Candidate Tracking & Interview Feedback Form

This form is used to track the progress of an applicant through the recruitment process and to document feedback from all interviewers.

Part 1: Candidate Information & Application Tracking

A. Candidate Information

Position Applied For

Candidate Name


Date of Application

Source/Channel


Recruiter/Coordinator

Current Status


Date Status Updated

Notes on Application Review

B. Application Tracking

Stage

Date Completed

Result

Notes

Initial Screen (Recruiter)
 
 
 
Skills Assessment/Test
 
 
 
First Interview (Hiring Manager/Team)
 
 
 
Second Interview (Senior Leadership/Panel)
 
 
 
Reference Check
 
 
 
Offer Extended
 
 
 
Offer Accepted/Declined
 
 
 

Part 2: Interview Feedback

Instructions: This section should be completed by each individual interviewer immediately following the interview.


Interviewer Name

Interview Date & Time

Interview Type/Round

Duration of Interview

A. Core Competency Assessment (Rate 1-5, where 1=Poor/No Evidence, 5=Excellent)

Competency

Rating

Supporting Examples/Evidence from Interview

Communication Skills
 
Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking
 
Technical/Role-Specific Knowledge
 
Motivation & Initiative
 
Teamwork & Collaboration
 
Adaptability & Learning Agility
 

B. Cultural/Organizational Fit

Alignment with Values

Comments/Observations

Professional Demeanor

Comments/Observations

Enthusiasm/Interest in Role

Comments/Observations

Salary Expectations Discussion

Comments/Observations

C. Overall Recommendation and Rating

Overall Recommendation

Overall Rating

D. Detailed Narrative Feedback

What are the candidate's greatest strengths relevant to this position?

What are the candidate's main developmental areas or concerns?

Specific questions the candidate asked that stood out (positively or negatively):

Any other observations or comments (e.g., presentation, red flags, follow-up items):

Part 3: Final Decision & Offer Details

Final Decision Maker

Date of Final Decision

Start Date (If Hired)

Salary Offered (If Hired)

Reason for Hire/Rejection

Confidential Notes/Archive Details

Form Template Insights

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Detailed Insights on the Candidate Tracking & Interview Feedback Form

The form is highly effective because it integrates the two critical elements of modern recruitment: Tracking (process consistency and compliance) and Structured Feedback (reducing bias and improving quality of hire).

1. Part 1: Candidate Information & Application Tracking (The ATS Functionality)

This section mimics the core function of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), ensuring process governance and data reliability.

  • Consistency and Compliance: By requiring fields like Date of Application, Source/Channel, and a timeline of Stage completion, the form ensures that every candidate is processed consistently. This is crucial for legal defensibility (proving fair treatment of all applicants) and compliance with employment equity regulations.
  • Pipeline Management: The progressive table (Initial Screen $\rightarrow$ Skills Assessment $\rightarrow$ Interviews) provides a clear visualization of the recruitment pipeline. This allows HR to identify bottlenecks (e.g., if many candidates drop out after the Skills Assessment) and track Time-to-Hire metrics.
  • Recruiter Accountability: Listing the Recruiter/Coordinator ensures clear ownership for driving the candidate through the process and maintaining communication.
  • Data-Driven Sourcing: Tracking the Source/Channel provides invaluable data for optimizing the recruitment budget. The organization can later analyze which sources yield the highest quality hires or the most applicants.


2. Part 2: Interview Feedback (The Structured Assessment)

This is the most critical section for objective hiring. Its structure is designed to mitigate unconscious bias, which is a key goal of modern HR.

A. Core Competency Assessment (Quantitative Data)


  • Bias Reduction: Using a structured rating scale (1-5) forces interviewers to think about performance against defined criteria, rather than relying on a subjective "gut feeling" or halo/horn effect (where one impressive/unimpressive trait clouds the overall judgment). This is the hallmark of a structured interview.
  • Job-Related Focus: The competencies (Communication, Problem-Solving, Technical Knowledge, etc.) should be directly derived from the job description and success profile. This ensures the evaluation is strictly job-related and not based on personal preferences.
  • Supporting Evidence: The column for Supporting Examples/Evidence from Interview is crucial. It converts the rating from a subjective opinion into a data point.
    • Insight: In a debrief meeting, an interviewer must be able to cite a specific example ("They used the STAR method to describe a time they implemented process X, which led to Z result") to justify a "5" rating, preventing vague statements like "they just seemed smart."

