Interview Signal for in-person interviews: setup and what changes in a room
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Interview Signal works in a face-to-face interview through the laptop's own microphone. On the pre-interview screen, choose "In person" under "How are you speaking?" and the app transcribes both voices from that one microphone; nothing runs on the candidate's side. Because one microphone hears both people, the app cannot tell who is speaking, and that changes more than the speaker labels: suggestions and scoring wait for you to ask, scorecard quotes usually cannot be verified, and "Pause capture" replaces "Mute me". This describes version 0.9.10, current as of October 2026.
How do I set up an in-person interview?
- Put the laptop where its microphone can hear the candidate. Close anything that could play sound on it: the app treats whatever the computer plays as the candidate.
- Open the role and run "Test audio" under "1. Check your audio". Speak, and if you want proof, "Record 5 seconds" and play it back. The "Candidate" meter reads the computer's own sound, so in a quiet room it stays silent; that is expected. The audio check guide has the details.
- Under "2. The candidate", choose "In person" in "How are you speaking?". The list starts on "Video call" every time, so choose it for each in-person interview. The screen then says: "In a room, both voices reach the same microphone, so speaker labels will not be reliable. The transcript and scorecard still work."
- Decide on consent under "4. Consent". Reading the notice aloud before you begin is the simplest habit in a room; see consent features and the consent script.
- Press "Start interview". If the app says "System audio is not available — recording your microphone only. The candidate will not be transcribed.", that is about the computer's sound. In a room the candidate reaches you through the microphone.
What works the same in a room?
- The transcript, with both voices in it.
- The question guide, which ticks itself from what your microphone hears. Since the candidate's voice is on that microphone too, a question can tick when the candidate uses its words; click its circle to mark it asked or not asked.
- Pin, "+ Add", Ask the AI and your notes.
- The submittal at the end, in the role's template.
What works differently in person?
| Part of the app | On a call | In person |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker labels | You (your microphone) and Candidate (the computer's sound) | Everything the microphone hears appears under "You" |
| Follow-up suggestions | Appear after the candidate has been talking for a moment | Do not appear on their own; press ↻ ("Suggest again") after an answer |
| "Score as we go" | Scores after about ninety new words from the candidate | Does not start on its own; press "Evaluate" |
| Scorecard quotes | Checked against the candidate's words | Usually dropped, so areas show "Probe further" and any score above 5 is capped, with "Score capped — no quotable evidence yet" |
| Technical answer marks | Green and red marks on checked claims | Usually none, because they are checked against the candidate's words too |
| "Mute me" | Silences your side only | Refused: "In person, your microphone carries both voices, so muting it would stop the transcript and the scoring. Use Pause for an aside." |
| Currency in the submittal | Kept when the candidate named one | Any currency symbol on a figure is removed, and the note "Figures above are as the candidate stated them. No currency was named in the interview." is added |
The reason is the same each time. These features read the candidate's side of the transcript, and in a room that side is usually empty. The quote check is deliberately strict: a quote it cannot find in the candidate's words is removed rather than trusted, as the scorecard guide explains.
How do I get a usable scorecard from an in-person interview?
- Press "Evaluate" after each substantial answer. The model still reads the conversation and writes an assessment per area.
- Press "+" on each area and set "Your score", with a note if useful, then "Done". Your score replaces the capped one in the fit, the model's reading is kept underneath, and the area shows "you".
- Type what you noticed in "Your notes". The submittal uses notes as your observations, never as the candidate's words.
- On the review screen, read the submittal for quotes and for anything said by one of you but credited to the other, and check compensation figures and their currency before sending.
Can a panel interview in person?
Yes. Each interviewer runs the app on their own laptop and joins the same panel with a six-character code, and only the questions each interviewer marks as asked are shared between the laptops. Each laptop's microphone hears the whole room, so each transcript holds everyone. See panel interviews.
What it does not do in person
- It cannot separate two voices on one microphone. There is no speaker recognition.
- There is no mobile app; it needs an open laptop running Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 13 or newer. See the download page.
- It records no video and keeps no audio file.
- "Mute me" is unavailable; use "Pause capture" and "Resume capture", described in live controls.
For in-person interviews in general, including room setup and tools that record on a phone, see AI note taker for in-person interviews.
Questions people ask
Can Interview Signal be used for in-person interviews?
Yes, on a laptop in the room running the desktop app. Choose In person under How are you speaking? on the pre-interview screen and the laptop's microphone transcribes both voices. There is no mobile app, so a Windows or Mac laptop has to be open on the table.
Why does Interview Signal label the candidate as me in an in-person interview?
Interview Signal tells speakers apart by device: your microphone is you and the computer's sound is the candidate. In a room both voices reach your microphone, so everything is labeled as you. The app warns about this when you choose In person.
Why are the scorecard quotes missing after an in-person interview in Interview Signal?
Every scorecard quote has to be found in the candidate's side of the transcript, and in a room that side is usually empty because the candidate is heard through your microphone. Quotes that cannot be matched are dropped and scores above 5 are capped. Set your own score with the plus button on each area.
How do I take an aside during an in-person interview in Interview Signal?
Press Pause capture, then Resume capture. Mute me does not work in person, because your microphone is also carrying the candidate, and the app says so if you press it.