A candidate screening notes template is a structured record of the role discussed, the candidate's relevant experience, evidence against the brief, practical requirements and unanswered questions. Its job is to preserve what was actually established in the conversation so another recruiter can understand the next step without repeating the screen.
A useful record separates three things: what the candidate said, what the recruiter concluded and what still needs checking. That distinction matters more than producing a long summary. Below is a copyable template, a fictional example and a review process for recruiting teams.
What belongs in candidate screening notes?
Start with the decision the next reader needs to make. Usually that is whether to arrange a further conversation, ask for clarification or prepare a candidate introduction. Notes should explain the evidence supporting that next step. They should not turn an early conversation into a final assessment.
| Section | Record | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Role, date, participants and version of the brief | Notes detached from a vacancy |
| Relevant experience | Specific responsibilities, projects and examples | A rewritten CV with no new context |
| Role evidence | A requirement linked to what was discussed | Unsupported labels such as “excellent fit” |
| Practical details | Candidate-stated availability and agreed expectations | Guessed dates or ambiguous currency |
| Open questions | Missing evidence and who will clarify it | Empty fields that look like negative answers |
| Next step | Action, owner and target date | “Follow up” with no responsibility |
Keep the record proportionate to the role. Collect information that is relevant to the hiring conversation and your organisation's process. A notes template is not a reason to gather unrelated personal information.
Copy this screening notes template
Use this as a working document. Replace the bracketed fields, keep the section labels and record “not discussed” when the conversation did not establish an answer.
Conversation context
Candidate reference: [internal reference]
Role and client: [role / client]
Screen date and recruiter: [date / name]
Brief version: [date or version]
Purpose of this screen: [what needs to be established]
Candidate's account
Relevant experience: [responsibility, setting and example]
Reason for considering a move: [candidate's own stated priorities]
Evidence against requirement one: [requirement → example discussed]
Evidence against requirement two: [requirement → example discussed]
Evidence against requirement three: [requirement → example discussed]
Practical details
Availability: [candidate-stated date or notice period; distinguish these]
Compensation expectations: [amount, currency, period and what is included, if discussed]
Working arrangement: [location, time zone, remote/hybrid expectations, if relevant]
Other role-specific requirements: [confirmed information or not discussed]
Recruiter review
Assessment: [your interpretation, supported by the examples above]
Unanswered questions: [question / owner / next action]
Next step: [action / owner / date]
Reviewed by: [name / date]
Worked example: evidence, interpretation and unknowns
This example is fictional. It illustrates the document structure; it is not a Recruit Recap customer result or product screenshot.
The brief calls for someone who has managed a small delivery team and improved a reporting process. During the screen, the candidate describes supervising four analysts and replacing a weekly manual spreadsheet with a shared reporting workflow. The candidate says the change reduced repeated data entry but does not give a measured time saving.
| Type | Suitable note |
|---|---|
| Candidate-stated evidence | Supervised four analysts; described introducing a shared reporting workflow to reduce repeated entry. |
| Recruiter interpretation | Example appears relevant to the team's reporting requirement; ownership and scope need further discussion. |
| Unknown | No measured time saving established. Budget responsibility was not discussed. |
| Follow-up | Ask the candidate to explain their own contribution and how the new process was assessed. |
“Transformed reporting and saved the business hundreds of hours” would go beyond the conversation. “No budget experience” would also be unsupported: the subject was not discussed. Good notes preserve both the useful example and the limits of what it demonstrates.
How to review AI-generated screening notes
Review important details against the source material available to your team. Names, dates, amounts and the distinction between an individual contribution and a team outcome deserve particular attention.
Check whether the summary has combined two separate jobs into one example. Check whether a tentative preference has become a firm requirement. Check whether the candidate's expectation has been presented as something the client agreed to. A fluent paragraph can still change the meaning of the call.
If the source is unclear, ask a follow-up question. Do not repair uncertainty by adding a plausible answer. The template should make uncertainty visible, so the next recruiter knows what remains unresolved.
Teams comparing tools can use our AI note taker buying checklist to test the same screen and review process across each demonstration.
Keep screening notes separate from the client write-up
The internal record supports your team's work. The client introduction serves a different reader and purpose. It should contain relevant, reviewed information in the agreed client format, rather than every detail from the conversation.
After reviewing the notes, use the candidate submittal template to prepare that next document. Preserve links between the client's requirements and the candidate's examples. Leave out internal commentary that does not belong in the introduction.
This separation also makes updates easier. If a candidate clarifies an availability date, update the source record and review the affected write-up. Otherwise two polished documents can quietly disagree.
Record compensation expectations clearly
For US recruiting teams, record compensation expectations in USD and specify whether the amount is hourly, annual base salary or total compensation. Keep the components exactly as discussed. An expectation of USD 100,000 base is different from USD 100,000 including a bonus; do not merge the two in a summary.
Use an unambiguous date such as “6 October 2026.” Distinguish a notice period from a confirmed start date, and include a time zone for scheduled actions. These are clarity conventions, not claims that every employer in a country uses the same process. Your team's recording, retention and access procedures remain separate from this writing template.
Frequently asked questions
How long should screening notes be?
Long enough to preserve the relevant evidence and next action. There is no useful universal word target. A short structured record can be more useful than several pages that mix fact, interpretation and uncertainty.
Should every template field be completed?
Every relevant field should have an honest status. “Not discussed” and “needs confirmation” are useful answers. Invented detail makes a record less reliable than an explicit gap.
Can AI prepare the first draft?
AI can help organize captured information, but someone should review the result before it becomes a client document or hiring record. Evaluate the review work that remains, not only how quickly a draft appears.
Try the template with your own workflow
Recruit Recap provides AI meeting notes and custom candidate write-ups for recruitment agencies. Bring a sample screening format and a fictional or appropriately prepared call example to a demo. Check how the resulting draft handles your sections, custom items and missing information. Any ATS handoff should be scoped for your specific system and requirements.
Further reading
Recruiting note takers and general meeting assistants explains how to compare the finished work. Metaview's agency workflow guide provides vendor context on the stages around screening. This template and its example are original Recruit Recap editorial material.