AI note taker for recruiters
Recruiters use an AI meeting assistant to give candidates their full attention on screening calls while still producing notes in the same structure for every candidate. Look for consistent templates, an honest answer on how notes reach your ATS, and a clear consent routine. Natively runs on your computer without a bot in the call; its Recruiting mode and Hiring templates are part of Pro.
By Evin JohnPublished 6 min read
Why screening notes drift
A recruiter can run several screens a day for different roles. The notes from the first call of the morning rarely look like the notes from the last one, and that inconsistency is where problems start.
- Uneven detail. The candidate who told a memorable story gets half a page; the quieter one with stronger experience gets three bullet points.
- Facts that matter later. Notice period, location, work authorization and salary expectations are easy to mishear and expensive to get wrong at offer stage.
- Intake drift. In the intake meeting the hiring manager calls one skill a must-have. Three weeks later it has quietly become optional, and nobody can point to what was said.
- Debriefs from memory. "I think she said she led that migration" is a weak basis for a hiring decision.
A screening call, start to finish
- Before the callSwitch to the Recruiting mode and choose the Hiring template, or Hiring (Advanced) for senior roles. With a calendar connected, the meeting takes the event's name, so the candidate's name is already on the notes.
- Open with consentSay that you take notes with an AI tool that transcribes the call, explain who will see them, and ask whether that is all right. If the answer is no, close Natively and take notes by hand.
- During the callListen and type only short markers. Near the end, ask Natively "have we covered notice period, location and salary expectations?" It answers from the live transcript, so gaps get filled before you hang up.
- Straight afterRead the generated notes against the transcript, especially numbers and dates. Then draft the candidate follow-up from the notes and, with Gmail connected, send it from your own account after you confirm.
- Hand-offExport the notes as PDF or Markdown and attach them to the candidate in your ATS, or send them to the hiring channel in Slack, a Notion page, a webhook or Zapier.
Structured notes as a check on bias
Structured interviewing works because every candidate is asked about the same things and assessed on the same evidence. Notes can support that or undermine it. Running every screen for a role through the same template means each candidate's notes have the same sections, so a missing section is visible instead of hidden in a paragraph.
Keep the judgement human. Use Natively to record what the candidate said, then write your own assessment separately. Do not ask the AI to rank or score candidates: a summary can drop or soften details, and a model's view of who sounded strongest is not evidence.
Fictional example
- Hiring manager
- In the debrief for a backend role: "Did Priya actually run on-call, or just join a rotation?"
- You ask Natively
- "What did Priya Nair say about on-call in her screen?"
- Natively
- In the screen on October 14 she said she was the primary on a weekly rotation for two years and wrote the escalation runbook after a payments outage.
- Your check
- You open that meeting's transcript and read the exchange in context. She said "I wrote the first version of the runbook"; the team revised it later.
- Outcome
- The panel moves on with an accurate answer instead of a guess, and the debrief note records the exact wording.
Recruiting meetings mapped to Natively
| Meeting | What to use | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate screening call | Recruiting mode with the Hiring template | Pro |
| Senior or structured interview | Hiring (Advanced) template | Pro |
| Hiring manager intake | Requirements Gathering template | Pro |
| Phone screen placed through your computer | Live transcription and General mode notes | Free |
| Candidate debrief | Ask across past meetings | Free |
| Follow-up to the candidate | Follow-up email draft, sent from Gmail | Free |
| Getting notes into the ATS | Export as PDF or Markdown; Slack, Notion, webhook or Zapier | Free |
Modes and templates are Pro features; the one-time 30-minute free trial is enough to run one real screen with them. Plan details are on the pricing page.
Candidates use AI tools too
Natively is built for both sides of an interview. Job seekers use its Looking for work and Technical Interview modes, and many other AI tools are aimed at candidates. Because tools like this run on the person's own computer and nothing joins the call, the participant list will not tell you whether anyone, on either side, is using one.
- Write your policy into the interview invitation: which tools are fine for preparation, and what is and is not allowed during a live interview.
- Tell candidates that you use an AI note taker yourself. It is hard to ask for openness you do not offer.
- Apply the same rule to every candidate for a role, and design assessments around reasoning and follow-up questions rather than recall.
Setting up Natively for recruiting
- Install and allow audio accessNatively runs on macOS 12 or later and Windows 10 or 11. It works with whatever call app you use, because it captures the computer's audio rather than joining the meeting.
- Pick a speech providerUse your own key for a provider such as Deepgram, Soniox or ElevenLabs, or an on-device model. Set the language, or auto-detect if you recruit across regions.
- Pick an AI modelYour own key for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or similar, a local Ollama model, or the Natively API.
- Connect calendar and GmailThe calendar names each screen after its event; Gmail lets you send the follow-up from your own address once you approve it.
- Set the hand-offConnect Slack or Notion, or a webhook or Zapier, depending on where your team keeps candidate notes.
What Natively does not do for recruiters
- It does not integrate with Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, Workday or any other ATS, and it does not fill in scorecards. Notes reach the ATS through an export you attach, or through Zapier or a webhook that you configure.
- It does not record video, and there is no mobile app that records calls. Phone screens need to run through your computer.
- It does not assess candidates. It transcribes and summarizes; the evaluation stays with you and the panel.
- Recruiting mode and the Hiring templates need Pro. On the free plan you get General mode notes.
Questions people ask
Does Natively integrate with Greenhouse, Lever or another ATS?
No. Natively has no ATS integration. Export notes as PDF or Markdown and attach them to the candidate, or send them to Slack, Notion, Zapier or a webhook that your team has set up.
Do I need to tell candidates I am using an AI note taker?
Yes. No bot joins the call, so nothing announces Natively for you. Tell each candidate at the start, get their agreement, and follow local recording-consent law and your company's hiring policy.
Are the Recruiting mode and Hiring templates free?
No. The Recruiting mode and the Hiring and Hiring (Advanced) templates are part of Pro, which you can try once in the 30-minute free trial. Transcription, General mode notes, follow-up drafts and exports are free.
Where to go next
Natively captures the call audio on your own computer, so no bot joins the meeting. Notes, recaps and answers come from the transcript.
Facts on this page were last checked on . Product details come from the Natively app itself; if something here is out of date, tell us at hello@heynatively.com.
