Prompt cards at job interview

[Blastandtroph]

Interested in thoughts about this.

Would you take prompt cards into an interview (as an interviewee)?

As an interviewer, how you would perceive this?

The context is an interview for a professional role with Masters level training alongside.

I wouldn't take cards, but I would and have taken a nice notebook, with comments and questions written down.

Any thoughts from interviewers?

It depends on the interviewer and the employer.

In the civil service they're accepted and you won't be penalised for using them, unless you become so absorbed in them that you don't communicate well/ you become scripted.

Other employers may be less amenable, some they will be looked down on. It would be polite to ask first.

It's a no from me. But having your cv in front of you is OK.

I've had a web diagram with my competency examples on. Never been a problem.

I didn't take cards but did take to taking a notebook last time I applied for jobs, so I could have questions etc written down, and any key points.

I applied for 5 jobs, got 5 interviews and got 5 job offers. So it didn't seem to cause too much consternation.

It would look bad to me as an interviewer.

I need to know that you are articulate, confident, can absorb information and can think on your feet.

Prompt cards would make me assume that at least one of those things wasn't the case.

DH uses a single sheet of A4 with bullet points for his best examples. Places it on the desk in front of him and only refers to it when necessary.
He got the last job he went for. Private sector.

I've considered it but fear I'd find it too distracting.

A note book with a few prompts and a note of the questions you want to ask looks well prepared.

Interviewed last week and candidate had a few pages of notes on the company - things like products, competition, our accounts. And a few observations and thoughts. Came across as well prepared and efficient.

Others have had their questions noted down and again looks well prepared to say - yes I do have a few questions and then look down at book.

No problem therefore if you have a few prompts for yourself hidden in there but I wouldn't expect a candidate to look at their notes much/at all when having a conversation about their background and experience or telling me about projects they had worked on.

I've always been happy for people to bring notes or their CV in with them. It's not an exam and shows you care and are prepared... When I worked as a careers adviser I would advise my clients to do this.

I've not done it but I do take a copy of my CV/application with me in case they refer to it and I want to check for context. I always take in a notebook with potential questions to ask and get this out when I ask questions. Next time I may take an A4 sheet with key points on, it wouldn't have bothered me as an interviewer but I wouldn't want any nervous shuffling of papers or reading directly from notes.

Interesting replies, thank you.

As a PP said I feel there is perception that you should hold everything you need to say in your head. A colleague and I were discussing this today as I have some interviewing coming up. I'd like to think that I would see the prompts as being organised and well prepared unless the candidate was completely relying on their notes.

Blastandtroph Any thoughts from interviewers?

Ok, well as an interviewee I've done what I said in my post.

As an interviewer I have no problem at all with people doing just that. It makes them look like they have prepared and not just rolled out of bed and come along that day.

Does that meet your approval?

I have both interviewed and been an interviewee.

The worst thing is to ask someone a competency based question and they freeze or come up with a shite answer.

If they need to quickly refer to their notes to give me a good example, I wouldn't mind.

If they were poring over their notes and taking ages to come up with something they'd look unprepared.

So - a few words on a card or piece of paper as an aide memoir is fine

Rooting through pages of notes would not be so cool.

I interview a lot and find that cue cards can often put the interviewee off and they end up asking the question they prepared for rather than what they have been asked. Saying that, if it steadies the nerves I don’t think it’s a problem, but try not to spend too much time looking at them - more a glance if needed

That should say ‘answering’ the question they prepared, not ‘asking’

Thanks again for the responses. I've never interviewed before so it's a new experience for me and this came up in discussion with my fellow (experienced) interviewer. I've never taken in notes myself as always felt I needed to be seen as well prepared (in my head) and thinking on my feet but can see why some might use them as a prompt especially when it comes to asking questions.

I've always taken an A4 sheet with short notes or bullet points for each of the competencies listed in the job description.

Has never been a problem. And I have expected interviewees to have the same when I have conducted interviews. I'd rather they had a glance at their notes rather than failed to answer a question. We all get nervous / tongue tied sometimes.