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Most hiring processes include four or more interviews, but only 19% of companies reported that hiring managers consistently follow interviewer recommendations. This disconnect means that valuable data is going to waste.
Interview debriefs give your interviewers an opportunity to share and explain their observations and recommendations with hiring managers so that their input can be used to produce better hiring outcomes.
What is an interview debrief?
An interview debrief is a meeting held after a round of interviews, where the hiring team discusses how well each candidate’s qualifications align with the job requirements. They’re most often used when candidates meet multiple interviewers, such as during sequential interviews, panel interviews, lunch interviews, or just before final hiring decisions are made.
A debrief is typically attended by the hiring manager, recruiter, and all interviewers involved in the interview process. Each attendee is given the opportunity to share their observations, impressions, and evaluations of each job candidate. This consolidated feedback can then be used to make more informed hiring decisions.
Why interview debriefs matter
Interview debriefs add an additional step to your hiring process, but the benefits can be well worth the extra effort.
Here are some advantages of holding interview debriefs with your hiring team:
How to structure an interview debrief
Format your interview debrief in a way that makes the most sense for your team.
If your interviewers leave hiring recommendations and really detailed feedback on their interview scorecards, your debrief may focus on discussing the strengths and weaknesses of only your top rated candidates. But if your interviewers give each candidate similar ratings, you may benefit from a more in-depth discussion.
Here are some elements you may want to include in your debrief:
1
Share your goals for the debrief
Begin your debrief with a clear agenda so your team knows what to expect. This includes sharing the list of candidates you’ll be discussing, the structure of your meeting, and the expected outcome of your conversation.
Then provide a brief overview of your role’s key requirements to remind everyone of the qualifications and competencies you want to see in a candidate.
2
Ask for overall impressions
Allow each interviewer to share their overall impression of the candidate. This may include a recommendation of whether the candidate should move forward in the hiring process and a brief explanation around why.
3
Hold a structured discussion
Guide the conversation through key evaluation areas such as technical skills, experience, soft skills, and cultural fit, beginning with the most important qualifications. Ask relevant interviewers to chime in based on their assigned focus area, and invite an open discussion for the rest of your team to share their observations or ask questions.
4
Address concerns
Open the floor for concerns and potential red flags, allowing interviewers to share any differing perspectives. Encourage participants to be specific about their concerns and provide concrete examples that support them.
Then discuss whether identified issues are deal-breakers or areas that could be addressed through training or on-the-job learning. This helps distinguish between serious issues and minor concerns that shouldn’t impact the final decision.
5
Share recommendations
Conclude your debrief by having each team member state their final hiring recommendation based on the discussion. The hiring manager may share their final decision at this point or simply gather the recommendations to decide at a later date (for instance, after reference checks are completed).
Best practices for successful interview debriefs
Following some best practices can help ensure your interview debriefs consistently deliver valuable insights and lead to better hiring decisions.
Complete scorecards before the debrief
Define specific, measurable criteria for evaluating candidates before the interview process begins, and use them to create scorecards that your team members will use during interviews.
Ask all interviewers to complete their scorecards before the debrief to ensure that they capture their evaluations while the experience is fresh in their minds. This practice can also help avoid groupthink, as each interviewer’s feedback is already documented.
Conduct the debrief shortly after interviews
Schedule your debrief as soon as possible after the interview, ideally within 24 hours. This ensures that observations and impressions remain fresh in everyone’s minds. Keep the meeting focused and efficient, typically lasting between 30-45 minutes. For senior positions or complex roles, you might need longer.
Maintain confidentiality
Treat all candidate discussions with strict confidentiality. Remember that today’s candidate might be tomorrow’s colleague, client, or business partner. Keep debrief conversations, feedback, and decisions within the hiring team, and ensure all documentation is stored securely. Encourage participants to be professional and respectful in their feedback, focusing on job-relevant observations rather than personal remarks.
Foster open communication
Create an environment where all participants feel comfortable sharing their honest opinions. Sometimes junior team members might hesitate to disagree with more senior colleagues, or team members might hold back negative feedback to avoid conflict. Address this by explicitly encouraging different viewpoints and emphasizing that disagreement is valuable for making better decisions.
A round-robin format where each participant shares their thoughts before opening up to general discussion ensures everyone has a chance to contribute.
Focus on evidence-based discussion
Encourage participants to support their evaluations with evidence from the interview. This might include specific answers the candidate gave, how they approached technical problems, or how they reacted to challenging questions.
Address biases proactively
Acknowledge that everyone has unconscious biases and implement strategies and training to minimize their impact on hiring decisions. For example, encourage participants to challenge their own and others’ assumptions by asking questions like “What specific evidence supports that conclusion?” or “How does this relate to the candidate’s ability to perform the role?”
Follow up with candidates
Most candidates (70%) said that receiving a clear reason for why they weren’t selected would leave them with a positive impression of the company. Interview debriefs are a great way to collect constructive feedback that can be passed on to the candidate.
Share two or three key points from the debrief discussion that would be most valuable for the candidate’s professional development. This kind of specific feedback helps candidates understand the decision while potentially improving their chances in future job searches.
Final thoughts on interview debriefs
Interview debriefs are more than just post-interview discussions — they’re strategic tools that can transform your hiring process and help you make more informed decisions.
Remember that perfecting your interview debrief process takes time and practice. Start with the basic structure outlined in this guide and gradually refine it based on your team’s needs and feedback. Pay attention to what works well and what needs adjustment, and don’t be afraid to modify your approach as your organization grows and evolves. With time and practice, interview debriefs will become an invaluable part of your hiring toolkit, helping your organization build the strong, capable team it needs to succeed.
