25 minutes questions, 10 minutes role-play, 5 minutes for the candidate's questions.
- If more than one person interviews, decide who asks which questions. Everyone takes their own notes and rates on their own sheet.
During the interview
- Ask every question as written, in the same order, for every candidate.
- Use only neutral follow-ups, the same kind for everyone: "Can you tell me more?", "What did you do next?", "What happened in the end?", "What would you do differently?"
- Write down what the person said or did — short quotes and specific actions. Avoid impressions like "seemed sharp" or "good vibe."
- Run the role-play from the role-play script exactly as written. Read the homeowner lines the same way for everyone.
- Candidates are not expected to know roofing materials, insurance rules or company procedures. Rate how they communicate and decide, not technical knowledge you plan to teach.
After the interview
- Rate each area right away, on your own, before talking with anyone else.
- Use the anchor descriptions in the rating guide. Pick the description that best matches the evidence you wrote down.
- Use NO (Not observed) when the interview didn't give you enough evidence. Not observed is not a low score. It means "we don't know yet." Note what you would need to learn and how.
- Do not add the ratings into a total or use a cutoff. Each area stands on its own.
- If several people interviewed, meet and share evidence first, then ratings. Talk through differences. The hiring manager makes the final decision using all job-related information.
Do not ask about — and do not write notes about
Age or graduation year · marital status, children, pregnancy or childcare · health, disability, medical history, medications or past workers' comp claims · religion or religious holidays · race, color, national origin, ancestry, accent or "where are you from originally" · sex, sexual orientation or gender identity · arrest records · political views · military discharge type · union membership · appearance not related to a stated safety requirement.
Also avoid stand-ins for these, such as "Can you keep up with a young crew?", "Will your family be OK with the hours?" or "Where do you go to church?" Do not rate "culture fit." If a concern matters for the job, turn it into a job-related question you ask everyone, such as: "This role requires about 3–4 hours a day walking neighborhoods and climbing ladders to two stories. Can you do these tasks, with or without an accommodation?"
Rating guide (anchors)
Rate each of the four areas from 1 to 4, or mark NO if not observed. Base every rating on evidence written on this sheet.
| Area | 4 — Strong | 3 — Solid | 2 — Developing | 1 — Concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Relevant skills and learning | Gives specific examples of learning a product, service or skill and using it with customers; explains how they checked they had it right. | Gives a real example of learning something new for work or school, with some specifics. | Example is general or mostly about what others did; few specifics on what they learned. | Could not describe learning anything job-related, or examples contradict each other. |
| B. Customer communication | Listens, asks questions before explaining, uses plain words, checks understanding; stays calm with confusion or pushback. | Clear and polite; asks some questions; explains reasonably well. | Talks more than listens, or uses jargon or long explanations; some unclear points. | Interrupts, dismisses or talks over the customer; explanations confuse. |
| C. Ethical judgment | Chooses honesty when it costs something; says "I don't know yet" and explains how they'll find out; never promises outcomes they can't control. | Generally honest choices; may need a prompt to name what they can't promise. | Leans toward saying what the customer wants to hear; vague about limits. | Describes or proposes misleading a customer, pressure tactics, or promises they can't keep. |
| D. Follow-through | Describes a system they actually use (calendar, notes, CRM) with a concrete example; owns a past miss and what they changed. | Has a workable way to track commitments; one real example. | Relies on memory; examples vague; limited ownership of misses. | No method; blames others for missed commitments. |
NO — Not observed: the interview didn't produce enough evidence for this area. Write what you'd need to learn next (for example, a follow-up question or a reference conversation). Do not count NO as a 1.
Using the ratings in your hiring discussion
- Each interviewer shares the evidence they wrote down first, then their rating.
- If two interviewers' ratings for an area are far apart, compare notes. You may have seen different things.
- For any NO, agree how you'll learn more (a follow-up conversation, a ride-along, or a reference) instead of guessing.
- The ratings are one input. The hiring manager decides using all job-related information, such as required licenses, availability for the stated schedule and reference conversations.
