Telegram interview guide
Learn how to share interview links with candidates, understand what they'll experience when chatting with Miss Corn, and track their progress from your dashboard.
Overview
Miss Corn is your Telegram interview assistant. When you create a job, Cornjob automatically generates a unique Telegram link for that position. Share this link with candidates, and Miss Corn will guide them through a conversational interview directly in Telegram. All responses sync instantly to your dashboard, where you can review answers, scores, and candidate insights.
How it works
Three simple steps from link to hired
1. Share: Send the Telegram link to candidates via email, LinkedIn, or job boards
2. Chat: Candidates answer interview questions in a natural conversation with Miss Corn
3. Review: Access complete interview reports in your dashboard within minutes
Why Telegram?
Telegram is fast, accessible worldwide, and works on any device without requiring candidates to create new accounts or download special apps. Most candidates already have Telegram or can access it instantly via web browser.
Getting your bot link
Every job you create automatically gets its own unique Telegram link. You'll find this link in two places: the Jobs dashboard and the individual job details page. Only jobs with status "Active" will have working links - inactive or archived jobs cannot accept new candidates.
Finding your link
Two buttons available for each active job
Option 1: Open Bot Link
Opens Telegram directly with the interview link pre-loaded. Great for testing the candidate experience yourself.
Option 2: Copy Link
Copies the full Telegram URL to your clipboard. Use this to paste into emails, LinkedIn messages, or job board descriptions.
Sharing with candidates
Once you have your link, share it anywhere you connect with candidates. The link works across all platforms and devices - no special setup required for candidates.
Best practices for sharing
Maximize your response rates
✅ Include context
"Hi [Name], we're excited about your background! Please complete this 15-minute interview via Telegram: [link]"
✅ Set expectations
"The interview takes about 15-20 minutes. You'll chat with our assistant Miss Corn, who will ask you questions about your experience. You can pause and resume anytime."
✅ Provide timeline
"We'll review your responses within 48 hours and reach out if you're a good fit for the next stage."
Response rates
Messages with clear context ("We reviewed your LinkedIn and think you'd be great for...") get 3-4× higher completion rates than generic "Apply here" links. Personal outreach beats mass emails every time.
The candidate journey
Understanding what candidates experience helps you set proper expectations and provide support if they have questions. Here's the complete journey from clicking your link to submission.
Journey overview
What candidates see from start to finish
Step 1: Click your Telegram link → Telegram opens automatically
Step 2: Miss Corn introduces the job and explains how the interview works
Step 3: Candidate agrees to terms and starts the interview
Step 4: Miss Corn asks questions one at a time, candidate responds naturally
Step 5: After all questions, Miss Corn requests contact information
Step 6: Candidate submits and receives confirmation instantly
Step 7: Interview appears in your dashboard with analysis ready to review
Starting the interview
When a candidate clicks your link, Miss Corn welcomes them with key information about the job and interview process. She explains how the conversation will work, provides helpful tips for great answers, and displays the terms and conditions they need to agree to before starting.
Welcome message
What candidates see when they first open the link
🎯 Job: Senior Product Designer
🏢 Company: Acme Design Studio
[Job description appears here]
📋 How it works
• You'll answer interview questions here in chat
• Important: Each question accepts only one message as your answer
• You can pause anytime and resume later with the same link
• Your answers will be analyzed and shared with the recruiter
💡 Tips
• Be clear and honest about your experience
• Keep answers focused (3-8 sentences is fine)
• Provide concrete examples when possible
⚠️ Important Notice
• All answers are automatically checked to detect AI-generated content
• Using AI tools (ChatGPT, etc.) to write your answers may result in automatic disqualification
• We value authentic responses that reflect your real experience
📄 By tapping "Yes", you confirm you've read and agree to the Terms
Completed interviews
If a candidate tries to start an interview they've already completed, Miss Corn lets them know: "This interview is already finished. If you want to start a new one, use /start <jobId>." Each candidate can only complete an interview once per job.
Answering questions
After agreeing to start, Miss Corn asks interview questions one at a time. The candidate responds naturally in the chat, and Miss Corn automatically moves to the next question after receiving each answer. This conversational flow makes the interview feel relaxed and personal.
Question flow
How questions and answers work in the chat
Miss Corn: Tell me about a challenging project you worked on. What was your role and how did you contribute to the outcome?
[Candidate types their answer]Candidate: In my last role, I led the redesign of our mobile app. I conducted user research with 50 participants, created wireframes and prototypes, and worked closely with developers to implement the new design. The result was a 40% increase in user engagement.
Miss Corn is typing...Miss Corn: Great! Next question...
Typing indicator
Miss Corn shows "typing..." while preparing the next question. This lets candidates know the bot is working and they'll receive the next question momentarily. It creates a more natural conversation feel.
