Interview Basics

It’s always exciting to get an interview. Whether it’s a long list of firms for on-campus interviews (OCI) or job fairs, a phone interview, or callback, an interview means opportunity.

If you’ve never interviewed for a professional job, the idea of impressing someone or “selling” your skills and services during an interview can be overwhelming. What I’ve learned over the years is that with the right preparation, not only can you walk through that interview door with a leg up on much of the competition, but you may also learn to enjoy the process.

And that starts by making sure you have the basics covered.

1. Adopt the right perspective

Embrace the interview as an exciting opportunity to connect and learn. To you, it may feel like everything hinges on this one interview. For the interviewer, however, this is one of many important things that need their attention. Remember that the people you’re meeting with are human, too; think of the interview as a conversation and a process that allows the interviewer to get to know you and enjoy the interaction.

You may have to answer tough questions about your background and qualifications, tackle behavioral questions, and advocate for yourself if you want to get the job. But if you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity to learn about interesting individuals and law firms, it will have a positive effect on your demeanor and improve your chances to get the callback or offer.

2. Be on time

You should arrive at the location with enough time to catch your breath and organize your thoughts. Walking through the door confident and engaged, instead of winded and worried, can make a big difference in the impression you want to make.

Students who have back-to-back interviews during OCIs or career fairs often worry about and ask me what they should do if they have to cut an interview short to make it to the next one. There is no recipe that fits all situations.

My advice is to be professional and honest: Interviewers often share the same frustrations. Toward the end of the interview, mention that you may need to leave a couple of minutes early to make it to the next one. Here’s where a bit of humor may also help make things less awkward; you can make a light comment, such as “Unless you’re prepared to give me the job on the spot, I’ve got to run to my next interview!”

3. Appearances matter

Here’s my recommendation about what to wear and how to look: Don’t let your appearance to be the one thing that stands out.

The more you look like a traditional lawyer, basic and polished, the better—especially at the OCI stage. (This can vary depending on the culture of the area where you’re interviewing.)

This is a “control variable,” something used in research. Before law school, I worked as a technician in cancer and genetics research and optimized research protocols: Keep all the metrics of the experiment the same but modify one variable to accurately measure the effect on the protocol.

This is reversed in an interview situation: Your appearance is one of the only things within your control. By sticking with a traditional outfit, you make your appearance a non-issue. That way, you can assess your success or challenges based on the more important metrics.

4. Research the firm & interviewer(s)

If you’re short on time ahead of the interview, doing research into each firm can seem an easy thing to shortcut. Don’t: You risk looking unprepared if not incompetent.

Here’s a mistake even the best students can make: You check out a firm’s website, which indicates they do everything—as most big firms do. But if you interview with an office that focuses on litigation and tell them you’re “heavily leaning toward corporate,” you’ve just made a big misstep. By doing smarter research into law firms, you can get this information ahead of time and help prevent basic mistakes.

Another way to save yourself from rookie mistakes is to read your interviewer’s bio—or everyone’s bio, if you’ll be facing a panel. Not only do attorney bios tell you what they specialize in and where they went to school, they often give you a glimpse into your interviewer’s personality. So instead of asking them basic questions, you can engage with them based on the knowledge you gathered from reading their bio.

(In the next part of this series, I will cover advanced interviewing techniques and how you can tailor your interview responses to specific interviewers.)

5. Keep your energy and confidence up

There are two things that can derail your efforts on an interview day: Fatigue and anxiety.

First, doing multiple interviews a day, sometimes multiple days in a row, is exhausting. By the fifth or sixth time, explaining again why you went to law school and what you want to do can feel more like a slog than a conversation.

But that old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”? It’s true. Recalibrate every time you walk into a new interview: “I’ve never met this person before. She has other work and family obligations but is here to learn about me. She deserves my full attention, interest, and enthusiasm.”

Staying confident can be more complicated.

First, you have to do battle with the enemy between your ears—your own ego, doubts, and fears. There’s no doubt that OCIs and interviewing can be a big challenge, but you’re a professional who has encountered and overcome many challenges. And you’ll soon be an attorney. Before long, you’ll face your first solo client meeting, then your first time in court or at a negotiation. You can’t let nerves paralyze or overwhelm you. And, it’s OK to fake it until you become it. In fact, your interviewers will likely expect you to do just that.

Second, you have to tune out everyone else in your class. I suggest avoiding long discussions about callbacks and offers with your classmates to the extent possible while you’re in OCI mode—especially if hearing that some of them are already collecting callbacks and offers will unnerve you. Remember that you are running your own race.

Do whatever you need to do to keep your hope, energy, and enthusiasm up so you can enter each interview with the best mindset.

Timeliness, preparation, energy, confidence, and looking good—these qualities are what help set the bar for a good interview. If you truly want to excel, my next post will look at the advanced interviewing techniques and strategy that go into the best interviews.

Need help researching law firms, coming up with a tailored summer associate job search strategy, or preparing for interviews? Schedule a free consultation with a PracticePro coach here.