Free resource for recruiters

Interview notes template for recruiters

Q: What should interview notes include?

The candidate and role basics, the criteria for the role, evidence against each criterion with examples and numbers, motivation and expectations, logistics such as notice period and location, concerns, open questions, and a short recommendation.

Q: Should you take notes during an interview?

Yes, but short ones. Note evidence against the criteria, follow-up questions and your own read of the person. If a live transcript captures the conversation, you can stay with the candidate and write less.

Q: How do you take notes during a phone or video interview?

Keep the criteria in view, write keywords and numbers rather than full sentences, and mark follow-ups. In ReCo the live transcript runs next to your notes in Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and phone or face-to-face interviews are captured through the computer microphone (paid add-on), so you are not typing everything.

Q: How do interview notes become a recommendation?

Group the evidence by criterion, add your assessment, name the gaps and finish with a clear recommendation. In ReCo you choose which sources feed each part of the report: your notes, the transcript, the CV or the job description.

Q: Can I use this template in Word, Google Docs or my ATS?

Yes. Copy it into any document or ATS notes field and adapt the criteria to the role. Keep the same structure for every candidate on a role so the notes stay comparable.

A copy-and-paste interview notes template that works for screening calls and in-depth interviews: criteria first, evidence second, recommendation last. With a filled example.

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Template

Interview notes template (copy and paste)

Paste it into Word, Google Docs or your ATS notes field and adapt the criteria to the role.

Synthetic example: the candidate, client and figures are invented for illustration.

Template

Interview notes

INTERVIEW NOTES Candidate: [name or ID] Role: [job title] Client: [company] Date: [date] Interviewer: [name] Format: [online / phone / in person] 1. ROLE CRITERIA (set before the interview) - Criterion 1: [e.g. owns a product area end to end] - Criterion 2: - Criterion 3: 2. EVIDENCE BY CRITERION - Criterion 1: [what the candidate said or did, with numbers] | Evidence: strong / partial / none - Criterion 2: - Criterion 3: 3. MOTIVATION AND EXPECTATIONS - Why this move: - Salary expectations: - Notice period / availability: - Location / hybrid: 4. CONCERNS AND OPEN QUESTIONS - Concerns: - Follow-up questions for the next round: 5. RECOMMENDATION - Progress / hold / do not progress: - One-sentence rationale:

Example

Filled interview notes example

The same template completed after a screening call for a Senior Product Manager role.

Filled example

Senior Product Manager screening

INTERVIEW NOTES Candidate: Candidate A Role: Senior Product Manager Client: fintech scale-up Date: 27 October Interviewer: recruiter Format: online (Google Meet) 1. ROLE CRITERIA - Owns a product area end to end - Measurable impact on a core flow - People management (team of three planned) 2. EVIDENCE BY CRITERION - Product ownership: SMB onboarding and KYC, sign-up to first transaction | Evidence: strong - Impact: verification rebuild, completion about 60% to 74% in two quarters, manual reviews down a third | Evidence: strong - People management: no direct reports; mentors two associate PMs | Evidence: none yet 3. MOTIVATION AND EXPECTATIONS - Why this move: bigger product area, wants to build a small team - Salary expectations: within the client's range - Notice period: three months - Location: hybrid two days a week OK 4. CONCERNS AND OPEN QUESTIONS - Concern: leadership experience is informal so far - Follow-up: how would they hire and lead a team of three? 5. RECOMMENDATION - Progress to the client interview - Strong ownership and impact; people management to be tested in the next round

Taking notes

How to take interview notes without losing the conversation

Notes are for the decision, not a second transcript. Write less, but write what you will need later.

Set the criteria before the call

Three to five criteria from the brief keep every interview for the role comparable.

Write evidence, not impressions

Note what the candidate said or did, with numbers, instead of words like strong or good.

Mark what is missing

A criterion with no evidence is a follow-up question, not a weakness.

Capture logistics every time

Notice period, salary expectations and location save a second call later.

Keep notes short when there is a transcript

With a live transcript running, your notes can hold only your judgment and the key evidence.

Write the recommendation the same day

One sentence with a rationale, while the conversation is still fresh.

