Interview + agreement · one per employee · before you film
Employee story sheet
SeventhSlate
seventhslate.com
Employee / role
Months here
Date
Manager present?
☐ No (required)
Ask this, then the three follow-ups. Nothing else is scripted.

"Tell me about a day here that surprised you."

Follow-up 1
"What did you expect instead?"
Gets the before-state — where the tension is.
Follow-up 2
"What would you tell someone starting next week?"
Turns an anecdote into advice a candidate can use.
Follow-up 3
"What's still hard about it?"
Produces the sentence you'll hesitate to publish. Publish it.

Never suggest an answer. Employees are more compliant than customers, because their manager is in the building. Even with no reporting line, one subject in the 31 customer films we have delivered has ever asked us to change a cut. Compliance is the default, so the honesty has to come from the question.

The one cost we are leaving in
The test that unblocks HR: is this difficulty already discussed openly inside the company — in an all-hands, in onboarding? If yes, it can be said on camera. If no, the honest conclusion is that it is not yet safe to publish, which is worth knowing before you build a campaign on it.
Genuinely do not publish
☐ Anything identifying a colleague who did not consent
☐ Live personnel or legal matters
☐ Client-confidential detail
☐ Anything that exposes this employee later
That list is short. Everything else is a preference, and preferences are what the conversation above is for.
Agreed before filming · the departure question, decided while it isn't personal
☐ I have seen the cut before publication, and I can ask for changes or removal without giving a reason.
☐ If I leave, this film ☐ comes down on request   ☐ comes down automatically   ☐ stays, with the recording date shown.
☐ Takedown happens within ______ days of a request, and the rule applies however the employment ends.
☐ I understand this film may outlive my time here, and where it will be used: ☐ careers page ☐ job posts ☐ offer stage ☐ referrals ☐ onboarding.
Employee signature
On behalf of the company
Date
Practical production guidance, not legal advice — have your own counsel review any release. Free to copy and use · seventhslate.com/blog/employer-brand-storytelling