A candidate screening call notes template gives recruiters a consistent way to capture experience, motivation, practical requirements and agreed next steps. Good notes help a colleague understand the conversation and help you prepare a clear, evidence-based candidate introduction.
Use the template below for an initial recruitment screening call, then adapt it to your desk and the role. Keep the candidate's own statements distinct from your observations, and mark anything that still needs confirmation.
In this guide
- Copy the candidate screening call notes template
- Questions that produce useful notes
- See a completed example
- Turn the conversation into follow-up
- Frequently asked questions
Candidate screening call notes template
Copy these headings into your recruitment workflow. Replace the bracketed prompts with concise notes, and use “not discussed” or “to confirm” where appropriate. This is a working record of the conversation that you can revisit as the opportunity develops.
1. Call details and opportunity
Candidate: [Name or CRM record]
Recruiter and call date: [Name; date]
Role or opportunity discussed: [Job title; reference]
Purpose of the call: [Initial screening; role discussion; follow-up]
2. Relevant experience and evidence
Current or most recent role: [Title; scope; relevant responsibilities]
Experience against the role requirements: [Requirement → example the candidate provided]
Tools, qualifications or specialist knowledge: [Relevant details stated on the call]
Points to explore further: [Specific evidence or clarification needed]
3. Motivation and career priorities
Reason for exploring a move: [Candidate's explanation]
What they want from the next role: [Responsibilities; development; team or working environment]
Interest in this opportunity: [What appealed; questions or reservations]
4. Practical preferences and availability
Preferred location and work pattern: [Role-relevant preferences]
Compensation expectations: [Range; currency; base or package; items to clarify]
Notice period or earliest start: [Candidate's stated timing]
Interview availability: [Times or scheduling constraints discussed]
Other role requirements discussed: [Relevant travel, shifts or other practical details]
5. Candidate questions
Questions answered: [Question → confirmed answer]
Questions for the client: [Question → person responsible for obtaining the answer]
Information to send: [Role details; agreed follow-up material]
6. Recruiter observations and open points
Evidence relevant to the brief: [Specific examples linked to agreed requirements]
Recruiter observations: [Clearly labelled interpretation, with supporting context]
Still to confirm: [Open point; how it will be checked]
7. Representation and sharing agreed
Next step discussed with the candidate: [For example, review a role overview before deciding on an introduction]
Information agreed for sharing: [Relevant details and recipient, according to your agency's process]
Candidate preferences for follow-up: [Channel; timing]
8. Actions, owners and timing
Recruiter action: [Action; owner; due date]
Candidate action: [Action; agreed timing]
Next conversation: [Purpose; date or trigger]
Current status: [Agreed next step; outstanding questions]
What should you ask during a screening call?
Use a small set of open questions to gather the information the role actually requires. Follow the candidate's answer with a request for a concrete example, then capture the useful detail under the relevant heading.
- “Which part of your recent work is most relevant to this role?” Follow up on their own responsibilities and the scope of the example.
- “What would you like your next position to offer?” Record their priorities in their own terms.
- “What would you need to understand before deciding whether to proceed?” This often identifies questions to take back to the client.
- “What timing and practical arrangements would work for you?” Confirm the details relevant to the opportunity.
- “What should happen next?” Finish with a clear action and an agreed follow-up.
When the conversation moves between topics, use the headings to organise the notes afterwards. A short, specific example is more useful than a broad label such as “strong candidate” without supporting evidence.
Example of completed candidate screening notes
Fictional example: the following illustrates the format and does not describe a real candidate or TalentLynk customer.
Opportunity: Initial discussion with Alex about a customer success manager role at a fictional software business.
Relevant experience: Alex described managing onboarding for a portfolio of business customers and coordinating product training. Their example covered planning the rollout, running training sessions and reviewing adoption with the account team. The size and complexity of the portfolio remain to be confirmed.
Motivation: Interested in a role with more responsibility for ongoing customer relationships. Wants to understand the balance between onboarding and renewals.
Practical details: Prefers a hybrid work pattern and stated a six-week notice period. Compensation expectations were not discussed.
Open questions: Confirm the client’s office expectations, portfolio size and responsibility for renewals before Alex decides whether to proceed.
Agreed actions: Recruiter to obtain the missing role details and send an overview by Thursday. Alex to review it before the next conversation. No introduction has been agreed at this stage.
Turn screening notes into a useful recruitment workflow
Review the notes soon after the call while the context is fresh. Check names, timing, numbers and any commitments against the conversation. Make the next action easy to find so that another consultant can pick up the thread.
- Structure the record. Put experience, preferences, questions and actions under separate headings.
- Keep uncertainty visible. Label unconfirmed details and separate the candidate's statements from your assessment.
- Update the relevant record. Keep the reviewed notes with the right candidate and opportunity in your established CRM workflow.
- Prepare the follow-up. Use the agreed actions to write a concise message or prepare the next call.
- Review before sharing. Select the role-relevant information appropriate for the intended recipient.
Capture information relevant to the role and the agreed recruitment process. Keep the notes focused on professional evidence and practical requirements, and leave unnecessary personal details out of the record.
How TalentLynk helps with candidate call notes
TalentLynk AI call notes for recruiters help turn recorded conversations into structured summaries, key points and actions. You can tailor AI workflows to the information your team wants to capture, then review and refine the output before using it in your recruitment process.
Use this template as a starting point for the sections you want in your screening notes. Check the summary against the conversation, clarify any open points and shape the follow-up in your own voice. Explore the Bullhorn integration or Vincere integration for your agency's connected workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What should candidate screening call notes include?
Include the opportunity, relevant experience and examples, motivation, practical preferences, candidate questions, open points and agreed actions. Make the owner and timing of each follow-up clear.
How detailed should recruitment screening notes be?
Use enough detail for a colleague to understand the evidence and continue the conversation. Prioritise specific examples and decisions, with a clear list of items still to confirm.
Can I adapt this for temporary or permanent recruitment?
Yes. Keep the core headings and adjust the practical details to the desk. A temporary assignment may need shift and assignment availability, while a permanent role may need notice period and longer-term career priorities.
Can AI help write candidate screening notes?
AI can help structure a transcript into a draft summary and actions. Recruiters can review the source conversation, correct details, adjust the wording and decide what information to use or share.
See TalentLynk working with your screening calls
Explore how AI call notes and connected recruitment communications could fit your agency's screening and follow-up process.
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