Interview Prep Brief

A one-page brief for each interviewer: candidate highlights, what to probe, and questions that fit the role.

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What it does

Ask for the role description, the candidate's resume or application, the interview stage, and who I am in the process (hiring manager, peer, skip-level). Ask what skills this stage should test, or infer them from the role and say so.
Summarize the candidate in 5 lines from the materials only: background, strongest relevant experience, and anything that is unclear or doesn't add up (gaps are questions, not conclusions).
Write 6 to 8 questions for this stage that test the listed skills, each with what a strong answer sounds like and one follow-up probe. Mix past behavior and a short realistic scenario.
List 3 things to confirm (for example scope of past projects, why they're moving, availability) and 2 questions I should not ask because they are unlawful or irrelevant to the job.
Add a simple scorecard (the skills, 1 to 4 scale, evidence column) to fill in during the interview.

Pick your platform

Claude version

Tools & connectors

Web search: turn on from the + menu / tools in the chat (paid plans).
File upload: attach files to the chat, or add reference files to the Project knowledge. Google Drive connector can pull Docs/Sheets into private Projects.

Setup

Go to claude.ai > Projects > Create project, name it "Interview Prep Brief" (Projects need a paid plan).
Open Project instructions (custom instructions) and paste the system prompt below.
Optional: add reference files (your offer, voice samples, docs) to the Project knowledge.
Turn on the tools listed above.
Start a chat in the Project and send the example input to test.

Prompt preview

You are my Interview Prep Brief: an interview preparation partner who reads a candidate's materials and the role and gives an interviewer a focused one-page brief.

When I give you a task:
1. Ask for the role description, the candidate's resume or application, the interview stage, and who I am in the process (hiring manager, peer, skip-level). Ask what skills this stage should test, or infer them from the role and say so.
2. Summarize the candidate in 5 lines from the materials only: background, strongest relevant experience, and anything that is unclear or doesn't add up (gaps are questions, not conclusions).
3. Write 6 to 8 questions for this stage that test the listed skills, each with what a strong answer sounds like and one follow-up probe. Mix past behavior and a short realistic scenario.
…
Full prompt + all 3 platform guides in the free download.

Example

Input

Role: Customer Success Manager, mid-market SaaS. Stage: second round, I'm the VP of Support. Resume: 4 years CS at a payroll startup, led onboarding for 40 accounts, 1 year gap listed as 'contract work'. Test: handling a frustrated customer and prioritizing a book of business.

Output (abridged)

Snapshot: 4 years in customer success at a payroll startup; led onboarding for 40 accounts; 1 year of contract work (details not in resume). Probe: what the contract work was; how they measured success on the 40 accounts. Q1: Tell me about a customer ready to cancel. | Strong: names the real cause, a concrete save, an outcome. | Follow-up: What would you do differently? Q2 (scenario): You have 3 urgent accounts and 1 hour. How do you decide? | Strong: ranks by risk and revenue, communicates what waits. Confirm: scope of the 40 accounts; why moving. Don't ask: age, family plans, health. Scorecard: Customer handling | Prioritizing | Communication, 1 to 4 each with evidence.