To take notes into a job interview?

[Isittho]

I've got a job interview next week and my friend suggested I bring notes with keys words on for prompts.

I thought it was a good idea at the time but now it's getting closer, I'm starting to reconsider.

Is it weird or inappropriate?

I just can't see myself doing it but I'm concerned that am I missing a trick? Is everyone doing this?

Jobs for a government type department, with an interview panel.

Hi isittho,

First of all, good luck for your interview. I've recently had several and I took notes and a list of questions to all of mine, and it really helped me. I personally go entirely blank when I'm nervous, so it really helped me say what I wanted to. The feedback I got was this was a good thing as it made me appear prepared and organised.

I have a "naice" leather folder I use pretty much only for job interviews. I take a copy of my cv/application form, their job descripton and person specification, some print outs from their website and done lined paper with any notes or questions I have for them on it. In reality I only refer to my questions in the interview, but it's something that helps me to feel prepared and I think interviewers like to see somebody coming in looking prepared.

It's also somewhere to put things like your driving licence and ID if you need to take those!

I do lots of interviews in my job and once someone (a graduate) took notes and I was taken aback. I just presumed he was collecting notes to write on Glassdoor!

When I’ve been interviewed myself I’ve written the questions down straight after so I can remember what they were/ share with others.

So no- I wouldn’t take notes. Maybe I’m living in the dark ages though!

Sorry I misread this - you mean take notes for prompts 😂 yes definitely take prompts. Could you do a placemat for you and the panel (ie a summary of whatever it is you want to say / maybe some photos of you too) and write your notes on that? Otherwise just writing notes with word prompts is fine.

I’ve taken notes to interviews, it’s not a memory test so I see nothing wrong with it.

My mind often goes blank with nerves so I do take notes- in a folder with a clear plastic cover. I can glance down and see the top sheet which i write key words on, that just jog my memory. If I really, really need to, I cast my eyes down for a second.
My last interviewers were so awful- neither was looking at me as I spoke as they both had their heads down writing notes. Rude and disconcerting but it gave me the opportunity to read my notes without them realising.

I sit on interview panels. Nothing wrong with notes as long as you’re not sitting there reading them word for word.

An interview is to get a holistic view of the person seen on paper and for the candidate to go into more detail to demonstrate how they fit the role. If they’ve had a long career then they may need prompts to ensure they are covering the most relevant experience.

I’m not testing the candidates memory just whether they can do the job.

As an interviewer notes can work or they can be awful it's about how you use them.

1 page of clear notes you can quickly refer too as prompts of questions you want to ask, and great examples you want to give, is brilliant.

But I had someone who had scripted out dozens of examples and read them like a robot, that was weird and showed absolutely no ability to think on their feet.

I always take in one side, of a4, bullet point list of examples (ideally matched to the competencies, which I will ask about in advance).

It sits on my lap, and I may glance at it a couple of times during the interview, but I always have it.

As a PP says, an interview isn’t a memory test, and it’s not cheating... any good interviewer will ask probing questions after the original one, and no notes will help with those.

I've recruited for the civil service and a government department, long competency based interviews, bringing notes is more common than not. I did have someone bring a script once where they'd essentially second guessed the questions based on the competencies and if I asked anything similar eg any question about working at pace, would find their answer and just read it verbatim. That was odd, don't do that.

But I had someone who had scripted out dozens of examples and read them like a robot, that was weird and showed absolutely no ability to think on their feet.

Definitely not that! 😲

@WTCT in civil service etc you can't really ask probing questions, there are set prompt questions if you think someone has missed an aspect of gone on a tangent, you can say the odd tell me more about that, but it's to stop you leading some candidates to better answers and scores than others. This was the same in the other government departments I've recruited for too.

Absolutely fine! When I worked as a careers adviser I advised people to do this. It's not a exam!

It also shows you're prepared and taking the process seriously.

I took the job description, my CV and had notes relating to both.
I got the job.

In the last 6 years I have taken notes to everyone apart from my last one.

I have got every job. As pps says, it's not to read them word for word, it's a prompt. Keys words.

My last one I didnt as I was specifically asked not to. I already had done formal interviews (that I took notes to), for the role and been negotiating for a year. They wouldnt give me enough money. In the last one the CEO wanted to get to know me. He had interviewed me. But the person who had the job before me interviewed well but there had been a huge amount if problems, personally. They had, apparently, not been a very nice person. Multiple accusations of bullying, nasty comments, kept telling everyone their job role was pointless and they didnt see the value in the work.

Technically they could do it. But as a person they werent great. The CEO wanted to see me outside interview environment. That's the only reason I would not take notes.

The last job I hot was where I took notes. I think it gave me an air of efficiency and it certainly helped when my mind went blank.
I've also been the interviewer and I would prefer it to an applicant being nervous and forgetting what they want to say. Its not a memory test.
The last interview for a job I didn't get was internal. My interviewer asked me why I didn't bring in notes.
So yes I would bring them in. You should know them anyway but it's always good for a prompt

@LionelRitchieStoleMyNotebook ... interesting (I’ve never worked/interviewed for civil service/government roles)

I started doing it a couple of years ago, use them for prompts, list out the questions I wanted to ask, write down the questions they ask and add any notes for myself for the next interview / stage.

I’ve done this for the last few interviews I’ve had and the first time I did it my new boss told me part of why I got the job was because of the notes, it showed I’d prepared, thought ahead, wanted to do my best and was ready to it down notes myself to take information away.

That was for an admin job so I suppose it was relevant to the work, but as pp said just note down some examples of work you want to talk about and questions you want to ask and don’t read it like a robot, it’s just a back up.

I would think any interviewer who didn’t like it wouldn’t be someone you’d want to work for anyway as it shows they don’t understand that people get nervous in interviews and something important might slip your mind, and interview isn’t a memory test, it’s a chance to show what your experience is.

I always take my notes

In my last interview, I had the job spec, and suggested we go through it and I had aligned my skills to it, and put down what I had done. Even one point I said "I'm not sure what you want here, but I googled it, and heres what I thought you meant"
Got offered the job that afternoon

Are you sure they didn’t mean to take a pad and make notes? Which is something that has always been advised

I've taken in prompts and got the job. As long as you aren't reading from them, rather a quick glance here and there. If you take them in a swish looking notepad and have a copy of your CV on the top I think it can look quite professional and confident.

Going against the grain here but I don’t like people taking notes into interview.

I would expect candidates to know their own experience/CV without having to rely on notes/prompts and to be able to respond to questions about what they have done without having to check their notes/CV.

Questions written down I don’t mind as much, although I prefer the questions to come about organically as we’re discussing the role - to me that shows an interest and grasp of what the business does.

boo but job interviews aren't meant to be exams ....it's about getting the most of of the candidate surely?

Of course people should be prepared but they can be very nerve-wracking experiences. As a careers adviser I always recommended people take prompts in with them. I find it disheartening to hear about employers who would penalise a candidate for this.