What is candidate prep?
Candidate prep is the work of getting a candidate ready to perform at their interview. Every recruiter already does some version of it. This guide covers what it involves, why it decides placements, what good looks like, and how to offer it to every candidate you represent.
What does candidate prep mean?
Candidate prep is the work of getting a candidate ready to perform at their interview: understanding the role, practising answers out loud, getting feedback, and building confidence before the day. Every recruiter already does it in some form, usually ad hoc, one candidate at a time, with a quick phone call or a link to a generic video. Done properly, it is role-specific, rehearsed out loud, measured with scored feedback, and offered to every candidate you represent, not just the ones you had time to call.
Why candidate prep decides placements
You can source brilliantly and screen carefully, then lose the role in a 45 minute conversation you're not allowed to attend.
An underprepared candidate fails that conversation alone. They ramble through the opening question, go blank on something they could answer easily over coffee, undersell the work they're proudest of, or talk themselves out of a role they could genuinely do. Most recruiters know it, which is why prep already happens in pockets: a quick phone call the night before, a link to a generic video. Recruiters tell us the same thing again and again: they don't have time to prep every candidate properly.
- The fee. A failed placement hands back weeks of sourcing and screening with nothing to invoice.
- Client trust. A near miss at interview makes your shortlist look thinner than it really was.
- The candidate relationship. People remember who sent them in cold, and they talk.
- Momentum. The role reopens and the whole process starts again from the brief.
What good candidate prep looks like
A pep talk on the phone is better than nothing, but real preparation is more specific than that, and it leaves evidence. Whether it's done by a recruiter over coffee or an AI coach at 10pm, proper candidate prep has six marks.
- Role-specific practice. Questions built around the actual role and company, not a generic question bank.
- Rehearsal out loud. Interviews are spoken, so preparation should be too. Candidates need to hear themselves give their own answers before the day.
- Feedback with a score. Every practice session is measured against an interview performance rubric, so improvement is visible instead of assumed.
- Adapted to the candidate's personality. A two minute assessment reads their work personality, one of eight types, and the coaching shapes itself to how they naturally communicate.
- Private to the candidate. Practice only works when it's safe to be rough early. Nobody gets better while they feel watched.
- A readiness signal back to you. Good prep tells you who's walking in ready, without exposing anyone's practice sessions.
Coached candidates win. You can't coach them all. We can.
Recruiter Hub turns candidate prep from an ad hoc favour into part of the service, for every candidate you put forward.
Choose your plan and prep depth
Set the level per candidate: Quick is one session and 25 minutes, Standard is two sessions and 50 minutes, Deep is three sessions and 75 minutes.
Invite candidates by email
Each candidate receives a branded invitation and a free account. Nothing to install, nothing for you to chase.
They practise on their own time
Voice-first mock interviews with instant feedback, run whenever and wherever suits the candidate.
They share what they choose
Sessions are private by default. A candidate can share a standout result with you, like their best scored role play.
You review readiness analytics
See utilisation and completion across your candidates, plus whatever they've shared, and know who's ready before the day.
Recruiter Hub runs standalone or as an add-on to Hey Compono Business, from $8.50 USD per candidate per month, with the depth set per candidate. The practice itself is the same voice role play behind our interview practice coaching, scored against an interview performance rubric. It sharpens your clients' story too: they can tell applicants that every candidate gets interview prep as part of applying.
Built for agencies, ready for internal talent teams
Placement fees make the agency case obvious, but candidate prep matters anywhere interviews decide outcomes. Internal talent acquisition teams use Recruiter Hub so hiring managers meet candidates at their best rather than their most nervous.
- For agencies. Make prep part of the service you sell, and keep readiness data on your side of the table.
- For internal talent teams. Give every shortlisted candidate the same structured practice before they meet the hiring manager.
- Standalone or together. Recruiter Hub runs on its own or as an add-on to Hey Compono Business.
- Candidate-first privacy. Whoever runs the program, candidates control what they share.
“When I started my recruitment business 30 years ago, I wish I’d had something like this to help my clients understand themselves.”Andrew Banks, Entrepreneur and Investor
Common questions
What does candidate prep include?
Candidate prep covers everything that gets a candidate ready to perform at interview: understanding the role and company, practising answers out loud, getting feedback on those answers, and building confidence before the day. With Hey Compono it also includes a score for each practice session, so readiness is measurable rather than a feeling.
Whose job is candidate prep?
In agency recruitment it has traditionally sat with the recruiter, squeezed in around sourcing and client work. In internal teams it often belongs to nobody, which is why it rarely happens. Recruiter Hub makes it a defined part of the process, delivered by an AI coach, so it stops depending on whoever has a spare half hour.
How long does candidate prep take per candidate?
With Recruiter Hub you choose the depth per candidate: Quick is one 25 minute session, Standard is two sessions totalling 50 minutes, and Deep is three sessions totalling 75 minutes. Candidates practise in their own time, so your time is the invitation and a glance at the readiness analytics.
Does prepping candidates make interviews less honest?
No. Prep helps candidates show their real capability instead of losing the role to nerves. The interviewer still meets the real person and asks whatever they like; the difference is that the candidate has already practised saying out loud what they genuinely know.
What does it cost to offer candidate prep?
Recruiter Hub starts from $8.50 USD per candidate per month, with the prep depth set per candidate. It runs standalone or as an add-on to Hey Compono Business. See pricing for the current detail.
Can candidates keep their practice private?
Yes. Practice sessions are private by default. As the recruiter you see utilisation and completion, and a candidate can choose to share a standout result with you, like their best scored role play. Nobody reads their coaching conversations.
Send your next candidate in ready
Recruiter Hub gives every candidate you represent role-specific interview practice with scored feedback, plus readiness analytics on your side. From $8.50 USD per candidate per month.
Hey Compono provides coaching and guidance for personal and career development. It is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. Last reviewed July 2026.