take notes
Is it acceptable/a good idea to take notes during the interview? I want to tailor my thank you for interviewing me letter. Thanks.
What I used to do, toward the end of my interviewing days, was I would keep a pad and pen in the car and spend a few minutes immediately after the interview sitting in the car and writing notes to myself about what happened in the interview. Taking notes while in the interview would be distracting to the interviewer and you might miss something. That's an excellent question and something I address in my interviewing book. The answer is yes! Now there are some "experts" who advise against this, but I say they're incorrect, and here's why. In business, taking notes during meetings is expected and a great way to remember key pieces of information. It's also helpful in reviewing and forming opinions. Well interviewing is the same things. Interviewers take notes to go over later when evaluating candidates. So it's perfectly ok for candidates to do the same when evaluating employers and different jobs. Now the key is not to constantly look down into your notes because that's rude. So you have to balance looking at the interviewer and writing things down. And you certainly don't want to write everything! Just key points. Taking notes is disruptive. It is disruptive for the person interviewing because the candidate is splitting his/her concentration and therefore not putting forth the best effort possible to get the job. It is disruptive for the interviewer because the interviewer is splitting his/her concentration and therefore is not realizing the effort being put forth. I have never had an interview where the interviewer took notes and when I interview candidates for a position, I do not take notes. I wait until the interview is over and then after seeing the candidate tothe lobby, I go to my office and write my notes. I had to laugh at my supervisor when he showed me a tape recorder and said he records the interview so that he is not distracted from the interviewee's responses because he is too busy writing. As a matter of fact, that is actually a good idea for the interviewee. Tape record your interview (with the interviewer's permission, of course). Another reason note taking is not a good idea is because you miss cues and body language.Some interviewers are very good at hiding their feelings behind impassive faces. Some are not. Flicks of the eyes, subtle shrugs, crossing of legs are all clues, or can be, of how the interview is proceeding. In the case of business meetings, there are many others within that conference room who can compare notes with you afterwards so you will not be in immediate danger of missing anything. This is why interviewing isn't "black and white." There are plenty of opinions and ways of handling things. You find it disruptinve, while others don't. Just because a candidate decides to jot down some important things that are mentioned in an interview doesn't mean he or she isn't serious about getting the position. I've taken notes during interviews before and have gotten hired. It's all in the degree to which a candidate does it. I never wrote constantly nor stared at my notepad, but jotted a quick thing here and there, so the interviewer did have my attention. And I've been interviewed by people who have taken notes on their end. Yes, sometimes an interviewer will do this afterwards, but there are others who write things down as they go. And I've been in interviews where the interviewer has asked if I mind being recorded, as well as some when the machine was there and just turned on without asking first. I even had an interview where the interviewer never looked at me at all. He just started the entire time at my resume and asked questions from behind the paper. Another had simply said "Talk, you have five minutes" and stared at her watch. When time was up, she abruptly ended it. The point is that each person runs an interview in his or her own way. Some take notes; others don't. Some ask blatently illegal questions; others don't. Some look at the applicants; others look away. Some focus on body language; others on the words. People are different, and that goes for both applicants and interviewers. So there's no one way to behave or conduct oneself. The important thing is for a candidate to always project a positive image of himself or herself. And to evaluate candidates in a manner that work best for that particular interviewer. Interview questions, behaviors, and structures are as varied as are people. So note-taking isn't an automatic negative. Years ago the president of the company where I worked chided me when I walked into a meeting with him without a pad of paper and a pen. "Unless you have memory that records every word I say, don't ever come into a meeting with me without something to take notes on." Whether I am the interviewer or interviewee, I take notes. When I am the interviewer, I start with a resume that is already covered with questions and fill in the answers as we go along. As interviewee, I make quick notes about facts or things that I want to question later in the interview. It doesn't bother me when others take notes when I interview them. I don't care if someone else takes notes but don't make it such a project that it distracts. A word scribbled down here or there is fine. Acting like a stenographer and putting all your attention on your note pad rather than what I'm saying is bad. Tess | |
|
Career Tips
|