Interview Debrief Meeting Template

An interview debrief meeting template provides a way to organize your thoughts and communications after the meeting takes place. This candidate debrief template walks you through the steps to take to analyze this information allowing you to document information provided by employees as they are fresh out of the meeting.

What Is an Interview Debrief Meeting?

An interview debrief meeting is conducted by all parties that took place in the interview of a prospective employee. After the prospective employee leaves the building, it is necessary for all of the company’s employees within that meeting to come together to document what was said, opinions, ideas, and further steps needed to move the conversation forward or to turn to a different prospective client.

The purpose of an interview debrief meeting is to bring employees who were within that meeting together to discuss the applicant and the interview process itself. This meeting typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour. During it, anyone within the interview process will come together to document what occurred and to ensure there is a clear understanding of where the applicant fits within the next stage of the interview process, though no decision has to be made yet.

How to Run an Effective Interview Debrief Meeting

Completing a successful candidate interview is a very important part of the process of finding the ideal candidate. However, that is not all that has to be done. Once the candidate leaves the building, it is time for stakeholders who were within the meeting to openly discuss their thoughts, questions, objectives, and goals moving forward during the interview debrief.

To ensure the interview debrief goes well, it is essential to be organized and ready to go. Use an interview debrief template to help you to talk to each person and gather information. This allows for each person to have a better idea of what to expect going forward, including whether or not the candidate answered all questions or if there is more information needed.

To do well, be sure that each person in the interview has the ability to talk. Ensure that each party is focused on providing only the facts and does not speculate on what is not known. It is also necessary to ensure all parties are able and willing to be honest and open about their thoughts, recognizing that the company benefits in the end.

What’s inside this Interview Debrief Meeting Template:

This candidate debrief template can help guide you through this process. There are several components to the process.

1💪 Experience

Use this area to document what the candidate stated about their experience specifically. That includes how much experience the individual had specifically with the job requirements you plan to require. It is also important to document any stories or facts the candidate offered about their experiences, including how they succeeded in the past and any limitations they may have in this area. Ensure that the individual’s experience is understood, and jot down questions you may still have for them.

Hiring considerations based on experience.

• How much does this candidate’s experience match the job requirements?
• Was this candidate able to share real situations where they have succeeded in their role?

2🚀 Potential

Use this area to document what the candidate stated about their experience specifically. That includes how much experience the individual had specifically with the job requirements you plan to require. It is also important to document any stories or facts the candidate offered about their experiences, including how they succeeded in the past and any limitations they may have in this area. Ensure that the individual’s experience is understood, and jot down questions you may still have for them.

Hiring considerations based on potential.

• Will the candidate help drive your business to success?
• How much training will this candidate require?

3🛠 Hard skills

Outline the specific hard skills the applicant stated or provided evidence of having. This should include a listing of any hard skills needed for the job based on the job description provided. What do they lack that may be important to note going forward? It may also be important to look at the job description to see which areas were advertised for the position and if the individual meets or exceeds those. Discuss any advanced skills the applicant has that may not have been in the description but that adds value to the company or the job role.

Hiring considerations based on hard skills.

• What skills does the candidate possess that match the job description?
• Does this potential new hire have advanced skills that will be helpful in the workplace?

4🤝 Soft skills

In this section of the template, discuss soft skills and how well the candidate meets the needs in this area. This means documenting any type of soft skills they presented in the interview, but also what they demonstrated. This could include things like collaboration skills with others, communicating effectively, and bringing creative solutions to the team.

Hiring considerations based on soft skills.

• Do you think the candidate will collaborate with others, communicate effectively, and bring creative solutions to the team?
• How quickly does it seem like this candidate will be able to work without supervision?

5🤔 Mindset fit

Finally, use the template to determine how well the applicant offers a cultural fit to the company. This may include discussing how well the person’s values and attitudes match those of the company and, if not if there could be a concern present. It may also be necessary to consider whether an applicant is a good fit for the individual team they will work with on a routine basis.

Hiring considerations based on cultural fit.

• Do the candidates’ values and attitudes match the values of the company?
• Will they be a good fit for the team they’ll work with and the organization as a whole?