Timeline for How to make interviewee comfortable interviewing in lounge chairs
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
17 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Sep 20, 2019 at 19:45 | comment | added | Julie in Austin | @CynicallyNaive - It's so much smaller than a regular laptop that it doesn't make any difference. But also, because a tablet "opens" so much faster than a laptop, I'm not as concerned with "closing" it. Plus, since it's now obvious I have an iPad Air 2, I use "touch id", which makes is even faster. | |
| Sep 20, 2019 at 19:38 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | Thanks, Julie. It seems like the upright tablet would create a barrier much like a laptop screen (effectively it's like a small laptop isn't it?) but I'll defer to those with experience using this table config. Are you able to observe any different reactions to that setup versus a full laptop? | |
| Sep 20, 2019 at 11:33 | comment | added | Julie in Austin | @CynicallyNaive - I touch type all the time on the iPad I’m using right now. My iPad case is a Logitech some model or other that I can’t see while ... I’m touch typing my response right now ;) (Logitech Type+ for iPad Air 2 — had to take the iPad out of the case to look). | |
| Sep 19, 2019 at 18:16 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | @Aaron If you're asked to bring a laptop with a portfolio, of course you should comply. I would bring it in a clean, well-maintained computer bag and only take it out when asked to show off the portfolio. | |
| Sep 19, 2019 at 18:15 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | @JulieinAustin: I suggest a bound notebook or paper notepad. I disagree about a tablet being equivalent. To reiterate, it's 100x better than a laptop. If you write on it as you would write on a pad, it might not be too bad. (I don't know anyone who can touch type on a tablet, so I don't see how you could use the virtual keyboard and maintain eye contact.) | |
| Sep 19, 2019 at 18:12 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | @JulieinAustin: I absolutely understand that. That has nothing to do with my reasoning. The screen doesn't cease to be a physical/psychological barrier to rapport just because you know how to touch type. | |
| Sep 19, 2019 at 18:11 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | This is from 2017. That's two years ago, not ten. nytimes.com/2017/11/22/business/… Sue Dynarski is a prominent education researcher, and she cites other peer-reviewed ed research here. There may be business lit on this too, not sure. I think the point transfers to business meetings anyway. | |
| Sep 19, 2019 at 18:07 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | FreeMan: I'll tell you multiple "whys". 1. A laptop presents a physical barrier between two individuals. Body language matters in an interview or any meeting, for all attendees. Hopefully that's self-evident. 2. Other people have no idea if you're writing notes or doing something else. You could be checking email for all they know. Typing on a laptop conveys "I have better things to do than listen to you," even if it's not really true. | |
| Sep 18, 2019 at 18:30 | comment | added | Julie in Austin | @FreeMan - Yeah, anyone who doesn't understand that touch typing doesn't require looking for EACH AND EVERY KEY has no clue about typing. I can type with my eyes closed. On a good keyboard I can do it about as fast as I can with my eyes open. | |
| Sep 18, 2019 at 18:19 | comment | added | FreeMan | About 10 years ago, I had a recruiter explicitly and sternly tell me not to bring a laptop to an interview "because I'd be too focused on it taking notes". I took his advice, however, I can touch type just fine thank-you-very-much and maintain appropriate eye-contact with the interviewer much better than I can hand-write notes on a piece of paper and maintain eye-contact. That was 10 years ago, but I think a lot of that "don't do it" mentality remains without having really thought through the why... | |
| Sep 18, 2019 at 17:58 | comment | added | Aaron | @CynicallyNaive I have brought my laptop to interviews, and I don't recall for sure since it's not significant enough to remember, but I think interviewers have as well. I've never even heard of the idea that tablets or laptops would not be desired at an interview, and I have even been asked to bring a laptop with examples of my work. | |
| Sep 18, 2019 at 7:13 | comment | added | Mast | @ZachLipton Exactly. Previously this was done with laptops, sometimes combined with beamers, but nowadays tablets are slowly taking over that field. | |
| Sep 18, 2019 at 1:19 | comment | added | Zach Lipton | Since an interview is an opportunity for both sides to sell each other, a tablet or laptop could be a useful tool for the interviewer to present information about the company. While it's reasonable to expect the candidate to have done some prior research, a tablet could be used to provide a brief demonstration of the company's product (especially if there's not a publicly accessible version the candidate could have seen before) or otherwise illustrate what the company has to offer. | |
| Sep 17, 2019 at 18:41 | comment | added | DetectivePikachu | If an interviewer didn't bring anything to record information on I would take it as a sure sign that the position was already filled or they didn't really want me. | |
| Sep 17, 2019 at 18:33 | comment | added | Julie in Austin | @CynicallyNaive - No more so than bringing a note pad. Or do you think that's a bad idea as well, and if so, what do you suggest? | |
| Sep 17, 2019 at 18:31 | comment | added | CynicallyNaive | Tangential to the thread (and your answer is excellent): I'm a little surprised they would consider it good practice to bring a tablet device to an interview. It's certainly 100x better than bringing a laptop to an interview, but still seems to be a bit of a barrier to rapport/engagement. | |
| Sep 17, 2019 at 17:27 | history | answered | Julie in Austin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |