Separate experience, advice and questions in career notes
By Telokind · A practical resource
Before acting on a career conversation, separate what the speaker experienced, what they recommend, what a document says, and what you inferred. This method gives each statement a place in the Interview Evidence File.
Five source types
| Type | What you record | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| E — reported firsthand experience | The speaker's account of work they experienced. | Keep the workplace setting, role level and period; do not extend one account to a whole occupation. |
| O — opinion or recommendation | Advice, a preference, or a suggested route. | Ask which circumstances made the advice useful and compare them with your own target. |
| F — external document statement | What a vacancy, employer page or other document states. | Keep its link, date and relevant wording; verify the document and its scope. |
| I — your interpretation | The conclusion or proposed action you draw from the material. | Name the assumption and the evidence that could change it. |
| Q — next question to check | A decision-relevant question without an adequate answer yet. | Specify the next source or modest action; keep it as a question until answered. |
These labels organize notes. They are not confidence scores, a ranking of people, or a validated assessment.
Split mixed statements
Suppose someone says, “I learned on the job, so you should skip the course.” Record their own learning experience as E and their recommendation as O. Check the job level and period behind the experience before deciding whether the recommendation applies to the role you want.
Your choice to pause a course while checking two current employer pages is I. The task those pages explicitly list is F. If they omit an important requirement, keep that requirement as Q. Do not turn the omission into proof that it is unnecessary.
Missing answers and declined topics
A person choosing not to discuss working hours tells you that the question was not answered. It does not tell you the hours or the reason for declining. Keep the schedule question open and look for an appropriate public source.
Write “not answered” or the question itself in your working copy. Avoid treating a blank field, a guess or a declined topic as evidence for either choice.
Keep conflicting evidence separate
When a senior employee's account differs from an entry-level vacancy, keep both records. First compare their employers, regions, levels and periods. The difference might reflect those settings; neither record establishes the whole market.
Write the specific remaining question: for example, which tasks appear in comparable current entry roles? Then choose a source that could answer it. The examples show three different source and scope problems.
End with a check and an action fork
Write one fact, one next source or action, an owner, a date and a ceiling on time or spending. Add three outcomes: what you will do if supported, what you will do if evidence differs, and what you will do if another check is needed.
Keep the check modest enough to stop at its limit. A positive answer to one condition does not establish that a course, employer or career is right for you. Add the result afterward and preserve the earlier record.
Take the method with you
The full method and three teaching examples are also available as DOCX, PDF, and plain text. Use the blank evidence file for your own notes.
For conversation preparation, consult Berkeley's guide and question page. The five labels and this recording method are Telokind's note structure, not a method endorsed by Berkeley.