Junior Frontend Engineer Interview Scorecard

Who this scorecard is for

For hiring managers, tech leads, and interviewers assessing entry-level frontend candidates. Useful for recruiters to screen and calibrate expectations for junior-level hires.

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See what the Junior Frontend Engineer Interview Scorecard looks like before you download it.

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How to use and calibrate

• Pick the level (Junior, Mid, Senior, or Staff) and adjust anchor examples accordingly.
• Use the quick checklist during the call; fill the rubric within 30 minutes after.
• Or use ZYTHR to transcribe the interview and automatically fill in the scorecard live.
• Run monthly calibration with sample candidate answers to align expectations.
• Average across interviewers; avoid single-signal decisions.

Detailed rubric with anchor behaviors

HTML & CSS Fundamentals

• 1–2: Produces incorrect or non-semantic markup and frequently breaks layout.
• 3: Creates functional, semantic markup and resolves common layout issues with guidance.
• 4: Builds responsive, maintainable CSS and avoids layout regressions independently.
• 5: Designs reusable styling patterns and improves team CSS practices proactively.

JavaScript Fundamentals

• 1–2: Struggles with basic language constructs and common DOM interaction patterns.
• 3: Understands ES6+ syntax and implements straightforward logic reliably.
• 4: Writes clear, idiomatic JS and handles async flows and edge cases independently.
• 5: Optimizes logic for performance and mentors peers on JavaScript best practices.

Framework & Component Experience

• 1–2: Cannot create or reason about components in the team's framework.
• 3: Builds and composes components following basic patterns with some guidance.
• 4: Implements well-structured components, state management, and props flows independently.
• 5: Introduces improved component patterns and helps reduce complexity across the codebase.

Problem Solving & Debugging

• 1–2: Gets stuck frequently and cannot isolate root causes of bugs.
• 3: Diagnoses common issues using console, devtools, and error messages.
• 4: Systematically isolates problems, writes reproducible steps, and proposes fixes.
• 5: Identifies underlying patterns in bugs and prevents recurrence proactively.

Code Quality & Testing

• 1–2: Produces untested code with inconsistent style and unclear intent.
• 3: Writes readable code and adds basic unit or integration tests when prompted.
• 4: Delivers well-structured code with reliable tests and follows linting/formatting rules.
• 5: Improves test coverage, suggests meaningful test cases, and enforces quality standards.

UX & Accessibility

• 1–2: Ignores basic accessibility and produces unclear user interactions.
• 3: Implements common UX patterns and basic ARIA/keyboard support when guided.
• 4: Delivers accessible components and considers error states and focus management.
• 5: Advocates accessibility improvements and designs interactions that reduce user friction.

Collaboration & Communication

• 1–2: Communicates poorly, misses context, and requires frequent follow-up.
• 3: Asks relevant questions, documents work, and responds to feedback constructively.
• 4: Proactively shares progress, aligns with teammates, and incorporates feedback quickly.
• 5: Facilitates small design or code discussions and helps coordinate across roles.

Learning & Growth Mindset

• 1–2: Resists feedback and shows little progress after coaching.
• 3: Accepts feedback and applies it to improve tasks over time.
• 4: Seeks new challenges, learns tools quickly, and applies knowledge independently.
• 5: Drives personal improvement plans and shares learnings to uplift peers.

Scoring and weighting

Default weights (adjust per role):

Final score = weighted average across dimensions. Require at least two “4+” signals for Senior+ roles.

Complete Examples

Junior Frontend Engineer Scorecard — Great Candidate

Junior Frontend Engineer Scorecard — Good Candidate

Junior Frontend Engineer Scorecard — No-Fit Candidate

Recruiter FAQs about this scorecard