What to bring to a job interview

The core kit

Harvard’s career services office keeps the list short. Its interviewing guidance names “Extra copies of your resume”, a “Pen and paper or padfolio”, and “Writing samples or portfolio (if appropriate for the industry)”. It adds a practical note that longer days make obvious: “bring a bottle of water and a snack such as a granola bar”.

MIT’s interview primer treats the same question as part of the night before routine, asking directly: “Do you need to bring physical copies of your resume, portfolio, or other materials?” The answer is usually yes for in person interviews, even when you submitted everything online. Panels print late, rooms change, and a candidate who can hand over a clean copy to the person who arrived without one has done them a small favour at no cost.

Three or four copies is right for most interviews. Print single sided on plain paper, keep them flat in a folder rather than folded in a pocket, and make sure the version you bring is the version you sent, since interviewers read along and discrepancies are noticed.

For the pen and paper, a slim folder or padfolio does three jobs: it protects the CVs, it gives you somewhere to write, and it gives your hands something to do other than fidget. A notepad also means you can write a question down and come back to it at the end rather than interrupting.

The checklist, and why each item earns its place

Pack from the list below rather than from memory, and cross off anything that does not apply to your format.

That is the whole list for a standard interview. If it does not fit in one bag, take out whatever you cannot name a use for.

Documents, references and the admin layer

Reread the invitation email the night before and do exactly what it says. If it asks for photo identity documents, proof of your right to work, qualification certificates, a driving licence or a disclosure certificate, bring the originals in the format requested, not photographs of them, unless scans were specifically allowed. Employers that check at interview often cannot progress a candidate who turns up without the paperwork.

A short reference list is worth carrying even when nobody asks. One page with two or three names, their job titles, their relationship to you and their contact details means that if the conversation ends with somebody saying the next step is references, you can supply them that day rather than three days later. Ask those people first.

Qualification evidence depends on the field. Teaching, nursing, construction, security, accountancy and regulated trades routinely verify certificates and registration numbers, so bring them if the role touches a licence. For most office roles they are unnecessary at interview stage.

Keep digital backups of everything in a folder on your phone. It will not replace an original where an original is required, but it has saved many candidates a scramble when a form needs a number they do not remember.

Taking notes in with you

Bringing notes is normal and reads as prepared rather than unsure, provided they stay a prompt and never become a script. Keep them to one page, in large enough type to read at a glance from the table, with white space between blocks so your eye can find a line in a second.

What earns space on that page: four to six story titles, not the stories themselves; any number you might be asked to recall, such as the size of a budget or a team; the two things you most want the interviewer to remember; and your questions. What does not earn space: full sentences, your motivation written out, or anything you will be tempted to read aloud.

Use it at defined moments. Glancing down while the interviewer asks a question is fine, as is looking at your questions when they invite them. Reading an answer is not, and the difference is audible from across a table.

Writing during the interview is similarly fine in moderation. Note the exact wording of a multi part question, names and job titles, and anything about the next steps. Then stop writing and look up; a candidate who takes dictation stops having a conversation.

What to leave at home

Luggage first. Suitcases, gym bags, shopping and bicycle helmets all have to go somewhere, and the somewhere is usually the floor beside you. If you are travelling, ask reception whether anything can be stored, and if not, consider a locker at the station instead of arriving encumbered.

Food and drink that announces itself is the next category. Hot coffee you are still carrying, anything strongly scented, and chewing gum all create small problems. Keep the water bottle closed until you are offered a moment, and eat the snack before you go in, not in the lift.

Leave your phone on silent and out of sight, not face down on the table. A buzzing table interrupts an answer and signals where your attention is. Headphones belong in the bag before you reach reception, not around your neck.

Finally, come alone. A parent, partner or friend waiting in reception changes the tone before you say a word, and for a first job it is worth arranging to meet them afterwards somewhere else. The exception is a support worker or interpreter whose attendance you have arranged with the employer in advance, which is a different thing entirely and perfectly normal to request.

What changes by format and by role

For a phone interview, the list shrinks to a quiet room, a charged phone, your CV and the job posting on paper or on screen, a pen and paper for notes, and water within reach. Nothing to carry, but everything within arm’s reach before the call starts.

For a video interview, swap printed copies for open files, add a charger, and check you have a way to continue if the connection drops, such as a phone number you can be called on. Keep your one page prompt sheet beside the keyboard rather than taped to the screen, where the reading is visible.

Practical and technical assessments change the kit. A trade test may require your own hand tools and safety boots, and the invitation will say so. A design, writing or data role may ask you to bring a laptop, in which case bring the charger and an offline copy of the work in case the building’s network does not cooperate. Teaching interviews often involve a lesson or presentation, so bring printed copies of any plan or handout for the panel.

For a first job as a teenager or student, nobody expects a portfolio. A short CV printed twice, your identity documents if the employer asked for them, a pen, your questions and a note of your availability and term dates covers it. Dressing and timing matter more than the contents of your bag: see what to wear to an interview and how to prepare for a job interview.