Can jobseekers bring and refer to notes in a job interview?

If you have this with you during your job interview, you may want to reconsider your actions.

CAREERS’ panel of expert recruiters answers a reader’s question each week. Have a question? Email [e-mail]

Can I take notes in with me into a job interview?

Andrew Sullivan

Managing director,

Sullivan Consulting

This is a tricky topic, as different interviewers will have different attitudes or opinions regarding the use of notes. As a rule of thumb, I would try to avoid using them in most scenarios, as it can seem inauthentic and that a candidate hasn’t prepared well enough. If you need to use them, ask the interviewer first. I would also recommend using dot points instead of having pre-written answers to prevent you from giving static responses. When provided the opportunity to ask an interviewer questions, it is usually more appropriate to use notes.

Andrew Sullivan advises to avoid using notes as it can make a candidate look unprepared.

Alexandra Rosser

Head of Organisational Psychology Consulting,

Stillwell Management Consultants

Yes you can, provided you are doing so for the right reasons. Notes are appropriate if they contain questions or points of discussion stemming from your research about the role and/or organisation, or if they are a summary of key content from your CV you want to highlight during your interview. Notes are not advisable if they comprise prepared answers to questions you expect to be given, primarily because what you may then tend to do is try to fit them to the actual questions raised, even if they do not then end up answering those questions. It will also be hard for you to build rapport and demonstrate your confidence/competence if you have to keep referring to your notes rather than engaging in a two-way conversation.

Alexandra Rosser says there are a few appropriate ways to use notes in a job interview.

Lisa Morris

Director,

Hays

While you can bring notes in with you to a job interview, it isn’t advisable. Regularly relying on notes to answer interview questions makes you look unprepared. In an interview, you need to present yourself in your best light. To do this, it’s important to do your research before the interview. In fact, if you prepare well, you won’t need to bring and refer to notes when the questions begin. We have a range of job interview preparation tips on our website, but in short, it’s important to research the organisation, prepare examples that demonstrate your success performing the key duties of the role, and practise your answers to the most common questions that arise in most job interviews. If you prepare thoroughly, you’ll be able to talk about your experience and suitability for the role without referring to any notes. If you do wish to bring notes to the interview, try to restrict them to a list of questions you would like to ask the interviewer. This helps to show you are keen and have prepared for the interview.

Lisa Morris says candidates who are prepared typically will not need to refer to notes.

Megan Nicholson

General manager

Entree Recruitment

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to take notes into a job interview. You could bring a notebook into the interview that has a list of questions you would like to ask. Ensure you have done your research on the organisation so you can tailor your questions and talking points correctly. By bringing notes, it shows a level of preparedness so you can ask about the company’s history and the plans for the future. You can also use your notes to include specific questions about the job description and the recruitment process going forward. You would normally be asked at the end of the interview if you have any questions, so it is best to wait until then.

Megan Nicholson says notes can be used to list specific questions to ask the interviewer.

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Originally published as Can jobseekers bring and refer to notes in a job interview?