Interview notes: how to take them, example and template

What are interview notes?

Interview notes are the written record an interviewer keeps of a job interview: what the candidate said, the examples they gave and how those measure up against what the job needs. They are what the hiring decision is made from, and what you'd show if anyone later asked how it was made.

Memory is a poor substitute. After three interviews in a day, the candidates blur, and the one remembered best is often the last, or the one most like the interviewer. Notes written against the same criteria for every candidate let you compare like with like.

If you're the agency recruiter, you won't usually be in the client's interview. Your notes are of your own interview with the candidate, if you hold one, and of the two calls after the client's interview: the candidate's debrief and the client's feedback. The same rules apply to all of them.

What should you write in interview notes?

What the candidate said, as close to their words as you can. A short quote is worth more than a summary of it. "I miss selling something technical" tells you more about what someone wants from a move than "wants a technical role".

Each example, in three parts. What the situation was, what the candidate did themselves, and what happened as a result: the STAR method (situation, task, action, result), with the task folded into the situation. If you only get the first part, ask "what did you do?" and "what happened then?" before moving on.

The evidence against each criterion. Write the job's criteria on the sheet before the interview, and note under each what the candidate showed, or that they didn't. Where the evidence was thin, say so: that's what the next interview or a reference is for.

A score, if you use one. Many interview forms score each criterion, often from 1 to 4 or 1 to 5. Give the score after the interview, from the notes, with the evidence beside it: a 3 with nothing next to it can't be compared or explained.

Their questions. What a candidate asks shows what matters to them, and the answers you promised them need following up.

The practical details. Notice, pay expectations and start date, as they stated them today, in case they've changed since the screening call.

What to follow up, and who will. A claim to check with a referee, a skill to test at the next stage, a question nobody could answer.

How do you take notes and still listen?

Prepare the sheet first. The criteria and your questions on the page before the candidate arrives, with space under each. Then a note is a few words in the right place rather than a paragraph.

In a panel, agree who writes the record. One person takes the full notes. The others jot a word or a score against each criterion and watch the candidate. If everyone writes everything, nobody does.

Write keywords and numbers during, full sentences straight after. Shorthand is fine in the room ("lost accts 7 → 2/yr, quarterly reviews"). Block ten minutes after the interview to turn it into sentences while you still remember what the shorthand meant.

Tell the candidate you're taking notes. It explains why you're looking down, and most candidates slow down to let you write.

What shouldn't you write in interview notes?

Opinions without evidence. "Great energy" and "good fit" can't be compared between candidates, and they can't be defended if a decision is challenged. If something gave you that impression, write the thing.

Anything about a protected characteristic. In Great Britain the Equality Act 2010 protects age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. A note like "young, would fit in with the team" can be used as evidence in a discrimination claim. US federal law covers similar ground, with two gaps: age is protected only from 40, and marital status isn't covered, though some states add it.

Comments on appearance, accent or personal life. None of them is a job criterion, and all of them read badly later.

Health. Before a job offer you can only ask about health in narrow cases, such as whether they need an adjustment for the interview or an assessment (section 60 of the Equality Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act in the US). Keep it out of the notes, and if they need an adjustment, record it separately.

Write as if the candidate will read it, because they can: in the UK they can usually get a copy with a subject access request, from an agency as well as the employer.

How long should you keep interview notes?

In the UK there's no fixed period in law for an employer. UK GDPR says to keep personal data no longer than you need it, and for an unsuccessful candidate that usually means long enough to answer a discrimination claim. For decisions made on or after 1 October 2026, a candidate has six months (less a day) to bring one, and contacting Acas for early conciliation pauses that clock. Keeping interview notes for about a year covers that window in most cases. Then delete them, unless the candidate agreed to be kept on file for future jobs.

An agency in Great Britain has a minimum as well. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 say it must keep what it records about a candidate's experience and qualifications for at least a year after it last provides them with services.

For the person you hire, the notes can move to their personnel file.

In the US, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's rules require employers with 15 or more staff to keep hiring records, which include interview notes, for a year from the date of the record or the hiring decision, whichever is later (29 CFR 1602.14), and, if a charge of discrimination has been filed, until it is resolved.

Interview notes example

Rhys Morgan's first interview for the account manager job at Haxby & Lowe, an industrial supplies distributor in west London. He's the candidate from our screening call example, put forward by Callum Reid, the agency recruiter. Joanna Price, the sales director, interviewed him with Sam Okafor, the managing director, and wrote the notes.

Every line is something he said or did, which made the next step easy to explain: the second interview tests the gap the notes found.

Interview notes template

One page, in the order most interviews run, with the most space for the examples. Before the interview, write the job's criteria under 'Against the criteria', from the job description or your intake meeting notes, and swap the prompts for your own questions. Download the Word file, free and with no sign-up, or copy it as text into your own document.

If the interview runs through your computer, as a video interview does, Sorinai can fill this template, or your own, from the call itself. Each field fills in as the conversation reaches it, with nothing joining the call, and the Word file is ready a few minutes after the call ends: see how it works for recruiters. Tell the candidate at the start that the interview is being recorded.

When the interview leads to an offer, the claims to check go to the referees: our reference check guide has the questions and a template for the call.

Interview notes FAQ

Should you take interview notes on paper or a laptop?

Paper is less of a barrier across a table; a laptop is quicker to search and share. On a video interview the candidate hears the typing but can't see what you're doing, so mention it when you start.

Can a candidate see their interview notes?

Usually, yes. A candidate can ask for a copy with a subject access request under UK GDPR. The request needs no set form and doesn't have to mention the law, and you normally have one month to reply, free of charge. That includes handwritten notes once they're filed with the candidate's records. The notes aren't confidential from the person they're about, but you can leave out details about other people, such as other candidates.

Who keeps interview notes when an agency arranges the interview?

Each keeps its own. The employer keeps the interviewers' notes, and the agency keeps its own notes and the feedback the employer sends it. Both are personal data under UK GDPR, so each needs its own reason to keep them, and the candidate can ask either for a copy.

Can you record a job interview?

Yes, as long as you tell the candidate before you start. Say why you're recording, who will see it and how long you'll keep it, and offer to take written notes instead if they'd rather not be recorded. In the UK the law doesn't require their agreement, but asking for it is the fair thing to do. In some US states, such as California and Florida, everyone on the call must agree to be recorded.

What's the difference between interview notes and an interview feedback form?

Notes are the record of what was said. An interview feedback form, sometimes called an interview evaluation form, records the judgement made from them: a score against each criterion, a recommendation to hire, hold or reject, and the reasons. Fill it in from the notes after the interview, so each score points to something the candidate said or did. Feedback to the candidate should come from the same notes. If you're passing feedback on for a client, ask for the reasons in their notes, not only the verdict: "hasn't looked after this many accounts" helps a candidate, "not the right fit" doesn't.