Guides for people who run interviews
Written for agency recruiters, in-house recruiters and hiring managers. Templates you can copy, questions with what a good answer sounds like, the consent rules by state, and plain comparisons of the tools. 40 articles so far.
Templates · 8 Interview questions · 10 How to · 6 Comparisons · 5 Consent and compliance · 6 For hiring managers · 5
Templates
Copy-ready submittals, scorecards and notes you can use today, with or without us.
Candidate submittal template for agency recruiters
A copy-ready candidate submittal template, a filled example, and how to write each section so a hiring manager reads it and books the interview.
Internal interview feedback examples: 18 weak vs strong, by competency
18 pairs of weak and strong interview feedback written for the hiring team, grouped by competency, plus hire, no-hire and split write-ups to copy.
Interview debrief template: agenda, speaking order and decision record
A 30-minute interview debrief agenda, rules for independent scoring and speaking order, how to settle disagreements, and a decision record to copy.
Interview recording consent script: what to say, send and log
Copy-ready consent scripts for recorded or transcribed interviews: short, standard and strict versions, written notices, and what to do if a candidate says no.
Interview scorecard template with an anchored rating scale
A copy-ready interview scorecard with a 1–4 anchored rating scale, an evidence column, a filled example, and how to weight competencies.
Panel interview plan template for in-house recruiters
A copy-ready panel interview plan: which interviewer owns which competency, their questions, roles and schedule, plus a filled four-person onsite loop.
Recruiter phone screen template: a call form you fill in live
A copy-ready recruiter phone screen form in call order: opener and consent line, knockouts, motivation, must-haves, pay and notice, and a clean close.
Reference check template: call script, 14 questions and a client write-up
A reference check call script, 14 questions with what to listen for, a candidate authorization note, and a write-up template to send the client.
Interview questions
Screening and interview questions by role, with what a strong answer sounds like.
Executive search screening questions for the first confidential conversation
Executive search screening questions on P&L scope, board exposure, transformation results, pay structure, covenants and backchannel references, with red flags.
Intake meeting questions: 30 questions to ask a hiring manager or client
30 intake meeting questions grouped by topic, what a useful answer sounds like, a one-page intake summary, and how to agree must-haves and feedback times.
IT contractor screening questions: rate, terms, availability and verification
IT contractor screening questions on W2, 1099 and C2C terms, rate, end dates, extensions, overlapping contracts, right to represent and identity checks.
Light industrial screening questions for warehouse, forklift and production roles
A seven-minute light industrial screen: knockouts, shift and attendance questions, lawful physical requirement wording, forklift checks and a scoring sheet.
Nurse phone screen questions for healthcare staffing recruiters
RN phone screen questions on license, compact status, unit, shifts, certifications and travel terms, with strong answers, red flags and a knockout list.
Phone screen questions for recruiters: 30 questions with strong answers and red flags
30 role-agnostic phone screen questions grouped by section, each with what a strong answer sounds like and the red flags, plus knockouts and what not to ask.
Salary expectation questions: what recruiters can ask and how to ask it
How to ask candidates about pay expectations without asking pay history: wording that works, handling range questions, and state rules as of September 2026.
Sales rep phone screen questions: quota, attainment, pipeline and comp
Phone screen questions for SDRs, AEs and account managers: verify quota and attainment, deal size, cycle, pipeline math, territory, comp fit, coachability.
Software engineer phone screen questions for non-technical recruiters
How a non-technical recruiter can test an engineer's depth: questions on what they built, scale and ownership, stack checks, and resume inflation red flags.
Truck driver screening questions for CDL recruiters
CDL driver screening questions on class, endorsements, restrictions, medical card, Clearinghouse, MVR, equipment, routes and pay, with red flags and knockouts.
How to
The working parts of running interviews: notes, feedback, calibration, panels.
Evidence-based interview feedback: the method, step by step
How to write interview feedback that holds up: record what the candidate said, keep it apart from what you concluded, rate against anchors, calibrate.
