Taking notes into an interview

dalehitchy1

dalehitchy1

dalehitchy1

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Would this go for or against you. On one hand it shows that you have prepared, but on the other hand they might not like it.

I have a competency based interview as a business audit analyst. I would feel more comfortable preparing notes and taking them with me as I feel I won't forget anything doing that. I'm talking about notes and not reading off a script.

The current company I work for allows notes to be taken in but maybe that's because it is mostly contractors then going for perm positions.

What do you guys think?
 
I guess it depends on the role... But I think bringing notes would imply a lack of confidence or that you don't know your stuff.
 
I think general lists of notes don't create a good impression, although I am undecided on having questions written down to pull out at the end when asked. I think that may demonstrate that you've given it some thought rather than just plucking random questions out the air for the sake of it.

The issue as I see it with your approach is that there are only really two scenarios:
a) You don't forget anything, in which case you didn't need the notes in the first place
b) You forget something, which results in you needing to look down at your notes, breaking eye contact and highlighting the fact that you've forgotten something or need a crutch / queue.

I usually take a couple of copies of my CV to interviews in case they want to discuss it in great depth but in fact they rarely leave the folder.
 
you mean actual notes for you to refer to when they ask you questions? **** ** inappropraite comment removed **
taking a small folder with a copy of your CV, notepad & pen and maybe any materials you wanted to show them fine. For example a previous manager at an old company I worked at was impressed by a candidate who brought examples of stuff he'd done in his previous role... I wasn't so much as he was showing us stuff that by rights belonged to his employer but it impressed the idiot hiring him.

but material/notes for you so you don't 'forget' is a really really bad sign - part of the process is trying to assess whether you're competent and you're telling them that you're not really confident that you are

HangTime said:
I think that may demonstrate that you've given it some thought rather than just plucking random questions out the air for the sake of it.
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I think that is fine if someone wants to do that... tis more just the notes actually relating to the job itself - that is the stuff you should really know else why are you there taking up their time
 
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I don't think taking in notes is a bad sign at all.

I'd rather have someone who is proactive enough to make notes and have them with them to make sure they'd cover everything they wanted too over someone who would rather appear to be confident and not cover everything they wanted.

If employed 2 people and you gave them a list of tasks to do, are you going to have more confidence in the person that writes it all down so they can work through or the one that goes "don't worry, I'll remember it all"?

Even if the OP wasn't confident or had issues being forgetful, the fact that they've acknowledge this area of weakness and taken steps to compensate for that is a bonus.

I've interviewed people with notes before, one had them just for general info regarding what they'd learnt about our company, which wasn't a great to cover anyway so that I wasn't impressed with but another brought notes on projects they had worked on, dates of qualifications and a list of questions about the role. Excellent.
 
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I've always been encouraged to use notes for competency based interviews but that's in the civil service.

Have they detailed what to expect from a competency based interview? What competencies they expect to cover etc.?
 
If you interviewed with me, it would definitely count against you.

I cant think of any reason why somebody would need notes. An interview is a conversation and if you are unable to handle that without aids its not going to reflect well.
 
I undertake competency based interviews for a large tech company and it wouldn't put me off, quite the opposite actually. People take notes and research to all kinds of business situations and I fail to see why an interview should be any different. It doesn't show a lack of confidence to me, it demonstrates a good example of preparation.
 
p1RATE said:
If you interviewed with me, it would definitely count against you.

I cant think of any reason why somebody would need notes. An interview is a conversation and if you are unable to handle that without aids its not going to reflect well.
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A competency based interview is not a conversation, it's a test.
 
On a normal interview I always take notes with me; CV, job spec and a page of questions to allow me to probe the interviewer on the company I may be joining. I put them out in front of me so I can refer to them at a glance.

But in a competency interview I think it would likely be a bad idea. The point of it is to see if you actually know what you are saying you do.
 
Hades said:
On a normal interview I always take notes with me; CV, job spec and a page of questions to allow me to probe the interviewer on the company I may be joining. I put them out in front of me so I can refer to them at a glance.

But in a competency interview I think it would likely be a bad idea. The point of it is to see if you actually know what you are saying you do.
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Taking a copy of your CV and the job spec is good practice for interviews, but I wouldn't call them "notes".

Having a list of questions to ask the interviewer/s would impress me as an interviewer if the answers weren't readily available on the job spec or company's website.

Shows that the candidate has put a lot of thought into preparation for the interview.

Notes containing answers that a candidate refers to when I'm asking them questions would lead to the interview lasting 10 minutes tops.
 
It's not black and white for me.

It depends on the contents and how they're used.

Reading answers back verbatim from a piece of paper would be a negative, referring occasionally to notes to ensure someone has covered everything they want to in a high stress scenario is fine.

Some people's strength is that they have instant and perfect recall, mine isn't. I'm also a reflector, I like to consider things fully before committing, which again is fine in the right environment and role. For me I like to consider what I might be asked, relate that to the job description and my CV and make brief notes to ensure I have covered the key points when I answer.

It's the same as doing a presentation, some people like to annotate their slides, some don't. As long as you don't stand there, head down reading them word for word then where's the issue?
 
Personally I feel that if a candidate I was interviewing brought notes I would have no issues. If they arrived with their life storey in script I may not feel the same way.

Having examples of your work or notes on previous projects with pictures are a useful tool to reinforcing your positive points in an interview. If you walk in showing you have made an effort to prepare and equip yourself for the interview.

The most important thing here is how you use them during the interview ie don't hide behind them, constantly read or shuffle your notes during the interview. This typically goes down badly.

Good luck regardless..
 
Yes, take in two copies of your CV - more if you know there are going to be more interviewers - so you can give them to the interviewers in case the agency has mangled it.
 
dalehitchy1 said:
Hmmm a few saying yes and some no. What do I do! Lol
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You're dealing with people and opinions here as well as in your interview. That really does mean there's no right or wrong answer. You need to do what you feel is the best thing for you and for the role you have applied for.

If I was advertising for a technical role, and someone brought study material with them thinking that they would be able to refer to that, that would count badly. If I was advertising for a PM/Architect role and they brought some notes on deliveries they have managed or designed with key dates and cost saving initiatives, that would appear to be a positive thing.

It comes down to you and whether it will appear as though you are lacking in confidence in your ability to do the job, or whether it shows that you are confident in your capabilities and have the evidence to back it up.
 
I would always take notes to an interview with clear indication of what i'm going to ask.. I'd even go one further.

Depending on the organisation and the role, I would even contact the company before hand asking for any literature or information about the company, it's products and/or services etc. or even pull a few pages off the web and take them with you. No excuses nowadays with the web not to imo.. Use what ever you have.

Both show you have researched the company, the position you are applying for and that you have taken time to prepare for the interview. The more you do , the more "ticks" you get in your favour. Remember, the interview is about standing out the rest of the candidates. You've got your foot in the door, so if that means he/she remembers you because you have brought in prepared notes or documents, then that can't be a bad thing. This can never go against you.

Good Luck
 
I've always taken a smart looking folio with me to every interview, including:

  1. a copy of my CV,
  2. certification proof
  3. the job description
  4. my prep notes
  5. questions i've written down for them

Also includes a pad to take notes during the interview. As long as you are using these things for their purposes and not using them to cheat, I would struggle to imagine a situation where it could be construed as anything other than positive.

The first 4 items show that you've taken the job application seriously and have prepared for it and some eventualities (I.e. them not having your CV to hand). Also shows you aren't trying to wing it.

The last item is pretty important from your perspective - remember you're also interviewing them, regardless of what they may think.
 
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