Thoughts on bringing "cheat sheet" into OCI interview? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have 15 OCI interviews scheduled and for each firm I have prepared a one page document which states:
(1) summer program summary
(2) practice areas i'm interested in // they are big on
(3) a list of reasons why I want to work at that firm
(4) a list of questions

I was wondering if it would look dumb to bring these into the interview room and potentially look at them d ruing the question phase?

[sublime]

..

[learntolift]

ya do it

[A. Nony Mouse]

ya do it

This is someone who wants you to do badly.

[Anonymous User]

Bad idea. You should be making eye contact the whole time and your answers should be delivered naturally. In my experience the interviewers were more impressed with poise and confidence of delivery because many people lack those qualities. Just practice and keep your answers simple and sincere.

[nygrrrl]

ya do it

This is someone who wants you to do badly.

What you can do is take the sheets with you in a folder and review them between meetings.
But no, do not take them out and look at them, during the interviews.

[Anonymous User]

ya do it

This is someone who wants you to do badly.

What you can do is take the sheets with you in a folder and review them between meetings.
But no, do not take them out and look at them, during the interviews.

thats what I was thinking. thanks for the verification

[nygrrrl]

thats what I was thinking. thanks for the verification

Good luck!

[sublime]

..

[Pikappraider]

just look at it while waiting for them to open the door and put it in your portfolio when it is tike to knock. Definitely do not try to look at it during the interview

[Big Dog]

This is someone who wants you to do badly.

And report back on your success.

[Anonymous User]

Had a padfolio with hand written notes open in every interview. 16/31 callbacks, 2 job offers so far. YMMV but as long as you're not reading it and only glancing at it, perhaps when they're looking at your resume (they'll do this often), then you should be fine.

[Anonymous User]

Had a padfolio with hand written notes open in every interview. 16/31 callbacks, 2 job offers so far. YMMV but as long as you're not reading it and only glancing at it, perhaps when they're looking at your resume (they'll do this often), then you should be fine.

Same thing here. Middle of OCI still, but have converted 7/10 to CBs so far with the other 3 still pending... Don't see how anyone could say this is bad advice.

[XxSpyKEx]

I definitely don't see the harm in bringing in a list of questions. If anything, referring to pre-written questions shows the interviewer that you actually took the time to think about firm before the interview and to write down some questions about what you wanted to know about the firm.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Had a padfolio with hand written notes open in every interview. 16/31 callbacks, 2 job offers so far. YMMV but as long as you're not reading it and only glancing at it, perhaps when they're looking at your resume (they'll do this often), then you should be fine.

Same thing here. Middle of OCI still, but have converted 7/10 to CBs so far with the other 3 still pending... Don't see how anyone could say this is bad advice.

I think you have to be very smooth or very lucky to pull this off. I would be very unimpressed by someone referring to a list of questions during the interview. Can you really not remember questions to ask? You can show you put thought into the interview by asking thoughtful questions, not pulling out a written list.

[banjo]

Bringing a list of questions seems strange to me. Usually I ask one question and use their response to transition into the next question. I usually say something like "That's very helpful, thanks. And actually, that's a great transition into my next question: blah blah blah blah?" Of course, if the list works for you, keep doing it.

[wert3813]

Had a padfolio with hand written notes open in every interview. 16/31 callbacks, 2 job offers so far. YMMV but as long as you're not reading it and only glancing at it, perhaps when they're looking at your resume (they'll do this often), then you should be fine.

Same thing here. Middle of OCI still, but have converted 7/10 to CBs so far with the other 3 still pending... Don't see how anyone could say this is bad advice.

I think you have to be very smooth or very lucky to pull this off. I would be very unimpressed by someone referring to a list of questions during the interview. Can you really not remember questions to ask? You can show you put thought into the interview by asking thoughtful questions, not pulling out a written list.

You having some handwritten notes down and maybe once in a blue moon glancing at them feels very different than what OP suggested which is basically just plopping out the firm fact sheet that we all made in from of him because he couldn't be bothered to remember anything*

*I'm not saying that is reality OP I'm saying I think that is how it would feel. Also if you are going to refer to prewritten questions they better be damn specific. If you glance down and then look up and say why did you choose DLA Piper I can't imagine that would play well.

[lawalum]

I strongly recommend against bringing in notes or a list of questions to an interview. I would view this as strange. Review the notes before you go into the interview, and you should be able to remember your questions.

[Anonymous User]

Had a padfolio with hand written notes open in every interview. 16/31 callbacks, 2 job offers so far. YMMV but as long as you're not reading it and only glancing at it, perhaps when they're looking at your resume (they'll do this often), then you should be fine.

