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I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
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It is very important to develop a positive mental attitude toward interviewing. It may help to keep in mind that you have been invited to interview based on the initial impression of your resume and that you possess the necessary background and skills to do the job. Therefore, the interviewer wants you to succeed. You are a well-educated and experienced professional with a track record of success. Finally, you took the time to prepare and you are ready for anything the interviewer may throw at you. Therefore, an interview should be an informative and pleasant experience.
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*Understand each question fully before responding.
*With your answers and your questions, lead the interview toward your strengths and the points you wish to stress. *Do not interrupt, although you may be interrupted. *Ask questions which you have prepared (do not bring written notes). *State clearly your career goals and interview objectives. *Be responsive to all questions. |
| Attorneys are not necessarily skilled interviewers. Many dislike the task and may be inept, rude, boring or unprepared. This is usually not an accurate reflection of the employer’s overall culture, so do not judge an opportunity based on one bad interview experience. When confronted with an inept interviewer, maintain composure and attempt to turn the interview into a positive experience. |
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AN INTERVIEW IS NOT THE PLACE TO BE MODEST
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| Your answers should be straightforward, clear and concise. You must be prepared to answer complex questions about your area of expertise. Expect the best result; prepare for the worst. Form a plan ahead of time in the event that an interview is not going well or you flub a question. How you handle a bad interview or “wrong” answer—with poise and equanimity—can score more points than answering “correctly.” |
| We advocate directly attacking perceived weaknesses you may have. An approach you might want to consider is to state: |
| “You may have noticed that”: “I appear to have moved around a bit.” “My work has been more of a generalist than a specialist.” “I would like to address that…” |
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II. INTERVIEW OBJECTIVES
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| All employers are looking for the same qualities in everyone interviewed: superior past work, academic performance and strong interpersonal skills. Successful interviews are based on the ability to meet those three requirements. An attorney should provide answers and pose questions that demonstrate: *Analytical reasoning skills; ability to write well and persuasively; ability to efficiently conduct research; substantive knowledge and experience in an area of practice and communication skills. *They are friendly and a team player; are trustworthy, honest, conscientious, have integrity and that they are a well-rounded individual with whom people will want to spend time in a work and social environment. |
| After meeting those requirements, the attorney should: *Explain (and justify), if necessary, negatives which may appear in an academic or employment history. *Articulate career goals. *Obtain specific information about the firm or the general counsel’s office. |
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III. INTERVIEW HAZARDS
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| *Criticism of current or former employers. *One word or short responses. *Rambling or unresponsive answers. *Being familiar rather than friendly. *Inability to articulate goals. *Lack of knowledge about the job. *Being noticeably unprepared for the interview. *Weak or poor handshake and lack of eye contact. *Ambivalence about whether you really wish to leave your current job. *Lack of enthusiasm or apparent indifference. *Being overly modest. *Poor explanation of negatives in your experience or background. *Excessive nervousness. *Failure to ask relevant and thought provoking questions. *Appearing to be arrogant and conceited rather than assertive and confident. |
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IV. QUESTIONS TO ASK
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| The obvious goal of asking questions of the interviewer is to obtain the information you need to know about the employer. There are, however, many secondary goals you should keep in mind. Well thought out, thought provoking, and systemized questions can provide the interviewer with a very positive opinion of you. Good questioning by you can demonstrate your interest, enthusiasm and research about the corporation, organizational skills and aptitude. Also, proper questioning can be used to highlight your strengths. *How would you describe the general counsel’s office’s management philosophy? *What abilities are most important for this position? *How is work assigned? *What, if any, mentor relationships exist? *How are junior counsel supervised? *What formalized training does the corporation have? *What can you tell me about your group? *How is it structured? *How many attorneys? *What was it about the corporation that convinced you to join? *How often are counsels evaluated? *How does the corporation evaluate performance? |
| Finally, observe your surroundings. Toward the end of the interview you might comment on or ask a question about a particular piece of art, a photograph or something unusual in a person's office. |
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V. QUESTIONS TO AVOID
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| Questions about salary, vacation, benefits and options should be avoided until an offer is made. In fact, your Klein Landau & Romm consultant will usually be able to obtain this information for you. Asking provocative, controversial or confrontational questions is a mistake. Asking questions that the interviewer cannot answer is also an error. |
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VI. QUESTIONS TO EXPECT
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| 1. Legal Specialty and General Legal Issues: Be prepared to discuss the complex substantive issues of your specialty, the trends, areas in state of flux, recent decisions, etc., as well as general changes and trends in the legal industry. *How did you choose your specialty? *What do you like most/least about it? *How is it different from your initial idea about it? *What are the major ethical problems facing the profession today? *Do you view the trend in law toward greater specialization to be positive or negative? *What are your philosophies about the practice of law? |2. Education: *Why did you attend your law school? *Considering your law school, how would you: *Rate it? *Describe your experience? *Assess its relevance to practice? *How did you do in law school? *Why? *What about law school has had the greatest impact on your practice? *How would you change your law school for the better? 3. Current and Past Employment: *Describe your current position. *Describe the type of work you perform. *How has your job evolved? *What are the positives and negatives of your current job? *What are the factors that led you to choose it? *Why are you considering leaving your current position? *What part of your job or past jobs involved managing people? *Tell me about the organizational structure of your current job. *Tell me about the components of your compensation. When is your bonus paid? Will vesting in any plans be a financial concern should you leave? Will you lose significant money in options should you leave? 4. Work Process and Management Style: *What is your management style? *What are your biggest faults? *What are your greatest strengths? *How do you handle pressure? *How often do you get involved with business decisions? *Many lawyers I know would rather work on deals or substantive matters rather than administrative/managerial tasks. How do you view managerial and administrative work? *How would you describe the duties and functions of the ideal job? *How has Sarbanes-Oxley changed the lawyer’s role? Is this a good thing or not? *In what respects has your work been criticized? *What areas of your work need strengthening? *What is your position on pro bono activities? *Are you an analytical person and, if so, give me an example of your analytical skills. *Are you a creative individual and, if so, give me an example of your creativity. *Under what kind of supervision do you work best? *How would you supervise junior attorneys? 5. The Corporation and Your Role Within It: *What have you learned about us from doing research? *Have you ever been adverse to the corporation on any transactions, litigation or other matters? *What concerns do you have about this job? *What will you contribute to our company? *Why do you want to work here? *Why should we hire you? *As the process continues, and when appropriate, the corporation may check references, do a background check, including credit, civil and criminal investigations, and check professional records, law school transcript, bar admissions, any complaints, or workplace actions, etc., and after an offer will do drug screening. Is all that okay with you? *Is there anything else we should know about you that might influence our hiring decision? *Are you in an active job search? 6. Goals/Personality: *Where do you want to be in five years and 10 years? *What do you seek from a legal career? *Why did you want to become an attorney? *Have you fulfilled your goals? *Describe your idea of success. *What motivates you? *Who is your role model? *What public figures do you admire? *What books have you read lately that you would recommend? *What are your hobbies? *What makes you angry? *What truly makes you happy? *What attributes do you look for in people? *What is the one thing you don’t want me to know about you? *I do not have a clear impression of who you are other than from a work perspective. Who are you? (How would you describe yourself and your personality?) 7. Negatives: *You have changed jobs several times. Why? Explain each change. *How do I know you won't leave this position? *Why did you perform poorly in law school? *Why weren't you on Law Review? 8. General Knowledge of Current Events: *Be prepared to discuss issues of current concern. |
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Interviewing Tips
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