Interviewer code of conduct: a template every interviewer signs
On this page
- What should an interviewer code of conduct cover?
- The interviewer code of conduct template
- Which topics are off-limits, and why?
- How does the code fit structured interviewing?
- What does the code say about consent and note-taking?
- How should breaches be handled?
- How do you roll the code out?
- Questions people ask
An interviewer code of conduct is a one-page standard every interviewer signs before they interview: prepare and be on time, ask the agreed job-related questions and never raise protected characteristics, assess before selling, score independently with evidence before the debrief, keep candidate information confidential, follow the consent rules for recording and AI notes, avoid private contact and social media lookups, and declare conflicts. Below is a signable template built for structured interviewing, with the legal reasons behind each rule as of October 2026.
It sits beside the training, not in place of it: the interviewer training checklist teaches the skills, the common interviewer mistakes page shows what goes wrong, and this code is the commitment interviewers sign.
Not legal advice. The federal and state rules below were checked on the linked official sources as of October 2026. Recording consent, salary history and criminal history rules vary by state and city. Have counsel review the code for the places you hire.
What should an interviewer code of conduct cover?
| Commitment | Why it is in the code |
|---|---|
| Prepare and be on time | Candidates judge the employer by the interviewer, and an unprepared interviewer improvises questions |
| Ask the agreed questions | Structured interviews only work if every candidate gets the same core questions |
| Stay off protected topics | Questions about health, family plans, age or religion create evidence of discrimination even when unintended |
| Assess first, sell last | Selling early shortens answers and tilts the interviewer toward a yes |
| Score alone, on time, with evidence | Scores written after the debrief record the group's opinion, not the interviewer's evidence |
| Keep it confidential | Candidates share salaries, employers and personal details in confidence |
| Follow consent rules | Several states require every party's consent to record a conversation |
| No private contact or social media lookups | Keeps the assessment to the interview and out of protected information |
| Declare conflicts | A friend, relative or former colleague needs a different interviewer |
The interviewer code of conduct template
Copy it into your own document and replace everything in square brackets.
INTERVIEWER CODE OF CONDUCT
[Organization] Version [x] Effective [date] Owner: [role]
As an interviewer for [Organization], I agree to the following.
PREPARATION
1. I read the job description, the interview plan and my assigned
competencies and questions before the interview, and I review
the candidate's application [and nothing else about them].
2. I join on time, from a quiet place, with my camera on for video
interviews [unless the candidate asks otherwise]. If I cannot
attend, I tell [the recruiter] at least [24 hours] before.
THE INTERVIEW
3. I ask the questions assigned to me in the interview plan, in a
way that lets every candidate answer the same core questions.
I use follow-up questions to get the evidence behind an answer,
not to change the subject.
4. I do not ask about, comment on or note a candidate's race, color,
religion, sex, pregnancy or family plans, sexual orientation,
gender identity, national origin, age, disability or health,
genetic information or family medical history, marital status,
or any other characteristic protected where the job is located.
5. I do not ask about pay history [where prohibited / anywhere], or
about criminal history unless [the recruiter] confirms it is
permitted at this stage.
6. If a candidate raises a protected topic themselves, I do not
pursue it and I do not record it.
7. I assess first. I describe the role and answer the candidate's
questions in the time set aside for it at the end.
8. I treat every candidate with the same courtesy, and I make any
accommodation [the recruiter] has arranged.
RECORDING, NOTES AND AI
9. I record or transcribe an interview only with approved tools and
only after the candidate has been told and has agreed, using the
approved consent line. If the candidate declines, I take notes
by hand and it has no effect on my assessment.
10. My notes record what the candidate said and did that relates to
the competencies, not their appearance, accent or personal life.
11. I do not paste candidate information into unapproved AI tools.
SCORING AND FEEDBACK
12. I score each competency on the agreed scale, with evidence from
the interview, before I see anyone else's scores and before the
debrief, and within [24 hours] of the interview.
13. I do not discuss my view of a candidate with other interviewers
before submitting my scorecard.
14. In the debrief, I can change my score only by adding a written
reason.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONTACT
15. I keep everything I learn about a candidate confidential, share
it only with people involved in the hiring decision, and store
notes only in [approved system].
16. I do not contact candidates outside the process, look them up on
social media, ask for their passwords or account access, or
contact their references or employers, unless [the recruiter]
asks me to as part of the process.
17. I do not tell a candidate the outcome or make any promise about
pay, start date or offer. [The recruiter] does that.
CONFLICTS
18. Before the interview, I tell [the recruiter] if I know the
candidate personally, am related to them, have worked with them,
or have any other interest in the outcome, and I step aside if
asked.
BREACHES
19. If I make a mistake, such as asking a prohibited question, I
tell [the recruiter] the same day.
20. I understand that a breach of this code may lead to removal from
interview panels and to action under [the disciplinary policy].
Name: ____________________ Signature: ______________ Date: ______Which topics are off-limits, and why?
