Evidence & track record
Weight demonstrated work over interview performance. Charisma is a criterion that sneaks into every score if it doesn't have its own leash.
Decision guide
Deciding who to hire
Interviews measure interviews. A matrix measures the job.
Compare candidates with a weighted hiring matrix: role skills, trajectory, collaboration, and evidence quality — with a stress test that shows exactly what would change the pick.
The decision, weighed
A typical who should i hire? matrix, scored and totaled. The line under it is the part nobody does by hand: the exact weight change that would flip the winner.
CriterionWeightPolished seniorScrappy riserKeep looking
Role-specific skill8963
Trajectory & learning speed7593
Collaboration & communication6683
Evidence & track record7959
Motivation for this role5586
Logistics & availability3785
Weighted total70%72%48%
Scrappy riser wins at 72%. Lower Trajectory & learning speed by 2 points and Polished senior wins instead.
The weights worth arguing about
Trajectory & learning speed
You're hiring the person they'll be in 18 months. The senior candidate's skills are priced in; the riser's slope is the arbitrage.
Logistics & availability
Salary expectations, notice period, timezone. Real, but low weight — the moment logistics outranks skill, you're optimizing the wrong variable.
How to actually decide
Score candidates against the job, not each other
Comparing candidates head-to-head rewards whoever interviewed last. Score each against fixed criteria: what does the role actually need in month one, quarter one, year one? The matrix keeps the yardstick still while the candidates move.
Give every interviewer one criterion
Five interviewers scoring everything means five people scoring vibes. Assign each interviewer the criteria they actually observed — the matrix aggregates, and disagreements become visible instead of political.
Let 'keep looking' be a real option
A bad hire costs more than a slow one. Include 'keep looking' with honest scores — the cost of an empty seat, the odds of a better pipeline. If it keeps winning, the matrix is telling you the bar moved.
Questions people actually ask
Isn't a hiring matrix dehumanizing?
The opposite: it forces you to name what you're actually evaluating, so candidates aren't rejected for unnamed gut feelings. The criteria are human; the matrix just keeps them honest and consistent across candidates.
How many criteria for one role?
Five to seven, and each should map to something observable in your interview process. A criterion nobody evaluates is decoration — delete it or assign it.
What if two candidates tie?
A tie is information: both are acceptable, and the decision is now about risk preference, not merit. Flipweight's tie detection shows exactly which inputs are holding the tie — adjust the one you feel least confident about and see if it breaks.