Working life and HR
Template: notes from a job interview
A structured interview note that makes candidates comparable, keeps the assessment to job-relevant matters, and stands up to a subject access request.
Requirement: The note is personal data about the candidate. It must be objective and job-relevant, and the candidate can request access under Article 15 of the GDPR. So write nothing you could not stand behind if the candidate reads it.
INTERVIEW NOTE
Position: [title]
Candidate: [name]
[date], [__.__]–[__.__] | [place or meeting format]
Interviewers: [name], [name]
Round: [1 / 2 / ...]
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
[The same for all candidates. Taken from the job advertisement.]
Criterion Score (1-5) Reasoning
[criterion] [ ] [concrete example from the conversation]
[criterion] [ ] [...]
[criterion] [ ] [...]
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
[The same main questions for all candidates. Note the answer, not the
impression of the candidate.]
1. [Question]
Answer: [...]
2. [Question]
Answer: [...]
THE CANDIDATE'S QUESTIONS TO US
- [Question]: [what we answered]
PRACTICAL MATTERS
Available from: [date]
Salary expectation: [stated / not discussed]
References: [given / to be obtained at the next round]
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
[Job-relevant and concrete. Tie the assessment to the criteria above.]
CONCLUSION
[ ] Proceeds to the next round
[ ] Does not proceed. Reason: [objective and job-related]
Note taken by: [name]
Retained until: [date]How to use it
- Use the same criteria and the same questions for everyone. That is why the interview is structured: without it, the process mainly measures how much the interviewer liked the candidate.
- Write the answer, not the impression. “Described a concrete situation where she handled X by doing Y” is checkable. “Seemed confident” is not.
- Write as though the candidate will read it. She may: the right of access covers interview notes too.
- Put a deletion date on the note. Once the post is filled and the deadlines have passed, the notes about the other candidates should normally be deleted.
What must not be in there
Age, family situation, pregnancy, religion, ethnicity, political views, trade union membership and health. These are matters an employer generally cannot collect or take into account, and noting them is problematic regardless of how it was meant.
Be in the conversation instead of in the notepad
An interviewer who is writing asks fewer follow-up questions. Sayable records the conversation and writes it out, so the note can be filled in afterwards with the answers actually in front of you. Recording an interview is agreed openly with the candidate first, and the candidate can say no.
Frequently asked questions
The candidate has a right of access to personal data about themselves under Article 15 of the GDPR. So write only job-relevant assessments, and phrase them so that you can stand behind them if the candidate reads them.
As long as is necessary for the purpose. Once the post is filled and any complaint deadlines have passed, notes about the candidates who did not get the job should normally be deleted. To keep them for a later process, the candidate must have consented.
Because unstructured interviews mainly measure how much the interviewer likes the candidate. The same questions and the same scale for everyone make candidates comparable and reduce the room for unjustified differential treatment.