Hey guys
Any tips on how to best take notes effectively whilst on the job? I find it difficult to capture everything that is said in conversations.
thanks
Hey guys
Any tips on how to best take notes effectively whilst on the job? I find it difficult to capture everything that is said in conversations.
thanks
Hi there,
please find below some suggestions:
Best,
Francesco
Hi Anonymous,
The main point here is actually not tactical advice, but looking at it from a more strategic perspective. In simple terms speaking: What is the goal you want/need to achieve with your notes?
Once you have a clear picture in your mind about your goals, the answer of how to take the notes best is mostly common sense (e.g. if it's about next steps, the who-is-doing-what-until-when-in-which-format-with-which-level-of-quality question is relevant).
From a more tactical perspective, I developed some habits naturally to be more efficient in note-taking - maybe no need to overcomplicate it also, and you can also learn from your colleagues on the job and collect your own 'best practices'. Some ideas for that:
Hope this helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote button below!
Robert
1) Decide physical vs virtual - are you a faster typer or writer?
2) If virtual, pick the best tool - try outlook draft emails (so you can store/organize with your email), try notepad, try a tablet so you can write on it, etc....find the one that works for you
3) Only write down what is important - you should know this! You don't need to capture everything. Just like in a case, figuring out what information is not needed is just as valuable as figuring out what information is needed.
4) And then, what you do write down, write it in shorthand!
I.e. If I say "Your client is Bills Bottles. They earn $800M in profits each year by manufacturing bottles to soda companies in the US and Europe. Over the past two years they've seen profits falling and have brought you in to investigate"
You should write:
Hi there,
The best tip here is to "know what to take note of" - no one is expecting a full dialogue transcript.
You need to focus on your notes on the points/info related to the meeting's objectives relevant information and agreed-upon actions (what to do / by whom/ by when)
Also, any number mentioned during the meeting, make sure you write it down. Those might come in handy later.
I hope this helps
Khaled
Hello,
Some very simple advice
Best
Hello!
To add on top of what has been said: don´t try to transcript what they tell you, but take notes in bullet points. This will filter the non-important away.
Cheers,
Clara
Dear A,
I would recommend you to take notes on: names, geographies, name of the company, numbers and details, but to keep in mind and overall idea and try to catch it.
Because if you concentrate simply on writing/typing you may easily lost the overall idea.
And also, after the meeting write down main conclusions and insight, when your memory is still fresh
Hope, it helps,
Best,
André
If you are leading the meeting then having an agenda is essential.
If you are attending the meeting i think capturing the essence, key points is important.
Not sure if you have heard of Witful. com, it links to your Google calendar and tracks/organizes all your meeting notes. I run operations for a couple small companies and this is the only way I can stay on top of all my meetings/post meeting tasks.
Hi A!
Note taking is of course a critical piece of a strong case delivery, so it will pay off to practice this early on in your preparation.
Whatever system you chose (and practice), it needs to fulfill 3 main purposes:
There are certainly many different styles of note taking that provide these three functions, so you should find our which one works for you and enables you to focus on the case execution, rather than the note taking. Keep in mind that you should practice this system early on in your journey, so you are comfortable with this method when you go into the interviews.
Find below a screenshot of the notetaking system that works for me personally. In this system, I first draw one vertical and one horizontal line. Then I use the column on the left side to take the initial notes during the case prompt and clarifying questions. Then I write down the key question of the case in the top row and develop the framework in the main area on the page.
During the case, I scribble less important stuff on separate pages (e.g. notes during the quant part). However, I will write down the key insights of each branch of the framework at the bottom of my main page. That way, when I get to the recommendation, I can simply read the notes from left to right to have the supporting arguments for the case recommendation.