In the fast-paced world of hiring, taking notes might seem like a small thing that gets overlooked amidst all the chaos of interviews and evaluating candidates.

But taking effective notes is important. By jotting down the important stuff and getting insights during interviews, hiring managers can make informed decisions and thoroughly evaluate each candidate when the time comes later to compare candidates and make a decision..

Let’s acknowledge that it’s hard to remember all the information from multiple interviews. Candidates’ qualifications, responses, and personal traits can all blur together and cause confusion if you rely on your memory alone. And you will tend to remember the details of the last candidate most clearly at the expense of the first one you spoke with earlier in the day.

That’s where note-taking comes in handy. By writing down the important details, you can refer back to your notes and remember crucial information when deciding which candidates to consider further. They don’t have to capture everything, just enough to jog your memory to recall the facts needed when you do your post-interview candidate evaluation.

During the interview you want to get the important information and understand candidates’ capabilities and experiences. Good notes will help prevent you from falling back on your gut instincts about a candidate that will cloud your objective judgment.

If you need extra time to process information or review your notes, it’s totally okay to ask a “buy time” question. Take a moment to consult your notes and gather your thoughts. Having prepared written interview questions in front of you can be a helpful reference during the interview to make sure you don’t skip any important questions you need to ask. The focus should be on getting all the important details and doing a thorough evaluation rather than relying solely on your memory.

If you are fortunate enough to have a team discussion on the candidates with other trained interviewers, you won’t be able to contribute any evidence into your evaluations without being able to refer back to your notes.