Page 76 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE NOTES?

is a business meeting. And in American business culture, taking notes in
support of a business meeting is considered not only appropriate, but
often a sign of professionalism.
Far from a sign of disorganization or weakness, taking notes is a mark
of a well-organized professional. The cultures of companies such as
IBM, Cisco Systems, and Computer Associates International actually
encourage note taking at all meetings. Employees are issued notebooks,
and they are expected to use them as part of a culture that insists that
people stay accountable for the goals and objectives they take on.
Melanie Mays, a recruiter with Empyrean Consulting, Inc., in Dallas,
Texas, supports note taking because it encourages candidates to listen
rather than talk. “I coach candidates to apply the 80-20 rule in job in-
terviews: You should be listening 80 percent of the time and talking only
20 percent of the time. If taking notes helps, I’m all for it.”
These recruiters believe that taking notes actually keeps the atten-
tion on the speaker by minimizing interruptions as the applicant makes
a list of insights and responses that can be referred to when it’s the lis-
tener’s turn to speak. Note taking does not have to be distracting. The
point of notes is not to take down a conversation verbatim, which would
be intrusive. The purpose is to remind yourself of important points that
are being made and questions or comments you don’t want to forget
when it’s your turn to talk.
The most important thing is to ask permission. “I never have a prob-
lem with people who ask permission to take notes during an interview,”
says Sandra Grabczynski, director of employer development at Career-
Site.com, an online recruiting service in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “It gen-
erally impresses me that the applicant is taking the opportunity
seriously.” Whipping out a notebook without asking permission may
strike some interviewers as presumptuous.
Candidates are not the only ones taking notes. Rich Franklin, HR di-
rector at KnowledgePoint, a software maker in Petaluma, California,
prefaces most interviews by saying that he will be making a few notes
during the course of the interview. “At that point, I invite them to take
notes as well, if they want,” Franklin says, adding that he’s gratified
when they do. “Benefits and insurance plans can be pretty complicated,
so I appreciate candidates taking notes. It shows me they are serious.”

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