What happens with extra messages
If a candidate sends messages out of order
Scenario: Candidate sends a message before answer is expected
• Miss Corn silently ignores messages sent before questions
• Only the first message after each question is recorded
• Additional messages after answering are ignored
This prevents accidental double answers and keeps the interview flow clean.
Providing contact information
After answering all interview questions, Miss Corn asks candidates to share their contact information. Candidates can provide multiple contact methods: email, LinkedIn, GitHub, resume upload, or personal website. At least one contact method is required to complete the application.
Contact collection menu
Options presented after interview questions are complete
🎉 Fantastic! You've completed the interview. Thank you for sharing your insights.
Now, how would you like to share your contact information with us? You can choose one or more options:
Providing each contact type
What candidates experience for each option
Miss Corn asks: "Please enter your email address"
Candidate types: john@example.com
Miss Corn confirms: "✅ Email received!"
Miss Corn asks: "Please share your LinkedIn profile URL"
Candidate types: https://linkedin.com/in/johnsmith
Miss Corn confirms: "✅ LinkedIn profile saved!"
📄 Resume Upload
Miss Corn asks: "Please upload your resume (PDF or DOCX only)"
Candidate attaches PDF file
Miss Corn confirms: "✅ Resume uploaded successfully!"
After providing contacts
Menu updates to show what's been provided
Please choose how you'd like to share your contact information:
✅ Already provided:
Choose additional contact methods or finish:
Finishing and submission
Once candidates have provided at least one contact method, the "Finish & Submit Application" button becomes available. Clicking this submits all their interview answers and contact information to your dashboard. The candidate receives instant confirmation, and the interview becomes available for you to review.
Submission process
What happens when candidate clicks Finish
Step 1: Candidate clicks "Finish & Submit Application"
Miss Corn is processing...Step 2: Confirmation message
✅ Thank you! Your application has been submitted successfully.
We'll review your information and get back to you soon.
After submission
Interview appears in your dashboard
In your dashboard, you'll see:
• All interview answers
• Candidate contact information
• Analysis score and insights
• Questions per minute (QPM) metric
Instant sync
Interview submissions appear in your dashboard within seconds. You can start reviewing candidates immediately - no waiting period or batch processing delays.
Safety features and limits
Miss Corn includes built-in protections to prevent spam, ensure quality responses, and protect the interview experience. These limits keep the system running smoothly while blocking malicious or low-effort behavior.
Message rate limits
Protecting against spam and rushed answers
Automatic limits:
• Maximum 10 messages per minute
• Maximum 100 messages per hour
• 60-second cooldown if limits are exceeded
What candidates see when rate limited:
⚠️ You're sending messages too quickly. Please wait 43 seconds before trying again.
The countdown updates in real-time showing exact seconds remaining.Normal vs rushed pace
Why rate limits rarely affect real candidates
✅ Normal interview pace (never hits limits)
• Candidate reads question: 20-30 seconds
• Candidate types thoughtful answer: 180-240 seconds
• Miss Corn prepares next question: 5-8 seconds
Total per question: ~90-120 seconds = Safe pace
⚠️ Rushed pace (may trigger limits)
• Candidate sends answer immediately: 60 seconds
• Next answer immediately: 60 seconds
• Next answer immediately: 60 seconds
Risk: 10+ messages in 60 seconds = Rate limit triggered
Recovery after cooldown
What happens when the 60 seconds expire
After cooldown period:
✅ Candidate can send messages normally again
✅ Interview continues from where they left off
✅ No progress is lost
✅ No penalty applied to their application
The system simply asks them to slow down temporarily, then everything works normally.Expected timeline
Help candidates understand how long the interview process takes from start to finish. This sets proper expectations and improves completion rates.
Full interview timeline
Average time for each stage
Stage 1: Opening the link (15-30 seconds)
• Candidate clicks Telegram link
• Telegram opens (instant if app is installed)
• Miss Corn displays job details and instructions
• Candidate reads welcome message and agrees to terms
Stage 2: Answering questions (10-25 minutes)
• Typical interview: 8-12 questions
• Average per question: 1-2 minutes (reading + typing)
• Fast candidates: 10-15 minutes total
• Thoughtful candidates: 20-25 minutes total
Stage 3: Contact information (2-3 minutes)
• Candidate selects contact method (email, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Types or uploads information
• Clicks "Finish & Submit Application"
Stage 4: Submission & confirmation (5-10 seconds)
• Miss Corn processes submission
• Candidate receives confirmation message
• Interview appears in your dashboard
Total time: 25-40 minutes on average
Set expectations in your outreach
Include this in your message when sharing the link: "The interview takes 25-40 minutes. There's no time limit per question, so take your time to provide thoughtful answers. You can pause and resume if needed."
