What does it take to succeed in a job interview? Put on a nice suit, take some mints, and make sure the tie matches the shirt?
These are tough economic times. Fewer and fewer companies are hiring new candidates, choosing to invest in experience over young people (if they are investing at all). In this tidal wave of economic depression, good grades, solid extracurricular activities, and an excellent school record may not be enough to land you that fancy position at that prestigious law firm.
Enter the job interview.
If there’s one place you can stand out on your resume and show your potential employer where you shine, give them one more reason to hire you over the rest, it’s the job interview. The job interview is all about making an impression, and we’ll tell you how to make the right one in both rounds:
The selection interview
The selection interview is the first round of evaluation when your potential employer tries to see if you, the candidate, match their credentials. Depending on your law school, there may be a lottery system to sign up for a selection interview. In this lottery system, you can’t be rejected directly based on your resume, so even mediocre students with weak resumes may get their 15 minutes with a recruiter, and maybe impress him or her enough for a job interview. callback.
Advice: If you don’t win a scheduled appointment with a firm of your choice, persistence, such as a call to the law firm, should get you a spot.
Do your homework
Before the big day, do your homework. Research the law firm: its practice, history, and, if possible, the attorney you’ll be speaking with. You can usually get all of this information in the hospitality room (or waiting room, if you prefer) or on the company’s website.
Learn as much as possible about the type of work the company does. Interviewers are usually pleased to see that a candidate has shown an interest in their company. Also, it will be useful to check what you are talking about: your interviewer will not be happy to hear you talk over and over again about an area that the company does not cover.
Also, check the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) form at the particular office of the firm you are interviewing at. Branches of many firms have different statistics than headquarters, especially when it comes to practice areas and attorney demographics. Your professional services office should also have some useful material, such as employer reviews from previous years.
And don’t forget about your classmates and former students. Talk to those people who have worked at your target company. This will give you a real insight into the company: its practice, area of expertise, history, work environment, and even the less desirable aspects.
dress
Your suit alone won’t get you the job, but it never hurts to dress professionally. While employers may state that students can come to the interview in business casual attire, they really want to see you dressed in a suit, like a real lawyer would in a courtroom. Also, clothing preferences can vary from interviewer to interviewer, and therefore your best option is a classic suit, preferably in a neutral color like charcoal or brown.
Carry your documents in a leather wallet, don’t strut around carrying them in your hand.
And don’t forget to bring extra copies of your resume and transcripts.
sell yourself
You usually have 20 minutes with the interviewer. Most of the time, the interviewer has already decided whether he should be invited to the company for a call back, based on his resume, transcript, etc. even before you’ve entered the room. If his résumé and transcripts are stacked against him (low grades, no extracurricular activities), there’s little he can do to save the interview. However, for borderline candidates, a good show can really increase your chances of getting a call back.
As cliché as it sounds, try to be yourself. Remember that the interviewer has probably seen hundreds of candidates. He can see through whatever façade he has built to fit his perceived image of what the company wants.
Fight the temptation to talk only about legal matters. If your interviewer seems interested in opera, you’re better off talking about Pavarotti than his work at the law review. Keep in mind that the interview is designed to assess his personality, not his understanding of the law; their transcripts are proof enough of that.
Be flexible
So you walk into the interview room, fully prepared to answer whatever is thrown at you. You sit, back straight to the interviewer, flipping through your answers in your head, smiling confidently.
But then the interviewer leans back in his chair and asks, “So what do you want to know about this law firm?”
And suddenly, all those written answers fall apart and you mutter a response.
Don’t let this happen to you. Interviewers tend to start with random off-topic questions. In such a scenario, be prepared to give a 3-5 minute narrative by answering the question (or asking questions) and gradually turning the topic of discussion towards yourself: who you are and what interests you at the law firm.
Try and incorporate elements that interest you into your narrative: a particular question that scared you in a mock trial, an article you’re writing for the law magazine, your 1L summer internship. He can use the same story, but present a different version each time. He will keep you from sounding scripted.
But most importantly, learn to answer the interviewer’s questions in a way that your response blends with your narrative.
Be location conscious
You will have firms from all over the country coming to your law school for the job interview. This can cause a problem if, for example, you have lived in New York all your life and your target company is based in Los Angeles. You will find it difficult to convince the interviewer about his sudden desire to move to Los Angeles.
Remember that companies are investing in you. They will train and prepare you during the first year. They want to be sure that you will stay the course and not leave them halfway. If you’ve lived in New York all your life, a company will be (rightfully so) skeptical of your decision to stay in Los Angeles to work for them.
Tackle this problem by visiting the city where your target company is located. Arrange a meeting with them. An informal meeting will make it seem like you’re really interested in moving to their town to work for them, factors that will go a long way in strengthening your resume when it comes to the interview.
It shouldn’t seem like you just signed up to be interviewed by every company that visited your campus. When the inevitable question, “Why did you sign up to interview here?” appears, be prepared with an arsenal of company- and location-specific comments to make your interview seem more genuine.
Smile
So you hate your teacher, your classmates are all idiots, and the campus cafeteria never has good coffee.
Excellent. But don’t tell the interviewer.
The interviewer doesn’t want brutal honesty from you. They would much rather hear you describe that insightful professor or that wonderful course you took last fall. Interviewers are very wary of any hint of negativity and can and will cling to it, severely hurting your chances of landing a job (and this applies to any job, not just a law firm; a negative attitude can be a big detour).
Smile and talk about your great experience during your 1L summer internship, the smart post-mock trial discussions with your classmates. Show them a happy face and they might show you your interview date so they can call you back.