How to present candidates to clients so they book the interview
When to call instead of email, how to pre-close the candidate, building a shortlist of 2 to 4, positioning against the brief, and answering client objections.
How to record a phone screen: four methods, consent and storage
Four practical ways to record or transcribe a recruiter phone screen, what each announces to the candidate, where the file ends up, and a pre-call checklist.
How to record a Teams interview without a bot
Three ways to record a Microsoft Teams interview without a bot: built-in recording, desktop capture, and what changed for bots. With Zoom and Meet compared.
Panel interview tips for interviewers, not candidates
For the people across the table: how to prep as a panel, run the room, stop repeat questions, handle virtual and hybrid panels, and score before the debrief.
Screen to submittal workflow: from phone screen to client inbox the same day
A same-day screen to submittal workflow for agency recruiters: 10 minutes of prep, a 30-minute call, a 10-minute write-up, and time-to-submit defined.
Comparisons
How interview note-takers and interview intelligence tools actually differ.
AI note-takers for staffing agencies: a buyer's guide
What a staffing agency needs from an AI note-taker: phone screens, submittals and ATS notes. Shortlist compared, cost per desk, and a rollout checklist.
AI note-takers without a bot: how they work and which to use
How bot-free AI note-takers capture a call, why interview bots put candidates off, the options compared, and the consent steps that still apply.
BrightHire alternatives for in-house recruiting teams
BrightHire alternatives compared by how they capture Zoom, Teams and Meet interviews, published pricing and ATS fit, plus what the Zoom acquisition changed.
Metaview alternatives: eight interview note-takers compared
Eight Metaview alternatives compared on how they capture calls, phone screens, published pricing and ATS integrations, with who each one suits best.
Otter.ai for recruiting: what it does well and where it stops
Otter.ai for recruiting: its plans in interview terms, the Recruiting Agent, what is missing for scorecards and submittals, and a setup that works.
Consent and compliance
Recording consent, AI hiring rules and candidate notices, written for recruiters.
Illinois AI Video Interview Act: what employers must do
The Illinois AI Video Interview Act section by section: notice, consent, sharing, 30-day deletion, demographic reporting, and the separate 2026 AI law.
Is it legal to record a job interview? A guide for interviewers
When recording or transcribing a job interview is allowed: federal one-party consent, all-party states, AI hiring rules, UK and EU basics, and a checklist.
NYC Local Law 144 and AI note-takers: what is in scope
What NYC Local Law 144 requires, how DCWP's rules define an AEDT, where transcription, summaries and interview scores fall, and practical steps for hiring.
Recording calls across state lines: which state's law applies
Which state's recording law applies when you and the candidate are in different states, what Kearney v. Salomon Smith Barney decided, and a policy to adopt.
Recording interviews under UK GDPR: lawful basis, notice and retention
How to record or transcribe job interviews under UK GDPR: legitimate interests vs consent, privacy notices, DPIAs, retention, rights and EU AI Act dates.
Two-party consent states: every statute, and the nuances that change the answer
A state-by-state table of two-party (all-party) consent recording laws with statute links, why lists say 11 or 14 states, and what it means for recruiters.
For hiring managers
For the people who interview a few times a month and still have to decide well.
First-time hiring manager interview guide: before, during and after
Your first interviews as a hiring manager: what to prepare, questions you cannot ask under EEOC guidance, how to run the hour, and how to score it afterwards.
How to compare candidates after interviews with a decision matrix
Compare interviewed finalists with a decision matrix: must-have gates, weighted scores, a worked tie-break, bias checks, and a record of the choice.
How to run a structured interview without an ATS
Run structured hiring with a shared folder, a spreadsheet, a form and a calendar: interview kit, independent scorecards, tracker, records and a checklist.
How to take interview notes as a hiring manager
What to write down while you interview, a shorthand that keeps your eyes on the candidate, a notes page to copy, and how to get from notes to a scorecard.
What not to write in interview notes, and what to write instead
Notes that create risk in a hiring record: protected traits, appearance, culture-fit shorthand, speculation and jokes, with a bad-to-better rewrite table.