What are interview transcripts in Alva?
When an interview scheduled through Alva is recorded, Alva creates a written transcript of the conversation. You can open the transcript from the interview scorecard to review what was discussed.
If scorecard suggestions are enabled, the transcript is also used to prepare evidence, draft comments, and suggested scores for each criterion. These suggestions support your assessment - you still decide what to write, which score to give, and when to publish the scorecard.
š”Keep in mind: Suggestions reflect what was said during this interview. They do not assess the candidateās personality or state of mind, provide a complete view of the candidate, or make hiring decisions. Use them as one input alongside your own judgement and the other assessment results.
For information about how Alva uses AI, see AI recommendations in Hiring System.
Before you start
The transcript and scorecard suggestions are available when:
The meeting was recorded and transcribed.
Your organisation has scorecard suggestions enabled.
When these requirements are met, a Scheduled interview upcoming banner appears at the top of the scorecard. It shows the interview date and time and confirms that the transcription will be uploaded and analysed when available.
If you expect a transcript and suggestions but do not see the banner, check that the interview was scheduled through Alva before the meeting takes place.
If suggestions are unavailable, you can still complete the scorecard manually.
After a transcribed interview
When you have finished an interview that Alva agent transcribed, you do not need to do anything else. Alva automatically prepares the transcript and scorecard suggestions.
The transcript may become available before the suggestions have finished processing. You do not need to keep the page open - return to the interview later to check whether they are ready.
Open the scorecard and transcript
When the transcript is available, the interview has two tabs:
Scorecard - review the interview criteria, write comments, and score the candidate.
Transcript - read the written transcript of the interview.
Review the scorecard suggestions
When the suggestions are ready, a blue star icon
identifies text and information suggested by Alva agent. If you took notes during the interview, they appear at the top of the text field for each question, with the suggested comment below them.
Review and edit the suggested comment so that it reflects your own assessment. The text left in the field is included when you publish the scorecard.
Reveal the suggested score
The suggested score is blurred until you select your own score. This helps you make an independent assessment before comparing it with the suggestion from Alva agent.
After you score the criterion:
The score suggested by Alva agent is revealed.
Click Why? to read the reasoning behind the suggested score.
Review the supporting evidence
Click Review agent evidence to see the quotes from the interview that were used as evidence for the suggested comment and score. Open the Transcript tab if you want to review the surrounding conversation.
Review and complete the scorecard
Work through each criterion separately:
Read the evidence. Open the transcript if you need to see the quote in context.
Review the suggested comment. Edit or replace it so that it reflects your assessment. The text left in the field is included when you publish the scorecard.
Enter your own score.
Compare the scores. After entering your score, the suggested score appears next to it. Keep your original score or change it if needed.
Continue through the remaining criteria and publish the scorecard when your assessment is complete.
š”Note: Your score and comment are the ones that count. Suggestions are not published automatically, and the scorecard is not submitted until you publish it.
If a criterion was not covered
A criterion marked as not covered means that Alva could not find relevant information in the interview transcript. It does not describe the candidateās ability.
Use your own information to score the criterion, or leave it unanswered and explain why.
Check the transcript and suggestions
The suggestions are based on the interview transcript and the criteria in your interview template. The quality of both can affect the evidence, comments, and scores suggested by Alva agent.
Transcript quality
The transcript may be less accurate when:
The audio quality is poor.
Several people speak at the same time.
Names or technical terms are difficult to recognise.
Parts of the conversation are unclear or difficult to hear.
This can result in incorrect words, missing information, or comments being attributed to the wrong speaker.
Interview content and criteria
Alva agent can only use information that was discussed during the interview. The suggestions may be less useful when:
A question was not asked or answered.
Important information was not said aloud.
A criterion or its scoring guidelines are unclear.
The scoring guidelines do not describe observable behaviours.
If Alva agent cannot find relevant information for a criterion, it marks the criterion as not covered instead of suggesting a score.
What to check
The transcript and suggestions are starting points for your assessment. Review them before publishing the scorecard.
What to check | What to do |
A word appears incorrect or changes the meaning of an answer | Open the transcript around the quote and compare it with what you remember from the interview. |
A comment is attributed to the wrong speaker | Review the surrounding lines to confirm who said it. |
The evidence does not support the suggested comment | Base your assessment on the evidence and edit the comment. |
Important information is missing | Add anything relevant that you observed or noted during the interview. |
The suggested score does not match the evidence | Use your own judgement and enter the score you consider appropriate. |
If a suggestion is incorrect, edit it. Correcting a comment or choosing a different score is a normal part of using the scorecard.
š”For admins: Organisation admins can manage interview transcript settings for the whole organisation in Default Settings.
Use suggestions in panel interviews
When several interviewers are assigned to the interview:
Everyone can see the same transcript, evidence, and suggestions.
Each interviewer completes their own scorecard.
Your scores and comments remain separate from the other interviewersā assessments.
A suggested score appears separately for each interviewer after they enter their own score.
Give feedback on the suggestions
At the bottom of the interview scorecard, use the feedback form to send feedback directly to the product team.
Under Were the agent suggestions helpful?, select the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon. You can then add more detail about what worked well or what could be improved before submitting your feedback directly to the product team.
Any Questions?
Use the chat in the bottom right corner to connect with a member of our support team.
