Bringing notes into a job interview is common for job seekers. Using well-prepared notes is generally viewed as a positive sign of thorough preparation and respect for the opportunity. This practice signals a methodical approach, allowing you to focus on engaging with the interviewer rather than struggling to recall specific details. Understanding what to include and how to properly reference them ensures your notes act as a professional asset throughout the conversation.
The Definitive Answer: Yes, Notes Are Recommended
Bringing notes into an interview offers psychological and presentational advantages that enhance performance. Having prepared information readily available acts as a powerful anxiety reducer, freeing up cognitive resources. This allows a candidate to appear more relaxed and confident, translating into a more articulate and thoughtful response delivery.
Notes also project an image of organization and seriousness to the hiring team. When an interviewer sees a carefully prepared document, it reinforces the perception that the candidate is taking the process seriously and has invested time in understanding the role. The notes serve as a reliable anchor, ensuring that even under pressure, all planned talking points are addressed before the meeting concludes.
What to Include on Your Interview Notes
The content of your notes should be concise, serving as memory prompts rather than complete scripts. Organizing information into distinct categories ensures that you can quickly locate the precise detail needed during the discussion. Effective interview notes are structured to support your candidacy without overwhelming you with unnecessary detail.
Pre-Prepared Questions for the Interviewer
One accepted use of interview notes is to list thoughtful, specific questions for the interviewer. These questions should move beyond simple queries about salary or benefits, focusing instead on team structure, performance metrics, or the long-term vision for the role. Having three to five well-researched questions written down ensures you do not forget them and proves you are evaluating the opportunity with a discerning eye. The quality of your questions can be as impactful as the quality of your answers in demonstrating your level of engagement.
Key Career Achievements and Stories
Candidates should include bullet-point reminders for three to five significant career achievements that directly relate to the job description’s requirements. These points should serve as prompts for structured storytelling, particularly using the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) method. Listing the main action or the measurable result of a project allows you to quickly recall the full context. This focus on structured examples ensures your responses are specific, detailed, and results-oriented.
Company and Role-Specific Research Points
Referencing specific details about the company demonstrates that your preparation went beyond a simple review of the job posting. Include recent company announcements, details from a press release, or specific language from the mission statement that resonates with your professional values. Jotting down precise technical terms or required competencies listed in the job description helps you tailor your responses to the exact language the hiring manager used. Integrating these research points shows a genuine interest in the organization’s success.
Core Talking Points and Reminders
Standard interview questions benefit from brief, pre-written reminders to ensure consistency and clarity in your delivery. This includes concise bullet points outlining your rationale for leaving your current position or summarizing your professional strengths and opportunities for growth. These points act as guardrails, preventing you from rambling or missing a key piece of information when faced with a common question. A brief reminder of desired salary range or timeline expectations can also be helpful to keep on your notes for the appropriate moment.
Structuring Your Notes for Maximum Effectiveness
The physical design and organization of your notes are important for maximizing their utility. Notes should be visually clean and easy to scan, allowing you to find information quickly without losing the flow of conversation. Using a high-quality, printed document or neatly handwritten pages in a professional padfolio presents the best image.
Using a structure with clear headings, numbering, and ample white space prevents the page from looking cluttered or overwhelming. Information should be organized logically, perhaps by grouping potential questions or clustering your STAR method stories under relevant skill headings. This organizational clarity minimizes the time spent looking down at the page, allowing for a swift return to eye contact.
Etiquette for Using Notes During the Interview
Using notes effectively requires balancing referencing your preparation with maintaining an engaging conversation. The notes should function purely as a reference tool, not a script to be read aloud verbatim. Maintaining strong eye contact is paramount, only glancing down at your notes when you need a prompt or a specific data point.
The appropriate timing for consulting your notes is usually when you are asked a complex question or at the end of the interview when the floor is opened for your questions. When you refer to your notes, do so intentionally and with a brief explanation, such as, “I want to make sure I cover the key questions I prepared for this role.” Securing your notes in a neat padfolio or binder ensures they are easily accessible and prevents the distracting rustle of loose papers.
Adapting Note Usage for Different Interview Formats
The method for using notes changes depending on whether the interview is conducted in person or virtually. For in-person meetings, the presentation of your notes directly contributes to your professional image. Using a clean, high-quality folder or padfolio prevents them from appearing messy or disorganized when placed on the table. This physical presentation complements your attire and demonstrates attention to detail.
Virtual interviews offer the advantage of having more detailed information available just out of sight of the camera. Candidates can strategically place digital notes on their screen or use physical sticky notes around the camera lens for quick, non-disruptive reference. This setup allows for greater preparation detail, but the candidate must ensure they do not visibly look away from the camera for too long.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Notes
The benefit of bringing notes can be undermined by several common errors that suggest a lack of spontaneity or confidence. One significant pitfall is reading answers directly from the page, which makes the candidate sound robotic and disconnected. Interviewers are looking for genuine engagement and natural conversation, not a memorized recital of pre-written text. Over-reliance on notes suggests a candidate is unprepared to think on their feet.
Disorganized or excessively detailed notes can also create a negative impression by slowing down the interview process. If a candidate must spend time shuffling papers or scanning dense paragraphs to find a single point, it breaks the momentum of the conversation. Candidates should ensure their notes are concise, use large font, and are only referenced briefly to avoid appearing distracted or overly dependent on external aids.