Candidate Brief Template
A proven, structured template used by recruitment consultants worldwide — plus an AI tool that generates a polished brief from your rough notes in 10 seconds.
What a great candidate brief contains
Seven sections that give clients everything they need to make a hire decision.
Candidate Overview
Name, current title, location, years of experience, and availability
Professional Summary
2–3 sentences capturing background, expertise, and career stage
Key Strengths
Bullet list of 4–6 standout competencies drawn from the interview
Career History
Brief reverse-chronological role list with company and tenure
Motivations
What the candidate is looking for — culture, challenge, progression
Compensation & Availability
Current package, target salary, and notice period
Recruiter Notes
Internal assessment, red flags, and recommended next steps
The template
Copy this template and fill in the sections after your screening call. Or use the AI generator below to do it automatically.
CANDIDATE BRIEF
Prepared by [Your Name] · [Date]
CANDIDATE OVERVIEW
Name: [Full Name]
Current Title: [Job Title] at [Company]
Location: [City / Remote preference]
Years of Experience: [X years]
Availability: [Notice period or start date]
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
[2–3 sentences. Background, core expertise, career stage. Avoid copying the CV — write in third person as if introducing to a client.]
KEY STRENGTHS
· [Strength 1]
· [Strength 2]
· [Strength 3]
· [Strength 4]
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
[Most recent role] — [Company] ([Start]–[End])
[Previous role] — [Company] ([Start]–[End])
[Earlier role] — [Company] ([Start]–[End])
MOTIVATIONS & WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR
[What is driving their move? Culture, compensation, challenge, progression? Be specific.]
COMPENSATION & AVAILABILITY
Current Package: [Salary + bonus + benefits]
Target Package: [Expected salary range]
Notice Period: [X weeks/months]
RECRUITER NOTES (INTERNAL)
[Assessment, motivation level, any concerns, recommended next steps]
Template vs AI generator
Both work. Here is the difference.
Manual template
- Free to copy and use immediately
- Full control over every word
- Works without an account
- —Takes 20–40 minutes to complete
- —Requires strong writing skills
- —Hard to maintain consistency across the team
AI generator
- Free — 5 briefs per day, no credit card
- Done in under 10 seconds
- Consistent, professional tone every time
- Multi-language output (Premium)
- No writing skill required — just rough notes
- Saves 5+ hours every week