Brief a Hiring Manager on How to Interview Well

When to use it

The prompt

Write a one-page briefing for a hiring manager ahead of their interview with {{Candidate Name}} for the {{Job Title}} role. THEIR ASSIGNED FOCUS IN THE LOOP: {{e.g. ownership and scope, team leadership, the product problem}} WHAT OTHER ROUNDS ARE COVERING: {{so they don't repeat it}} WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE CANDIDATE: {{screen notes, earlier feedback, open questions from previous rounds}} WHERE THE CANDIDATE STANDS: {{keen, interviewing elsewhere, has a deadline, still deciding}} HOW OFTEN THIS MANAGER INTERVIEWS: {{rarely / regularly}} Include: 1. The two or three things only their round can resolve, phrased as questions they need answered by the end. 2. Three interview questions with a follow-up probe each, and what a strong answer sounds like next to a rehearsed one. 3. What to sell: the one or two things about this role the candidate cares about, based on what they said in the screen. 4. What not to ask: anything legally risky (age, family plans, health, religion, nationality and the like) and anything another round already covered. 5. A reminder to write notes during or straight after the call and submit the scorecard within 24 hours. Under 300 words, written for someone reading it two minutes before the call.

Tip

Include what to sell, not just what to assess. Hiring managers who rarely interview tend to spend the whole slot testing, and the candidate leaves without ever hearing why the person they'd report to wants them.

How to use it

Paste the prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or whichever assistant you use, then replace every {{bracketed}} part with your own detail. The more specific and messier your input, the better the output — a model given raw notes has more to work with than one given a tidy summary you wrote first.

More Hiring Manager Collaboration prompts

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