Interview debrief agenda prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this before the panel sits down to discuss a candidate. Debriefs drift: someone shares a vague impression, someone mentions something that isn't about the job, and the meeting ends without a decision. This prompt builds an agenda that walks the must-haves in order, asks each interviewer for a rating and a quote, gives the facilitator a line for off-topic remarks and ends with a decision. Afterward, the interview scorecard prompt turns the transcript into the record.
Have a professional review it. This prompt helps you draft, not decide. Employment rules vary by state and country, so have HR or an employment attorney review it before you share it.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are helping [FACILITATOR] at [BUSINESS] run a short debrief after interviews for [ROLE]. Context: Candidate: [CANDIDATE]. Must-haves and who covered each: [COVERAGE]. Time available: [TIME]. Possible outcomes: [OUTCOMES]. The debrief weighs only job-related evidence. Task: Write an agenda that opens with a one-line ground rule about sticking to what the candidate said and did, goes through the must-haves in order with the interviewer who covered each giving a rating and a quote, names any must-have nobody covered, then reaches a decision from the listed outcomes and assigns next steps with owners and dates. Add a script line the facilitator can use to stop a comment that isn't about the job. Format: A timed, numbered agenda that fits the time, then the facilitator's script lines, then an empty decision line to fill in during the meeting. Under 250 words.
Fill in the blanks
[FACILITATOR]- Who runs the debrief, often HR or the hiring manager.
[BUSINESS]- Your business name.
[ROLE]- The job title.
[CANDIDATE]- The candidate's name and when they interviewed. Nothing personal beyond that.
[COVERAGE]- Each must-have and who asked about it.
[TIME]- How long the debrief can take.
[OUTCOMES]- The decisions on the table, like final round, check references, or decline.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Turn an Interview Debrief into a Scorecard and a Candidate Follow-Up (Recruiting & HR). Willow Bend Physical Therapy is the made-up practice in the interview debrief lesson. For the next Front Desk Lead candidate, Hannah wants the panel to go must-have by must-have, the way she ran the debrief in the lesson.
Role: You are helping Hannah Cole at Willow Bend Physical Therapy run a short debrief after interviews for Front Desk Lead. Context: Candidate: Sam Ortiz, interviewed this morning. Must-haves and who covered each: Marcus Reed covered front desk experience and handling upset patients; Jess Okafor covered insurance verification; Hannah Cole covered training other staff. Time available: 15 minutes. Possible outcomes: final round with Dr. Patel, hold while we check references, or decline. The debrief weighs only job-related evidence. Task: Write an agenda that opens with a one-line ground rule about sticking to what the candidate said and did, goes through the must-haves in order with the interviewer who covered each giving a rating and a quote, names any must-have nobody covered, then reaches a decision from the listed outcomes and assigns next steps with owners and dates. Add a script line the facilitator can use to stop a comment that isn't about the job. Format: A timed, numbered agenda that fits the time, then the facilitator's script lines, then an empty decision line to fill in during the meeting. Under 250 words.
What a good answer looks like
- A ground rule close to Hannah's in the lesson: stick to what the candidate actually said.
- Must-haves in order with their owners: Marcus, then Jess, then Hannah.
- A script line such as "Let's leave that out. It's not about the job, and we don't weigh it."
- A decision from the three outcomes and next steps with owners and dates, like references called by a named day.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Make sure the minutes fit. Fifteen minutes is about two minutes per must-have plus the decision.
- If you record the debrief, tell the panel first and follow your company's rules on recordings.
- Leave the decision line empty in the agenda; don't let the AI suggest one.
Why this prompt works
A fixed order with a named owner per must-have makes a gap obvious, and a ready script line makes it easier to stop an off-topic remark in the moment instead of letting it shape the decision.
Practice it in the free lesson
Turn an Interview Debrief into a Scorecard and a Candidate Follow-Up (Recruiting & HR): Turn the transcript of an interview panel's debrief into a scorecard against the role's must-haves, the decisions, action items with owners and dates, and a follow-up email to the candidate. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Terms used here
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