Can I bring notes for an interview presentation?

[IceandIndigo]

I have an interview coming up, for a junior management role. They've asked me to do a short presentation as part of the interview and said I can illustrate this with a single powerpoint slide if I want to.

Do you think it would create a bad impression if I also brought notes? I am not the most confident presenter and I know that if I try to talk without notes I will waffle and go over the allocated time.

I don't think I would for one slide - a longer presentation maybe, but I'd hope to be able to talk through one slide without notes, really.

Bringing notes would be fine, I would think. I have done in the past and would be happy with any interviewees using notes.

Short answer is yes.

Yes

Although if you are doing it on PowerPoint, and hade control of the laptop, then "SlideShow" setting will let you see your notes, but only the slide will be shown on the screen.

Nothing wrong with notes. It shows that you have prepared.

A colleague of mine always takes an A4 binder into interviews with her (and recommended the same to me). It felt like 'cheating' to me, but it's not.

When they ask a question it's fine to say 'hold on', and flip to the appropriate page.

She has never not been offered a job she has interviewed for.

My last job interview was on zoom, so having copious notes didn't seem too intrusive (also a ten minute presentation). I smashed it.

It's one slide but the topic is extremely broad and also with quite a lot of technical detail which is difficult to remember.

Yes, as long as your notes are just a few jotted reminders and not a script. Having your head down & reading out your notes will count against you, as will just reading out whatever is on the slide. You need to talk about whatever it is that they can read for themselves.

Yes that's normally what I'd do, but in this case they don't want me to present on a laptop, they will be printing my slide and giving copies to the panel.

Yes, fine to have notes!

For an important presentation where I’m worried nerves will get the better of me / i don’t feel confident ad-libbing, this is what I do:
-write out long-hand what I want to say
-read it through (aloud) a few times
-condense to brief notes of the key points (bullet points or single words that will trigger my memory - aim to keep it as short as possible)
-go through again out loud, only using the notes.

I then take both the notes AND the long-hand version with me - I will read the long hand version while waiting for the interview, and I have also then got it in reserve just in case I freeze. I’ve never needed to refer back to the long hand (and generally either only need to glance at my notes or not use it at all). But knowing I’ve got it boosts my confidence.

See this is the problem, I feel like I need a script to be able to present fluently, but I am also pretty good at delivering it in a way that doesn't look like reading. I have learnt this skill from my current boss who is a very experienced presenter and always prepares a detailed script. Before I worked with him I used to think that good presenters always talked without notes.

Seriously? I have never known anyone do that. Though I have been invited to emails where the email invite specifically says you are not allowed to bring in notes with you.

That is great advice, thanks.

I realised my main fear was my mind going blank so having a script with me makes me 10x more confident.

I always think practicing out loud is key - it cements it in a way that reading it in your head doesn’t.

@Onebreathmore

Yep. It's one of those weird things that people think is cheating but is completely legitimate and actually makes you look confident and prepared.