B. Cultural/Organizational Fit (Alignment, Not Affinity)

  • Focus on Values: This section is framed around Alignment with Values and Professional Demeanor rather than vague personality traits. This steers the assessment away from hiring someone who is "just like us" (affinity bias) and toward assessing if the candidate shares the organization's core work principles and ethics.
  • Managing Expectations: Including Salary Expectations Discussion in the feedback loop ensures there are no surprises later in the process, streamlining the offer stage.

C. Overall Recommendation and Rating

  • Clear Next Steps: The clear categories (Move to Next Stage, Potential Fit, Reject) immediately define the candidate's path, streamlining the decision-making process for the hiring team and reducing the time the candidate waits for a response.
  • Consolidated View: The two-part rating (Next Step and Overall Rating) provides a quick summary view that is easy for a Hiring Manager to consolidate when comparing multiple candidates.

D. Detailed Narrative Feedback (Qualitative Data)

  • The 'Why' Behind the 'What': This section is essential for providing the necessary context for the quantitative scores. It helps to:
    • Document Strengths and Concerns: Allows interviewers to document non-verbals, specific concerns (the "red flags"), or exceptional moments that a simple rating can't capture.
    • Improve the Candidate Experience: For candidates who are not selected (especially finalists), the documented strengths and developmental areas can be used to provide constructive, actionable feedback, which significantly improves the candidate experience and protects the employer brand.

Mandatory Questions Recommendation

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Here are the most mandatory questions/fields on the form, elaborated with their purpose:

Mandatory Questions & Fields and Their Rationale

1. Mandatory for Tracking & Compliance (Part 1 & 3)

Field/Question

Why It Is Mandatory

Rationale

Position Applied For
The entire assessment must be anchored to the specific job.
Compliance/Focus: Ensures the feedback collected is strictly job-related. Without this, the organization cannot prove the candidate was assessed against the requirements of the actual role, leading to potential legal risk.
Current Status & Date Status Updated
Tracks the candidate's journey through the hiring pipeline.
Audit Trail & Governance: Creates an essential audit trail. This is crucial for proving fair and timely treatment of all applicants and accurately calculating recruitment metrics (like time-to-hire).
Final Decision Maker & Date of Final Decision
Final accountability for the outcome.
Accountability & Closure: Designates the individual responsible for the final hiring or rejection decision, formally closing the record and ensuring clarity in documentation.
Reason for Hire/Rejection
The documented explanation for the ultimate outcome.
Legal Defensibility: This is the most mandatory field for compliance. It must state the legitimate, non-discriminatory, and job-related reasons why a candidate was selected or rejected, backed up by the feedback in Part 2.

2. Mandatory for Objective Assessment & Bias Reduction (Part 2)

Field/Question

Why It Is Mandatory

Rationale

Interviewer Name & Interview Type/Round
Identifies the source and context of the feedback.
Attribution & Context: Provides essential context for the feedback. In a debrief, the team needs to know who provided the input (for follow-up questions) and what kind of interview it was (e.g., a "Technical" assessment should carry more weight on the technical competency score).
Core Competency Assessment (Ratings)
The quantitative data for all essential skills.
Standardization & Comparison: Forces the interviewer to evaluate the candidate against standardized, job-specific criteria (e.g., Communication, Problem-Solving). This allows for an apples-to-apples comparison between different candidates and different interviewers.
Supporting Examples/Evidence from Interview
The qualitative evidence backing up the numerical ratings.
Objectivity Check & Bias Mitigation: This is the most crucial field for combating bias. It demands the interviewer provide specific, behavioral data (e.g., "The candidate used X method to solve Y problem.") to support their subjective rating, preventing decisions based on vague impressions or personal affinity.
Overall Recommendation
The clear, actionable conclusion from the interviewer.
Actionability: Provides the hiring manager with a definitive next step (e.g., Move to Next Stage, Reject). Without a clear recommendation, the feedback is incomplete and cannot be acted upon effectively in a debrief meeting.
What are the candidate's main developmental areas or concerns?
Documents any risk or areas of weakness.
Due Diligence & Risk Mitigation: Documents any legitimate concerns that might impact job performance or team dynamics. This ensures the hiring decision is made with a full understanding of potential risks and helps inform onboarding/training if the candidate is hired.
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