Notes in ReCo

Take short notes while the transcript captures the rest

In ReCo your notes sit next to the live transcript, the CV and the role. You write only what matters, and the notes, transcript and criteria feed the summary or recommendation later.

Criteria and questions from the Session Guide load for every candidate.
Online, phone and face-to-face interviews in one candidate story (phone and face-to-face are a paid add-on).
Notes and transcript become the summary or recommendation in your structure.

Where notes are written

The interview workspace between sourcing and your ATS

Sourcing tools help you find candidates. Your ATS or recruitment CRM stores and tracks them. ReCo is built for the interview work in between: the notes, the transcript, the assessment and the write-up you save to your ATS.

01 / Sourcing

Finding candidates

There you search, identify, and reach candidates.

Sourcing tools

LinkedIn RecruiterSourceWhaleSeekOuthireEZ

02 / Interviewing

Interviews, evaluation, write-ups

You've got one workspace for all your calls — with full candidate & role context and AI support before, during, and after every interview.

4-6hsaved every week

Less tool-switching, interview prepping & writing.

Interview workspace

ReCo

Try interviewing in workspace - 14 days free Book a demo - see it with your workflow

03 / Store and track

Managing the
process & database

There you store candidate information, manage relationships, and track the hiring process.

ATS and recruitment CRM

BullhornGreenhouseLeverWorkable

✨ More than a notetaker

Not another notetaker. The place you do the whole interview job - from running the call to the finished report.

Think ChatGPT + a notetaker in one recruiting workspace, already set up for candidate interviews. Prepare the role and questions, run the call with the CV, notes, and live transcript at hand, then create the write-up from those same sources. Because the context builds as you work, AI can help without extra prompts, uploads, or re-explaining the candidate and role.

Prep, run, write up - one space

Role context and questions before the call; the CV, JD, and your own notes at hand during it; a write-up built from those same sources after - you choose what feeds each part, and what you write yourself.

A recommendation report you edit however you like

Generate the whole candidate report, rewrite one paragraph with your own instruction, or write a section by hand - all in the same editor, with the sources behind each block up to you: transcript, notes, CV or job description.

A notetaker at its core

A live transcript for Google Meet and Teams, with no audio or video stored. Face-to-face meetings and phone calls on speakerphone are captured through the computer microphone as a paid add-on.

Time back after every conversation

Reports, notes, and summaries done 50-80% faster - while the conversation is still fresh.

AI that needs no prompting

Chat and quick actions already know your candidate and role - ask for follow-up questions, a tailored candidate feedback message, or a search strategy. No prompt engineering, no transcript to paste, no role to explain.

Compliance built into the flow

CV blinding and transcript editing - data stays local, you control what gets processed.

A workflow your team will actually use

Recruiters keep working the way they already do, but with the full interview stage in one place. You get consistent structure across calls and reports, while useful AI does not depend on everyone mastering prompts or rebuilding context.

Questions recruiters ask

Interview notes: FAQ

What to write down, when and how it becomes a recommendation.

What should interview notes include?

Should you take notes during an interview?

How do you take notes during a phone or video interview?

How do interview notes become a recommendation?

Can I use this template in Word, Google Docs or my ATS?

More interview resources

ChatGPT for recruiters Interview transcript example Interview feedback examples Interview questions library Executive search software

Pricing

From interview to recommendation. 50–80% faster.

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Less than the cost of writing one recommendation report manually.

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Teams

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The same workspace for the whole team, priced around its size.

Add-onPriced on requestFace-to-face meetings and/or phone callsCaptured through your computer mic and paid on top of the license.See our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

All current features included:

50–80% less time on reports and summaries — drafts from your transcript, CV, and role context

Real-time transcript, no bots joining the call — EN, PL, DK, DE, UA, and more

Context-aware AI, no re-explaining every time — knows the role, CV, and conversation

One workspace from prep to deliverable — JD, CV, transcript, notes, and output in one place

Private by design — CV blinding and transcript editing — data stays local, you control what gets processed

“

Piotr Lewandowski

Talent Business Partner · HR Hints

Interview admin went from the heaviest part of the day to something that barely registers.

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