What Kinds of Notes Should I be Taking During an Interview and How Should I Use Them?
Begin with job factors. Using the job description as a guide, note the background of the candidate on each item.
Intangibles are more difficult to note. Stay away from vague comments. List specifics. So, instead of observing that Joe is creative, list examples of his creativity in previous jobs. If appearance is a job-related factor, don’t write "sloppy" or "rumpled." Those are subjective comments. Note, instead, "clothes unpressed, dog hairs, shoes not shined."
Personality factors may also be important to the final decision. Once again, avoid subjective comments. "Applicant appears to lack self-confidence" is an opinion, but the statement "Applicant looked down at the floor during the entire interview and was hesitant in answering questions" is a fact.
Hold off making these notes until the interview is done. Make your notations after each candidate has left. Give yourself ten to fifteen minutes between interviews to summarize your impressions.
Tell Me More
You write these notes for a purpose: After you have interviewed all the candidates for a job, review your notes to help you make your hiring decision. Compare what you learned to the predetermined criteria. Do you see clear winners at this point? Any clear losers? Organize the information you’ve gathered into the following stacks:
Winners: These candidates are clearly the best choices for the position. You wouldn’t hesitate hiring any one of them.
Potential winners: These candidates are questionable for one reason or another. Maybe their experience isn’t as strong as that of other candidates, or perhaps you weren’t impressed by their presentation skills. Neither clear winners nor clear losers, you’ll likely consider these candidates for hire only after further investigation or if you are unable to hire anyone from your pool of winners.
Losers: These candidates are clearly unacceptable for the position. There is no way that you would consider hiring any of them.
When you have more than one "winner," you may want to conduct a second round of interviews with these candidates. For this round, you may want your own manager to meet with these candidates to gain a fresh perspective.