A follow-up note should say what needs to happen, who owns it, when it is due, and what will count as completion. “Follow up with candidate” is too vague to hand to another recruiter.
Separate questions from commitments
An unanswered screening question and an agreed task are different. If you have not asked the candidate to supply something, do not describe it as a missed commitment. Record the next action the recruiter will take.
| Type | Fictional action |
|---|---|
| Open question | Recruiter to confirm whether the candidate owned budget decisions |
| Agreed candidate action | Candidate to send available interview windows by Thursday |
| Client dependency | Account manager to confirm required office days |
| Completion evidence | Reply received and current note updated |
Include a specific calendar date and relevant time zone in a real task. Relative phrases lose meaning when a teammate reads them later.
Keep a short closing recap
At the end of the screen, restate the actions that were actually agreed. Ask the candidate to correct anything misunderstood. This is also a chance to remove a request that is no longer necessary.
For example: “I will confirm the office schedule with the client. You will send two interview windows. We have not agreed a start date.” This fictional recap establishes separate responsibilities without implying the candidate has accepted the opportunity.
Route blocked actions differently
If the client has not supplied a required detail, repeatedly asking the candidate for a decision will not resolve the blockage. Mark the dependency and direct the next task to its owner. A team lead should be able to distinguish work awaiting a candidate response from work awaiting an internal answer.
Avoid carrying completed actions into each new note. Record the completion and the date, then show only remaining tasks in the next handoff. Keep the history where the agency normally maintains it.
Check the output before using it
AI-generated action lists can assign the wrong speaker or convert a suggestion into a promise. Compare each item with the conversation. “We could arrange a technical discussion” should not become “Candidate will attend technical interview Friday.”
Use the screening notes template for the full record and availability notes for scheduling detail. Recruit Recap can organize selected meeting conversations into custom write-ups, but this article's task table is an editorial worksheet, not a claim that the product manages reminders or completes follow-ups automatically.