The employer is testing whether you can turn rough executive notes into clean, accurate minutes, because executives rarely give tidy inputs and an assistant must close the gap between scribbles and usable records.
Show a step-by-step process: scan the notes, identify key decisions and owners, mark unclear points, ask focused clarifying questions, then circulate a draft for confirmation. Emphasize that you confirm before publishing anything that could commit the executive.
Start by physically organizing the page: number the items, circle action verbs, and underline names and dates so nothing gets lost. Then immediately separate what is fact from what is only your interpretation, because a notepad rarely distinguishes the two. Say plainly that you will first reconstruct the sequence of the meeting in your own words, then flag every gap, every abbreviation, and every line where the handwriting is unclear. Do not try to fill those gaps yourself. Instead, list them as three or four focused questions and ask them in one short conversation, not in a long email, so your executive can answer while the meeting is still fresh. After that, draft the minutes in a clean structure: decisions, action items, owners, and deadlines, with a clear note that this is a draft for confirmation. Explain that you will send it with a line like "Please confirm before I circulate" and that you will hold distribution until your executive approves, because anything you send could commit them. In a Philippine office, where follow-ups often move fast through Viber or group chats, add that you will also confirm the correct distribution list and whether any items are confidential before you press send. Finally, say you will keep the original notepad as a reference file in case a discrepancy comes up later, and you will archive the confirmed version in the shared drive with a clear subject line and date.
A common mistake is to guess 'Sabi ni client okay na po yung launch date' and later cause a wrong follow-up. Instead, say 'I saw two possible interpretations for the client's reply on the launch date, so I will confirm with you before sending the minutes.'
Situation
During my on-the-job training at a marketing agency, the account manager handed me a page of shorthand notes after a client call and asked me to turn them into minutes for the team.
Task
I had to turn unclear handwriting into a clean set of minutes and action items without guessing on facts, because an error could mislead the team.
Action
I first read the notes and highlighted all action words and names. Then I typed a draft with sections for decisions, discussion summary, and action items, placing a question mark beside anything I could not read. I approached the account manager for a five-minute clarification on two cryptic lines, asking 'Did the client approve the revised timeline today or did they need until Friday?' I then sent the draft to all attendees and flagged two action owners.
Result
The final minutes were circulated that afternoon, and the team started on the revised timeline without confusion. The account manager said the clarified questions prevented an incorrect commitment from being sent to the client.
When notes are messy, clarify before circulating so you do not record a commitment the executive never agreed to.
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