Same thing here. Middle of OCI still, but have converted 7/10 to CBs so far with the other 3 still pending... Don't see how anyone could say this is bad advice.

I think you have to be very smooth or very lucky to pull this off. I would be very unimpressed by someone referring to a list of questions during the interview. Can you really not remember questions to ask? You can show you put thought into the interview by asking thoughtful questions, not pulling out a written list.

2nd anon:
Guess I should clarify I don't write down questions. I typically write down bullets for each interviewer, like where they went to school what their practice area is and anything else that stands out that i might want to bring up during the interview. so some of these bullets i guess are topics i want to ask questions about, but i'm not reading questions off a piece of paper.

I think having it there even if you rarely look at it helps you to look more prepared and to have a safety net to fall back on in the event that its an awkward interview and you're struggling to keep it going.

I agree with all the advice here about do not sit there and read a list of questions off a list at your interviewer, but I really don't think OP ever intended to literally do that. Assuming he's talking about using a cheat sheet like most people do I think its fine.

[peanut123]

I did this and would do it again in a heartbeat. I took a one-sheet for each firm and had them in my padfolio, so it's not entirely clear from a glance whether it is my resume/writing sample/transcript. I put the firm name and interview time at the top and immediately under that had a few bullet points for the standouts of the firm. Below that I had a list of 10-15 questions. I had it more for peace of mind than for actual reference - if I froze, I had this to help pull me back. I also had one interviewer who just wanted me to ask him questions, so I referred to my list after I'd asked a few.

I did see that a few interviewers noticed, but I didn't get the impression they were bothered by it. If you're going into a meeting or call, are you really not going to take notes with you? I'm not sure why this would be perceived differently unless you were pulling up some wadded up sheet out of your pocket.

[Anonymous User]

I dont see a big problem with this. However, I think if it is going to effect how the conversation flows and give you rehearsed responses then you should avoid. A quick glance at a piece of paper should not be a problem. I spoke to a president of a tech head hunting firm who told me to bring prepared questions and write notes during the interview. I did not follow the advice because my opinion was much different than that. I think a certain level of preparation is unnecessary at the screening stage. It is either you are qualified for a call back or not. And if qualified, then it hinges on if you are personable/fit their culture enough for a callback. I would have a bias against a person reading off a prepared questions considering most interviews are conversational in style and it would make me question the interviewee's sincerity and personality. But thats just my opinion and I'm sure it could go either way. But when your interviewing 20+ people in a day, the small things stand out.

[Anonymous User]

ya do it

This is someone who wants you to do badly.

What you can do is take the sheets with you in a folder and review them between meetings.
But no, do not take them out and look at them, during the interviews.

thats what I was thinking. thanks for the verification

This is what I did, as I had a ton of screeners as well. Just briefly review them between screeners to refresh yourself on the firm. Don't pull them out during screeners, as others have said.

[Anonymous User]

OP here... So first round of OCI interviews were today. Didn't use the cheat sheet for any interviews until the last of the day. It got to the "do you have any questions" phase and I told the interviewer I had some very specific questions and was going to peak at my cheat sheet to make sure I got them answered. She stopped me immediately and offered me a call back mid interview.

I'm sure this isn't the norm but it just goes to show that while there may be a conventional way of doing things (as is propagated by tls'ers) but you're better off being unique and owning your own techniques- regardless of how quirky or dumb or unconventional they are.

[Single-Malt-Liquor]

OP here... So first round of OCI interviews were today. Didn't use the cheat sheet for any interviews until the last of the day. It got to the "do you have any questions" phase and I told the interviewer I had some very specific questions and was going to peak at my cheat sheet to make sure I got them answered. She stopped me immediately and offered me a call back mid interview.

I'm sure this isn't the norm but it just goes to show that while there may be a conventional way of doing things (as is propagated by tls'ers) but you're better off being unique and owning your own techniques- regardless of how quirky or dumb or unconventional they are.

Whoa, slow down there cowboy/girl. That's some strong blanket advice that certainly has its limitations.

[wert3813]

OP here... So first round of OCI interviews were today. Didn't use the cheat sheet for any interviews until the last of the day. It got to the "do you have any questions" phase and I told the interviewer I had some very specific questions and was going to peak at my cheat sheet to make sure I got them answered. She stopped me immediately and offered me a call back mid interview.

I'm sure this isn't the norm but it just goes to show that while there may be a conventional way of doing things (as is propagated by tls'ers) but you're better off being unique and owning your own techniques- regardless of how quirky or dumb or unconventional they are.

see how far you can push this. Also small sample size. Congrats on the cb.