Template

Interview debrief template

After the interviews: each interviewer's view, written before the meeting, and a clear yes or no at the end.

30 minutesFor Hiring managers and interview panelsAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. What the role needs3 min
    • What are the three things this person must be able to do?
  2. Each interviewer: hire or not, before discussion5 min
    • Yes or no, and how sure are you?
  3. Evidence for each need12 min
    • What did they say or do that showed this?
    • Where did we get no evidence at all?
  4. Worries, and whether they can be checked5 min
    • Is this a real risk, or something a reference could settle?
  5. The decision3 min
    • Hire, do not hire, or one more step — and who decides?
  6. What we tell the candidate, and when2 min
    • Who calls them, and by which day?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Votes before discussion. Three yes, one no.

Evidence. Planned the migration step by step, and asked about rollback before being prompted.

Worry. Has not managed anybody. One interviewer saw no evidence either way.

Decision. Hire, after a reference call about leading a project. Maya decides; Noah calls the candidate by Thursday.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Two finalistsGo through the needs one at a time, both candidates side by side, rather than one person and then the other.
Written debriefEverybody posts yes or no with evidence. Meet only if the votes are split.

When to skip it. When every written answer is a clear yes or a clear no. The hiring manager decides and tells the panel.

Questions

What is an interview debrief?

A short meeting after a candidate's interviews where the interviewers compare what they saw and the hiring manager decides.

How soon after the interview should you debrief?

The same day or the next. After two days people remember their impression and forget the evidence.

How do you avoid groupthink in a hiring decision?

Have each interviewer write a yes or no with reasons before the meeting, and read them all out before anybody argues.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Job interviewA structured hour: their story, the job's hardest problem, and their questions.New hire 30-day check-inA month in: what makes sense, what does not, and what they need to do the job properly.Exit interviewWith somebody who is leaving: why, what would have changed their mind, and what the company should fix.Career conversationNot this week's work: where the person wants to be in a few years, what is in the way, and one step to take next.Client kickoff meetingThe first meeting with a new client after they sign: what success looks like to them, who does what, and how you will keep in touch.Renewal callA few weeks before a contract ends: what the customer got from it, what they want next, and whether they stay.Book club meetingA book club evening that gets past “did you like it?” — with a turn for everybody and the next book chosen before people leave.Volunteer team meetingFor a team of volunteers: thanks first, then what is coming up, who can do what, and nothing that could have been a message.

All 60 templates →

Try Meetful

Meetings that take their own notes

Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.

Try Meetful freeSee what it does