Can you use notes in a video interview?
By Zakaria Reziki · · 7 min read
In most video interviews, yes. Brief notes with your key stories, a few numbers and the questions you want to ask are generally fine, the same way a notepad would be at an in-person interview. What doesn't work is a script you read word for word. And if the employer says no aids, that rule wins.
When notes are acceptable, and when they aren't
An interview tests how you think and communicate, not how much you've memorised. Bringing prompts for your own experience doesn't change that. Interviewers generally expect candidates to have prepared, and a quick look at a note before telling a story reads as preparation.
The line moves in a few situations:
- The invitation says no notes or no aids. Follow it. Some employers state this for structured interviews, and it's not worth the risk.
- Assessments and tests. Coding challenges, case exercises, psychometric tests and recorded one-way interviews often come with their own rules about outside materials. Read them before you start.
- You're asked to share your screen. Close or hide your notes first, or share just the one window they need to see.
- You're asked directly. If an interviewer asks whether you're reading, answer honestly. A candid “I have a few notes on my examples” is fine. Getting caught denying it isn't.
If you're not sure, ask the recruiter beforehand. “Is it OK if I have a few notes on my examples?” is a normal question and removes the doubt.
What to put in your interview notes
Four kinds of note earn their place. Everything else you should know well enough to say without looking.
1. Story prompts in STAR form
Behavioural questions (“Tell me about a time…”) are where people blank. Prepare five or six stories and write each as a label plus three to five keywords that follow Situation, Task, Action, Result.
| Story label | Keywords | Covers questions about |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout rebuild | legacy code · 6 weeks · split into 3 releases · conversion up | Deadlines, technical decisions |
| Client escalation | angry CFO · missed SLA · daily calls · renewed | Conflict, pressure, customers |
| Hiring mistake | wrong fit · feedback early · PIP · moved on | Failure, difficult conversations |
One story usually answers several questions, so the right-hand column is worth writing too. When a question comes in, you scan the labels, pick one, and the keywords carry you through.
2. Numbers you might fumble
Team size, budget, percentages, dates. These are the details that make a story credible and the details nerves erase. Write them exactly.
3. Your questions for them
Two or three questions, written out in full. This is the one place a complete sentence is fine, because reading a question aloud is what people do in person too.
4. Names
The interviewers' names and roles, and the product or team you'd join. Getting a name wrong is easy to avoid.
What to leave out
- Full answers. If you write them, you'll read them, and reading sounds flat. Interviewers notice the change in voice before they notice your eyes.
- Your CV. You should know it. If you need a date, put just that date in your notes.
- Company research paragraphs. Turn them into one question or one keyword you'll actually use.
- Anything confidential from a current or past employer that you wouldn't say aloud anyway.
A good test: if your notes don't fit on one short screen, they're not notes any more. For the trade-offs between reading, prompts and memorising, see teleprompter vs notes vs memorising.
Where to put notes in a video interview
Directly under the camera, in large text. Interviewers pick up sideways glances much more easily than slight downward ones, so a second monitor or a notes window on the far side of the screen is the most obvious place you could choose. The strip just below a laptop camera is the least obvious. The reasoning and numbers are in where to look on a video call, and the practical setups (floating notes, paper by the lid, a notes app) are in how to read notes during a video call.
On a Mac, Cuey's Notes mode shows one prompt at a time right under the camera and lets you step forward and back by hand, so you can jump to the story you need. Hide it with ⌥⌘T (or the Cuey menu bar icon) if you're asked to share your screen.
How to practise with notes
- Say each story aloud from the keywords only. If you stall, the keyword is wrong or the story needs more practice, not more text.
- Time yourself. Many answers land well at one to two minutes. Paste a practice answer into the speaking time calculator if you want a rough length check before you rehearse it.
- Record a mock answer. Use Photo Booth or QuickTime and your real notes setup. Watch for your eyes dropping, drifting sideways, or your voice going flat.
- Practise the glance. Look at the prompt while the question finishes, then look up before you start talking.
- Do one run without notes. If the call drops or you have to share your screen, you should still be able to tell every story.
The goal is notes you barely need. If you know the stories and the notes only hold the order and the numbers, you'll look at them far less than you expect. For more on setting up for remote hiring, see Cuey for interviews.
Summary
- Brief notes are generally acceptable in a video interview. Scripts and any notes an employer has ruled out are not.
- Write STAR story prompts as 3–5 keywords, plus exact numbers, names and your questions.
- Put them right under the camera, in large text, and hide them before any screen share.
- Practise from the keywords until the notes are a backup, not a crutch.