Two Examples of Interview Transcriptions

When interviewing someone for a job, you’ll want to write down some notes, but that means you might miss out on essential parts of the conversation. With an interview transcript, you don’t have to face that dilemma. Simply record the discussion and send it over to be transcribed.

A company like GoTranscript will deliver a text of the interview formatted in one of the following ways. Why are there two formats? Well, it’s a matter of preference and usage. 

Full Verbatim Interview Transcript Example

This first example of an interview transcript format follows the speech exactly as it is and includes utterances and false starts. Choose full verbatim when you want to verify how well-spoken the interviewee is. Some job positions are best filled with a confident speaker, not one who stutters and cannot finish a sentence without rushing to start another. 

Interviewer: Okay, let’s start. I’m going to ask you a few questions, and, uh, you can answer them as you see fit.

Interviewee: Okay. 

Interviewer: Um, so, first things first. How old are you?

Interviewee: Um, I’m 25 this year. 

Interviewer: Okay. Um, so, what do you know about-- Hang on. Before that, what are you doing at the moment?

Interviewee: Well, I-I-I just finished an internship at my uncle’s company. He runs a, um- like a furniture factory.

Interviewer: And--

Interviewee: Oh, well, I helped him with, you know, ordering and stuff. It wasn’t very-- I only did it because I needed the experience. It’s not something I want to return to.

Interviewer: Alright. Now, what do you know about HR?

Interviewee: [coughs] Sorry. In my last semester in college, I took an HR course. It was interesting. We kinda learned about-about hiring and retaining employees and that sorta thing.

Interviewer: That sounds very thorough.

Interviewee: [laughs] It was alright. Anyway, I-- Hmm, I realized that it’s a field I wouldn’t mind trying out.

Interviewer: Great. So what do you know about our company?

Interviewee: Mm, not much, exactly. I think-- Okay, so I read about what you guys do on the cab ride over.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm.

Interviewee: You know, there isn’t much on your Facebook page.

Interviewer: Did you check out our website?

Interviewee: Right. I, uh, didn’t think about doing that.

Interviewer: [laughs] That’s unfortunate. Well, we’re an international logistics firm, and we handle the import and export of products between Asia and the US.

Interviewee: Oh. 

Interviewer: Okay. Well, I know we just started, but I’ve gotta run. 

Interviewee: But--

Interviewer: We’ll pick this up later. I’ll call you.

Interviewee: Um, okay. Bye.

[00:02:01] [END OF AUDIO] 

Clean Verbatim Interview Transcript Example

Clean verbatim is still a precise transcript, but without distractions like filler words, utterances, and false starts. You are still getting the entire conversation, so don’t worry about missing out. By selecting this format, you’ll be reading the salient points of the interview. 

Interviewer: Okay, let’s start. I’m going to ask you a few questions and you can answer them as you see fit.

Interviewee: Okay. 

Interviewer: First things first. How old are you?

Interviewee: I’m 25 this year. 

Interviewer: Okay. What do you know about-- Hang on. Before that, what are you doing at the moment?

Interviewee: Well, I just finished an internship at my uncle’s company. He runs a furniture factory. Well, I helped him with ordering and stuff. It wasn’t very-- I only did it because I needed the experience. It’s not something I want to return to.

Interviewer: Alright. Now, what do you know about HR?

Interviewee: [coughs] Sorry. In my last semester in college, I took an HR course. It was interesting. We learned about hiring and retaining employees and that sort of thing.

Interviewer: That sounds very thorough.

Interviewee: [laughs] It was alright. Anyway, I realized that it’s a field I wouldn’t mind trying out.

Interviewer: Great. So what do you know about our company?

Interviewee: Not much, exactly. I read about what you guys do on the cab ride over. There isn’t much on your Facebook page.

Interviewer: Did you check out our website?

Interviewee: Right. I didn’t think about doing that.

Interviewer: [laughs] That’s unfortunate. Well, we’re an international logistics firm, and we handle the import and export of products between Asia and the US. Okay. Well, I know we just started, but I’ve got to run. We’ll pick this up later. I’ll call you.

Interviewee: Okay. Bye.

[00:02:01] [END OF AUDIO] 

Timestamping

Both full and clean verbatim interview formats can also include timestamps to make it easier for you to reference the audio file while reading the text.  

Automated vs. Human Transcription

You can get your interview transcribed by an automated program. This is a fast way to get a transcript, but chances are, it will be riddled with mistakes. Unless your conversation consists of properly enunciated words at each turn, the software won’t be able to deliver a precise written record of what was said. 

Humans are still the best at producing an exact transcript. They understand slang words and can deliver maximum accuracy. It will take longer compared to automatic speech recognition, but we all know that it’s better not to rush when filling an important position. 

Go With the Pros

Thankfully, with the existence of trustworthy companies like, you have an affordable way to transfer audio to text. Having interview transcripts to refer to indeed makes hiring a breeze.