How to record and transcribe job interviews (with consent and fair notes)
Short answer
Get the candidate's consent in the invite and again on the recording, since several states require everyone's consent. Record in Zoom, Meet or Teams or in the browser, then upload for a timestamped transcript. Score answers against a rubric yourself; never let an AI summary pick a candidate.
Interview notes taken by hand are uneven: you write more when a candidate is interesting and less when you're tired, and a week later the panel argues about what someone said. A transcript fixes that. Everyone works from the same words.
This guide covers consent, how to record in person and on video calls, how to turn transcripts into structured notes, and how to keep an AI summary from quietly making the decision for you. It's general information, not legal advice.
Transcribe an interview in 3 steps
- 1
Ask for consent, then record
Tell the candidate in the invite that you'd like to record for note-taking, and ask again at the start so their yes is on the recording. For video interviews, record in Zoom, Meet or Teams; in person, record in your browser.
- 2
Upload and name the speakers
Upload the file to Dolcenota. In a few minutes you get a transcript with each person separated and timestamped. Rename Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 to the interviewer and candidate.
- 3
Write your notes from the evidence
Use the summary as a map, then score each answer against your rubric by reading what the candidate actually said. Export to Word or PDF for your applicant tracking system.
Consent comes first
Federal law allows recording when one party consents, but several states require everyone's consent, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, among others. Lists differ in the details, and video calls can cross state lines, so the simple rule is to get every participant's consent, every time.
If a candidate says no, take notes by hand and don't hold it against them. Recording should never be a condition of being considered.
Compare candidates from the same evidence
| Practice | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Ask every candidate the same core questions | Answers line up, so you compare like with like. |
| Score against a written rubric | Ratings tie to job criteria, not overall impressions. |
| Quote the answer with its timestamp | Panelists can check [00:14:05] instead of arguing from memory. |
| Score before you discuss | The loudest opinion doesn't set everyone's rating. |
Keep the AI summary in its place
Dolcenota's summary adapts to an interview and lists the main points, and you can ask the transcript questions like "What did she say about managing remote teams?" That saves time. It does not judge candidates, and it shouldn't.
A summary compresses, and compression drops nuance. Two candidates can give equally strong answers that summarize differently. Treat the summary as a starting point, read the actual answers for anything that affects a score, and never ask an AI to pick a winner. Some places, such as New York City, regulate automated tools that score or rank candidates. Dolcenota doesn't score anyone; people make the decision.
Only the audio of a video interview is transcribed. Faces, expressions and backgrounds are never analyzed.
Retention and deleting recordings
- Keep recordings only as long as your company's policy and any record-keeping rules that apply to you require.
- Store notes, not raw audio, where possible. You can delete a recording from Dolcenota anytime.
- Recordings are processed on Amazon Web Services (AWS), stored encrypted and never used to train AI models.
- Don't write notes about protected characteristics such as age, religion or health, even if they come up in conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I record a job interview without telling the candidate?
Don't. In many states it's illegal without everyone's consent, and it damages trust either way. Ask, and get the yes on the recording.
Does Dolcenota join my video interview?
No. There's no bot. You record the call in your video platform or browser and upload the file.
Can it tell me who the best candidate is?
No, and it isn't designed to. It transcribes and summarizes. Hiring decisions stay with people.
Does it work for interviews in Spanish?
Yes. English and Spanish are detected automatically, and you can translate the summary with one tap.
What does it cost?
You can start free with 60 minutes a month. Plus is $7.99 a month for 400 minutes, which covers about six hour-long interviews (as of October 2026).
Make your next debrief about evidence
Upload an interview and get a timestamped transcript with each speaker separated, plus a summary of the main points. Free to start.
Start free