# Write scoring criteria that hold up

> Write scoring criteria Tandem can score consistently and you can stand behind, with do and avoid examples for each rule.

Source: https://tandem.joveo.com/support/guides/writing-criteria

Scoring criteria are what you tell Tandem the role needs: the must-haves in your prompt and in the role's chat, which become the criteria behind each candidate's `Talent match`, and the questions Tandem asks in screening and the AI interview. Good criteria describe what the job needs, in terms Tandem can check from what a candidate actually says or writes.

Criteria that hold up do three things. They put the right people at the top. They leave fewer good candidates waiting in `Needs review`. And they are easy to explain if anyone asks why a candidate was scored the way they were.

The examples below are for a restaurant shift manager role.

## 1. Score the work, not the person

Start from the tasks in the job. Ask what someone must be able to do in the first month.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Has opened or closed a restaurant as the person in charge |
| **Avoid** | Mature and dependable |

**Why:** Tandem can find evidence for a task. A personality label means something different to everyone who reads it, and can stand in for age.

## 2. Ask for evidence a candidate can give

Tandem scores screening from written answers and the AI interview from what the candidate says. Write criteria an answer can prove.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Describes a specific time they handled a customer complaint, and what they did |
| **Avoid** | Comes across as confident and professional |

**Why:** If the evidence is not in the candidate's words, Tandem has nothing to score.

## 3. One requirement per criterion

Split anything joined by "and".

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Has managed a team of five or more. *(separate criterion)* Has built a weekly staff schedule. |
| **Avoid** | Experienced team leader with scheduling, inventory and cash handling skills |

**Why:** A candidate who meets two parts out of four is hard to score. Separate criteria also show you exactly where candidates fall short.

## 4. Say what a strong answer looks like

Replace quality words such as "good", "strong" and "excellent" with the thing you would accept.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Can explain the steps they take when a food safety check fails |
| **Avoid** | Strong knowledge of food safety |

**Why:** Specific criteria are scored the same way for every candidate.

## 5. Describe the skill, not the route to it

Years of experience, degrees and job titles are routes. Ask for the skill unless the route is a real requirement.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Has run a shift during peak hours without a senior manager on site |
| **Avoid** | 5+ years of experience, bachelor's degree preferred |

**Why:** Routes screen out people who can do the job. Long experience requirements can also work against younger candidates, and degree requirements against others, without the role needing either.

## 6. Turn circumstances into job requirements

If you care about where someone lives or when they are free, write the requirement behind it.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Can reliably work the 6am opening shift at this location |
| **Avoid** | Lives within 5 miles. No gaps in employment. Native English speaker. |

**Why:** The second list scores people on details that track protected characteristics. Tandem doesn't block criteria like these for you, so leave them out yourself.

## 7. Write a reason you would say out loud

For every criterion, name the job-related reason behind it. Use it as a test.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Criterion: Holds a current food handler certificate. Reason: Required by law for anyone supervising food preparation at this location. |
| **Avoid** | Reason: Nice to have. Reason: We always ask for this. |

**Why:** If you cannot name the task the criterion supports, it probably does not belong in the role.

## 8. Keep the list short

Use the few criteria that decide the hire. Leave out the ones you would overlook for a good candidate.

| | Example |
|---|---|
| **Do** | Four to six criteria, each one a reason you would not hire if it were missing |
| **Avoid** | Fifteen criteria copied from the job description |

**Why:** Every extra criterion is another way for a suitable candidate to land in `Needs review`.

## After the role goes live

- **Read Needs review early.** Tandem never rejects a candidate. Anyone below your bar waits in `Needs review` for you. If people you would interview keep landing there, a criterion or a question is too narrow or too vague.
- **Change the criterion, not the candidate.** Fix the wording in the role's chat instead of making the same exception again and again.
- **Keep the decision yours.** Scores tell you how candidates measured up. You make every hire and reject decision, one candidate at a time.

Related: [What Tandem decides and what you decide](https://tandem.joveo.com/support/ai/who-decides.md)

## Check before you go live

- Each criterion names something the job needs, not a kind of person.
- A candidate could prove each one in a written answer or an interview.
- No criterion contains "and".
- No criterion mentions age, background, location or anything that tracks them.
- Every reason names a task, a duty or a legal requirement.
- You would be comfortable showing the full list to a candidate.

## Want more help?

- [Scoring and auto-advance](https://tandem.joveo.com/support/roles/scoring-criteria.md)
- [Pipeline stages](https://tandem.joveo.com/support/roles/pipeline-stages.md)
- [Write interview questions that show skill](https://tandem.joveo.com/support/guides/writing-interview-questions.md)