Page 74 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition
P. 74

CHAPTER 5

     DO YOU MIND IF
      I TAKE NOTES?

   WHY TAKING NOTES IS CRITICAL

               Should I take notes during my job interviews?

This controversial question is far from settled, but the majority of
career coaches and recruiters I talked to give you a green light to
take notes during job interviews if you ask permission. Yes, some
interviewers get nervous when a job candidate whips out a notebook
and starts taking notes. But others are impressed by the profession-
alism and interest demonstrated by a candidate taking notes. So
what should you do?

   Let’s look at both sides of this important question and then con-
sider the arguments of a cross section of human resources profes-
sionals. Let’s start with the naysayers.

THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST TAKING NOTES

Some job coaches believe that in American society, it is not con-
sidered appropriate to take notes during an employment interview.
There are three facets to this argument.

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