Interview Questions Library / Interview Notes Template (Free) + How to Take Interview Notes
Updated: August 2026 · By Álvaro Arrescurrenaga · CEO of Voicit- Free download
- Scoring rubric 1–5
- Updated August 2026
Good interview notes record what the candidate said and did, in their words, next to the question that produced it — not the interviewer’s impression. The template below has the question and its competency on the left, space for verbatim notes in the middle, and a rating column you fill in after the interview. Download it in Word, Excel or PDF, and use the same sheet for every candidate for the role.
Interview notes are the raw material for every hiring decision, and most of them are useless: a few adjectives, a smiley face, «good energy». By the debrief nobody can say what the candidate actually did in the story about the difficult client. This page gives you a template built around the evidence — the question, the competency, what they said — and the rules for taking notes during an interview without losing the conversation.
Download the interview notes template
Three formats, same content. Word and PDF are for filling in by hand or on a laptop during the interview; the Excel version averages your ratings and validates the 1-5 scale. Replace the seven default questions with your own before the interview.
Interview notes template. Candidate details, seven questions with their competency, a notes column for what the candidate said and did, a rating column for after the interview, the written 1-5 scale, and a closing block for strengths, concerns and the recommendation. No sign-up, no email. Or skip the typing: Voicit records the interview, transcribes it and drops the candidate’s literal answers next to each question. See how it works.
What good interview notes contain — and what they leave out
The test for a line of notes is whether another interviewer could rate the answer from it without having been in the room. Quotes and actions pass; adjectives and feelings do not.
| Write this | Not this | Why |
| «Inherited a team of 6, two on PIPs; had both conversations in week two» | «Strong people manager» | The first can be rated and checked with references; the second is a conclusion |
| «Said the delay was the vendor’s; when asked what they did, described chasing by email» | «A bit defensive» | Behavior you observed, not a personality label |
| «Could not name the alternative they rejected» | «Weak on decision making» | Absence of evidence, recorded as what was asked and not answered |
| «Asked about the team’s biggest problem and how success is measured» | «Engaged» | The candidate’s questions are evidence too |
| Nothing about age, family, accent, appearance, health | Anything of the kind | Irrelevant to the job, and a legal risk if the notes are ever requested |
How to take notes during an interview without losing the conversation
The trade-off is real: the more you write, the less you listen, and candidates notice when the interviewer’s eyes are on the page. These rules keep the notes useful and the conversation alive.
| Rule | In practice |
| Prepare the sheet | Questions and competencies filled in before the interview, one row each; you only write in the notes column |
| Write fragments, not sentences | Nouns, numbers, verbs: «6 reports · 2 PIPs · wk2 · 1 improved 1 left». Expand within an hour, while you remember |
| Write during the answer, not the question | Look at the candidate while asking and during the first sentences; write while they continue |
| Mark follow-ups, do not score | A «?» where the story is thin, so you probe before moving on. Ratings come after the interview |
| Tell the candidate | «I will take notes so I remember what you said accurately» — it reads as respect, not distraction |
| Record if you can | With consent, a recording and transcript free you from writing at all; the notes then become the rating and the evidence quotes |
After the interview: from notes to a rating
Within an hour, expand the fragments into full lines while the memory is fresh. Then, for each question, read the notes and match them to the written scale: 1 no example, 2 generic, 3 solid (situation, actions, outcome), 4 strong (plus the trade-off and hindsight), 5 exceptional (plus lasting impact). Write the number. Finish the closing block — strengths with evidence, concerns, recommendation — before you talk to anyone else on the panel. The interview evaluation form is the one-page summary of exactly this; the notes template is what feeds it.
Interview notes and the law: what to keep in mind
In the EU, interview notes are personal data under GDPR: candidates can request them, and you need a retention period (six to twelve months after the process is common). In the US, notes can be discoverable in a discrimination claim, and several states have their own retention rules. The practical consequence is the same everywhere: write notes you would be comfortable showing the candidate, keep them about the job, and store them in one place with a deletion date rather than in interviewers’ notebooks.
Notes template, evaluation form, scorecard: which one?
They are three stages of the same process. The notes template is for during the interview: questions on the left, what they said on the right. The evaluation form is the one-page rating you complete afterwards. The scorecard adds weights and a total when several interviewers assess the same candidate. Small teams can use the notes template alone; the rating column and closing block are enough for one interviewer per round.
Stop writing up interviews by hand. Voicit records the interview, transcribes it and fills your scorecard against the competencies you defined — so you can listen instead of typing.
Frequently asked questions
How do you take good interview notes?
Prepare a sheet with the questions and competencies before the interview, write only what the candidate said and did — fragments, quotes, numbers — during their answers, mark thin stories with a question mark so you probe them, and expand the fragments within an hour. Rate each answer against a written scale after the interview, not during it.
What should interview notes include?
The question asked, the competency it tested, what the candidate said and did in their own words, the follow-ups and their answers, the candidate’s own questions, and — after the interview — a rating per question, strengths and concerns with evidence, and a recommendation. Nothing about protected characteristics or personal impressions.
Should you take notes during an interview or after?
During, in fragments, and expand within the hour. Notes written entirely afterwards are reconstructions shaped by your overall impression, which is exactly the bias structured interviews exist to remove. Tell the candidate you will be taking notes; nobody minds.
Can candidates request interview notes?
In the EU, yes — interview notes are personal data under GDPR and fall under subject access requests. In the US they can become evidence in a claim. Write notes you would be comfortable showing the candidate: observations and quotes about the job, not opinions about the person.
Is it better to record the interview than to take notes?
With the candidate’s consent, recording gives you a transcript with the literal answers and frees you to listen. You still need the template: the rating and the closing block are judgment, not transcription. Tools like Voicit record the interview and place the candidate’s answers next to each question on your template automatically.
Keep reading
Voicit records interviews and meetings, transcribes them and writes the report against the template each team defines. These question sets come from working with recruitment consultancies and in-house talent teams across Europe.