How to Write Effective Notes While Job Hunting
Note-taking is often thought of as a school-only activity. But this is not the case.
Writing effective notes while you’re looking for a job is often the key to success. However, there’s no denying that it can be quite a hard (and sometimes daunting) task. What should you write down? How should you write it? When should you write it? Don’t worry; we’re going to answer these questions and more today.
Let’s jump right into the details!
Writing Effective Notes While Job Hunting — The Best Tips and Tricks
#1 Reference Job Posting Requirements
As you know, all job postings come with a variety of requirements — both required and desirable — that you’ll need to meet to be in with the best shot.
However, the criteria for all the jobs you want to apply for can become jumbled up and confusing pretty quickly if you don’t keep track of them.
Using a pen and paper, a tracking application like JobHuntBuddy , or a standard Word document, write down the title of each job role.
Underneath, you can then neatly organize all the requirements to ensure you provide the best answers when they request you for an interview.
#2 Take Notes While Perusing the Company’s Website
Potential employers are always going to ask about your knowledge of the company. You absolutely must supply a sufficient answer to this question!
Before the interview, take a look at the company’s website and social profiles. While doing this, you can write down the key information you find. This will help you better remember the facts to recall during the interview.
Generally speaking, employers want you to know this information about their company:
- What they do
- Their services and/or products
- Names of key employees
- Size of the company
- Major competitors
- Reviews of the products/services
- Industry growth/decline
#3 Jot Down Your Questions
Many people freeze when it comes to the “do you have any questions for us?” section of the interview. A good way to overcome this hurdle is by writing down your questions beforehand.
To get you started, here are some examples:
- Where would I be working?
- How do you provide feedback for employees?
- Can you give me an example of a great employee success?
- What’s the largest challenge a new employee will face in the first 6 months?
#4 Applying Online? Use Copy and Paste
If you are applying for a job post online, you can copy and paste the questions/answers from your application to use during the interview. Our handy application tracking app comes with a bunch of features that allow you to do this effortlessly.
#5 No Full Sentences and Use a Highlighter
Overall, the key to effective notes is to operate under the “less is more” principle. There’s no need to write full sentences! Just phrases for you to refer to. Not to mention that you can use a highlighter to make the most prevalent points stand out.
You’re now fully equipped to ace your interviews, notes and all!