Completion time distribution
Real data from candidate interviews
How long do real candidates take?
• Under 15 min: 15% (often rushed, lower quality)
• 15-25 min: 50% (ideal - balanced speed and quality)
• 25-45 min: 25% (very detailed, high-quality answers)
• Over 45 min: 10% (extremely thorough or struggled)
The QPM (Questions Per Minute) metric in your dashboard helps distinguish confident experts (fast + high score) from rushed candidates (fast + low score).Tracking candidate progress
Your dashboard updates in real-time as candidates progress through interviews. You can see who's started, who's finished, and access complete interview reports as soon as they're submitted.
Candidate status indicators
What each status means in your dashboard
Candidate hasn't clicked the Telegram link yet. May need a reminder or follow-up.
Candidate opened the link and started answering questions but hasn't finished. They may have paused or been interrupted.
Interview fully submitted with all answers and contact information. Report is ready to review.
Real-time updates
How quickly dashboard reflects changes
Answer submitted: Appears in dashboard within 2-3 seconds
Interview completed: Status updates instantly
Analysis generated: Ready within 2-5 minutes after submission
Report button: Unlocks as soon as analysis completes
Common scenarios
Real-world situations you may encounter and how Miss Corn handles them automatically.
Scenario 1: Candidate accidentally closes Telegram
Interview progress is preserved
What happens:
1. Candidate is answering questions when Telegram app closes (low battery, switched apps, etc.)
2. Candidate reopens Telegram and clicks the original link again
3. Miss Corn recognizes them: "You have already started this interview. Would you like to continue where you left off?"
4. Candidate clicks "Yes" and resumes from the next unanswered question
Result: No answers lost, seamless continuation
Scenario 2: Candidate sends wrong file type
Miss Corn provides clear guidance
What happens:
1. Candidate clicks "Upload PDF Resume"
2. Candidate uploads an image file (JPG, PNG) instead of PDF
3. Miss Corn responds: "❌ We only accept PDF or Word documents. Please upload your resume again."
4. Contact menu reappears so candidate can try again
Result: Clear error message, easy to correct
Scenario 3: Candidate tries to answer before question
Miss Corn ignores out-of-order messages
What happens:
1. Miss Corn is preparing the next question (typing indicator showing)
2. Impatient candidate sends a message before question appears
3. Miss Corn silently ignores the message (doesn't record it as an answer)
4. Question appears normally
5. Candidate's next message after the question IS recorded
Result: Only properly-timed answers are recorded
Troubleshooting
Common issues and how to resolve them quickly.
How to enable 'Open in Web' button
Step-by-step guide to ensure browser access
📱 For mobile candidates:
1. Install the Telegram app from App Store or Google Play
2. Sign in with phone number and verification code
3. Click the interview link - it will open directly in the app
✅ Result: "START BOT" button opens Miss Corn in the Telegram app
💻 For desktop/laptop candidates:
Option A - Use Telegram Web (no installation):
1. Open https://web.telegram.org in a new tab
2. Sign in with phone number (one-time setup)
3. Keep Telegram Web open and click the interview link
✅ Result: Both "START BOT" and "OPEN IN WEB" buttons appear - click "OPEN IN WEB"
Option B - Install Telegram Desktop app:
1. Download from https://desktop.telegram.org
2. Install and sign in with phone number
3. Click the interview link - it opens in the desktop app
✅ Result: "START BOT" button opens Miss Corn in Telegram Desktop
What to include in your message to candidates
When sharing the interview link, add this helpful note: "You'll need Telegram to complete the interview. If you don't have it installed, you can use Telegram Web (no download required) by visiting https://web.telegram.org first, then clicking the interview link. The interview takes 15-20 minutes."
Issue: Candidate says interview won't start
Check job status and credits
Problem:
Candidate reports that clicking your link shows an error or nothing happens.
Common causes:
• Job was archived after you sent the link
• Not enough credits in your account
• Telegram maintenance or temporary outage
Solutions:
1. Verify job status is "Active"
2. Check your credit balance in dashboard
3. Test the link yourself using "Open Bot Link"
4. If job was archived, reactivate it and share link again
Issue: Interview not appearing in dashboard
Check filters and candidate status
Problem:
Candidate says they completed the interview but you don't see it in your dashboard.
Common causes:
• Status filter set to "Completed" only, but candidate only started (not finished)
• Looking at wrong job in dashboard
• Candidate provided contact info but didn't click "Finish & Submit"
Solutions:
1. Remove all status filters to see all candidates
2. Check the correct job page (verify job title)
3. Look for candidate in "In Progress" status
4. Ask candidate to confirm they clicked "Finish & Submit"
Next steps
You now understand how to share Miss Corn interview links and what candidates experience. Learn how to review candidate reports and make hiring decisions in the next section.
Continue to candidate reports