Clause 4 is broad on purpose: interviewers do not need to know the law to follow it. The reasons behind a few of the items, from primary sources:
| Topic | Source | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Disability and health | 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(2) | Before an offer, no questions about whether an applicant has a disability or about its nature or severity; questions about the ability to perform job-related functions are allowed |
| Family medical history | EEOC on GINA, 42 U.S.C. § 2000ff-1(b) | Employers may not request genetic information, which includes the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members |
| Social media access | Cal. Labor Code § 980(b), one example of a state rule | An employer may not require or request an applicant to disclose a username or password for personal social media, open it in the employer's presence, or divulge personal social media, with limited exceptions |
| Pay history and criminal history | State and city laws | Vary by location; see salary history bans and ban-the-box interview questions |
The full list, with a lawful alternative for each question, is in illegal interview questions; for age specifically, see age discrimination in hiring. For what can and cannot be done with a candidate's online profiles, see social media screening of candidates.
How does the code fit structured interviewing?
Clauses 3, 12, 13 and 14 are the structured interview, written as commitments. A structured interview means the same core questions for each candidate, a rating scale with anchors, and ratings made on evidence. The code adds the behavior that makes the structure hold: no drifting off the plan, scores submitted alone and before the debrief (see independent feedback before the debrief), and a written reason for any change. If scorecards arrive late, the code gives you something to point to; the practical fixes are in how to get interviewers to submit scorecards.
What does the code say about consent and note-taking?
Clause 9 is short because the detail lives in two other documents: the interview recording policy (which tools, storage, retention) and the consent script (the words said at the start of a call). Interviewers need to know three things: record or transcribe only with an approved tool, say the consent line and wait for a yes before capture starts, and switch to handwritten notes without comment if the candidate says no. Whether consent is legally required depends on where each person is; see is it legal to record a job interview and two-party consent states.
Clause 10 keeps notes to evidence. "Gave two examples of reconciling ledgers under deadline" helps the decision; "seemed nervous, strong accent" is a liability and helps nobody. The note-taking tips for recruiters show the difference. If your team uses an AI note taker, list it in the approved tools and say what it does with the audio. For example, Interview Signal, which we make, captures audio from the interviewer's own computer with no bot joining the call, keeps transcripts and notes on that computer, and includes a read-aloud consent line and a one-click pause. Whatever you use, clause 11 still applies to anything copied out of it.
Check your state. Clauses 5 and 9 depend on location.
- Recording consent: the all-party states, with state pages such as California, Illinois, Washington, Pennsylvania and New York.
- Criminal history and credit: California, New York, Illinois and the other ban-the-box rules; credit check laws.
- Everything at hire: state hiring checklists such as Texas, Colorado and Massachusetts.
How should breaches be handled?
Most breaches are slips, and the code works only if people report them. Treat them in three tiers:
- Process slips (late scorecard, off-plan question): a reminder, and the recruiter chases the missing evidence.
- Candidate-affecting slips (a prohibited question, a comment on appearance): keep the answer out of the record, decide whether another interviewer should repeat that part of the assessment, and retrain before the next interview.
- Deliberate or repeated breaches (sharing candidate details, contacting a candidate privately, hiding a conflict): removal from panels and action under the disciplinary policy.
Conflicts deserve their own note. Clause 18 is the interviewer's side of the employment of relatives policy; for candidates you know but are not related to, see how to interview someone you know.
How do you roll the code out?
- Make signing it part of interviewer training, before anyone interviews alone.
- Link it from every interview invite and the scorecard form, so it is one click away.
- Ask every interviewer to re-sign each year, and after any change to clauses 4, 9 or 16.
- Review a sample of scorecards each quarter for timing, evidence and any note that should not be there.
Questions people ask
What is an interviewer code of conduct?
It is a short written standard that every interviewer reads and signs before interviewing. It sets out how they prepare, which topics they never raise, how and when they score, how they keep candidate information confidential, the consent rules for recording or AI notes, how they declare conflicts, and what happens if they break the code.
Can an interviewer look up a candidate on social media?
The template on this page says no, outside a separate, documented screening process. Profiles show age, religion, pregnancy, disability and other protected characteristics that an interviewer then cannot unsee. Several states, including California, also bar employers from asking applicants for social media passwords or to open their accounts in front of the employer, and screening done by a third-party company can bring in the FCRA. Leave any approved screening to a separate, documented process.
Should interviewers sell the job during an interview?
Only after the assessment. Selling early turns the interview into a pitch, shortens the candidate's answers and tilts the interviewer toward a yes. A good code asks interviewers to finish the structured questions first, then leave time at the end for the candidate's questions and for describing the role.
What should happen if an interviewer asks an illegal interview question?
The interviewer should stop, say the candidate does not need to answer, keep the answer out of the notes and scorecard, and tell the recruiter the same day. The recruiter decides whether another interviewer should repeat the assessment, records what happened, and arranges retraining. A code of conduct should make reporting the slip the expected behavior, not a disciplinary risk.