Interview questions (same for every candidate)
Q1 · Area A — Relevant skills and learning
"Tell me about a time you had to learn a new product, service or skill quickly for work or school. How did you learn it, and how did you know you had it down?"
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q2 · Area A — Relevant skills and learning
"In this role you'd [read the main duties from your job post]. Which parts of that have you done before, in any setting, and which would be new for you?"
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q3 · Area B — Customer communication
"Tell me about a time a customer, or someone you were helping, was confused or frustrated. What did you say, and how did it turn out?"
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q4 · Area C — Ethical judgment
"Tell me about a time you were under pressure to hit a number or close something, and the honest choice made it harder. What did you do?"
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q5 · Area C — Ethical judgment
"A homeowner asks you, 'Will my insurance cover all of this?' and you don't know yet. What do you say?"
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q6 · Area D — Follow-through
"Walk me through how you keep track of callbacks, appointments and promises to customers. Give me an example from a busy week."
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q7 · Area D — Follow-through
"Tell me about a time you missed a follow-up or a commitment. What happened, and what did you change afterward?"
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Q8 · Job realities (informational — not rated)
Explain the role accurately, then ask: "This role pays [state the exact pay structure]. It's [W-2 / 1099]. Leads come from [source]. The schedule is [days and hours]. What questions do you have about how pay, leads or the schedule work?"
Answer honestly. Note any questions you need to follow up on. Do not ask about personal circumstances.
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Other job-related notes from the interview
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Role-play: first conversation with a homeowner (about 10 minutes)
Fictional practice scenario — the same for every candidate. You play the homeowner, "Pat," a fictional person. Read this setup to the candidate word for word:
"This is a practice role-play. You're a sales rep for a roofing company. Pat, a homeowner, called the office after a windstorm last week and saw a few shingles in the yard. You've just arrived for the appointment Pat booked. You don't need any roofing knowledge. Please start the conversation as if you just knocked on the door. I'll play Pat."
Your lines as Pat. Say each line once, at the point shown, in a calm, normal tone. Do not add extra pressure or hints.
- After the candidate's greeting: "Hi. I only have about 15 minutes before I have to leave for work."
- After they ask a question or two: "I found some shingles in the yard. I'm mostly worried about what this is going to cost."
- When they talk about next steps or price: "Will my insurance pay for all of it?"
- Near the end: "I already got one other quote, and honestly I need to think about it."
End after about 8–10 minutes or when the candidate wraps up. Then say: "Thanks — that's the end of the role-play."
What to watch for (rate in Areas B, C and D on the next page):
- Respects Pat's time limit and asks before taking more of it.
- Asks questions to understand Pat's situation before explaining.
- Does not promise insurance coverage, price or outcome they can't know; explains how they'd find out.
- Treats the other quote respectfully; does not criticize the other company.
- Accepts "I need to think about it" without pressure, and agrees on a specific, respectful next step (when, how, and what they'll bring).
Role-play notes (what the candidate said and did)
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Ratings summary
Fill this in on your own right after the interview. Circle one rating per area and write the strongest evidence from your notes. This sheet records job-related evidence for a structured discussion. It is not a score to rank candidates automatically, and it is not a hire or no-hire recommendation.
Circle one rating per area on the printable PDF. Do not add the ratings into a total. Not observed is not a low score. This sheet does not decide who is hired.
| Area | What to mark on the printable |
|---|---|
| A. Relevant skills and learning | Circle 4, 3, 2, 1, or NO on the printable, and write the evidence there. |
| B. Customer communication | Circle 4, 3, 2, 1, or NO on the printable, and write the evidence there. |
| C. Ethical judgment | Circle 4, 3, 2, 1, or NO on the printable, and write the evidence there. |
| D. Follow-through | Circle 4, 3, 2, 1, or NO on the printable, and write the evidence there. |
What we still need to learn (for any NO or open question)
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Questions to bring to the hiring discussion
The printable PDF has blank lines here. Write on the sheet. Nothing you write is collected or saved online.
Store completed sheets securely and keep them according to your company's records policy.
Outwork Jobs · outworkjobs.com · Free resource for trade employers. General guidance, not legal advice.
Download printable PDF: Structured Interview Scorecard: Roofing and Commission Sales