My notetaking is poor. I often get lost in my numbers and have trouble getting all the pieces of information in the initial section. What are the best notetaking guides that you have seen?
My notetaking is poor. I often get lost in my numbers and have trouble getting all the pieces of information in the initial section. What are the best notetaking guides that you have seen?
Hi,
Several things here:
There are some questions that you should always try to ask in addition to what he told you:
1) You can also ask the interviewer to tell you more about the business model and how the company generates money. Even if you think you understand it, try to repeat it to make sure that you understand it correctly. e.g. if the case is about oil&gas company which revenues are declining, ask if it is Up / mid / down-stream problem. In this case, defining a revenue stream is critical to setting up the right structure.
2) Clarify the objective. Here make sure that your goal is:
e.g. Should I invest 100k in this business for 1 year if I want to get 15% return?
Note-taking tips:
Split the main sheet into 2 parts and then the left part into 2 quadrants:
Also, a good practice is to put the key numbers near the corresponding buckets.
! Have a separate sheet for math calculations !
Best!
Hi Anonymous,
in order to write better notes, my recommendation is to divide the paper into 4 areas as reported below for the first page; when taking notes, you can then put the information in the appropriate box. Sometimes you would have to go back and forth, as you may get information, objective 1, additional information, objective 2, etc.
The vertical line should be closer to the left border and the horizontal line should be closer to the top border, so that there is more space for the structure.
After the first page, you can still divide the page into four parts. Left and right could now be at the same distance.
Besides that, you can also improve your notes with the following:
Hope this helps,
Francesco
Keep it simple:
- First, I suggest breaking down the page into pre-defined sections so you know what is where
- Personally, I like to have a thin band on the right where I save the recommendations (on the top) and parking lot suggestions (on the bottom - I'll use this at the end for next steps); in the rest of the page, I write the problem statement at the top, my structure just below, and any note / calculation in the rest of the page; I'll also put any significant findings in a box so my eyes are drawn to it during my conclusion if needed
- Ultimately, which method you use doesn't matter as long as it works for you + use it the same way every time
- In terms of pure note taking, there's no trick. Remember to jot down the main numbers / trends / objectives, but otherwise it is mostly a matter of practicing taking these notes quickly while the interviewer is talking
- If you feel like you may have missed something, make sure to ask. The best way to fail a case is to address the wrong problem
Hi Anonymous!
The system that has worked well for me is this:
(edited)
Dear A,
Below some general rules on how you can take notes:
The datasheet is where you note down neatly and ideally, in a table format all information, data, provided by the interviewer throughout the case. If you have additional data as the result of analyses or calculations performed, put them into the datasheet too.
The presentation sheet is literally what you use when speaking to interviewers. For example, if you say: “… problem A can be broken down into B and C”, literally draw those on this sheet and point to each one as you speak.
Lastly, the scratch paper is there for anything else you need to write out in interviews’ brainstorm ideas, calculations, etc. The purpose of this sheet is to make the other two clear and neat. So you don’t have to worry too much about what you write here on this scratch paper.
Write down all the important information. You can use abbreviations.
Client name
Industry
Geography
Current situation
Goal/objective:
And for your analysis put the name of the area you supposed to analyzed and it structure
Name of the first area analyzed
Structure for the first area
Name of the second area analyzed
Structure for the second area
Hope it helps,
Best,
André