Transcript CSO's Advanced Interviewing Techniques

Touro College
Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
Career Services Office
March 3, 2009
 The #1 Secret of a Successful Interview
 Research
 Your Infomercial
 The Look
 It’s Time
 Basic Questions
 Tough Questions
 The 10 Biggest Mistakes
PREPARATION
Detective
Work on the
Employer
Infomercial
on Yourself
Practice
Where?
 Google/LexisNexis/Westlaw
 Martindale.com/PSLawNet.org
 Employer’s Website
 Newspaper Sites
 Former Employers
 Professors/Career Services
What?
 Size
 Areas of Practice
 Biographies of Lawyers
 Typical Cases
 Typical Clients
 Recent News
The interviewer is not your advocate.
He or she will not pick out the good points
in your background.
You have to do it.
Go through your
background and
write down
accomplishments.
Look at the list. Select
3-5 job-related
strengths.
No need for them to be
legal. Select
transferable skills.
Come up with personal
job related
achievements.
Weave together a
picture of yourself as
someone who the
employer should want
to hire.
Remember, this
picture of yourself
should be employer
specific.
Memorize this.
 Men
 Avoid black suits.
 White, light blue, light striped shirts.
 Clean cut fingernails. No cologne.
 A nice tie (spend a little bit here).
 Piercings?
 Women
 No evening wear. Keep the cleavage to a minimum.
 Pant suits are fine; wear what is comfortable.
 No big jewelry; no strong perfume.
 Night before: Sleep!
 Get there 5-10 minutes early.
 Bring extra copies of resume, cover letter, writing
sample, etc., in a portfolio.
 No book bags or backpacks.
 Be nice to the receptionist/secretary.
 Everything you say will be reported back.
 Some employers will make decisions about you within
the first five minutes of an interview.
 People want to work with people they like.
 Convincing an employer that you are likeable is ½ the
battle; the other half is convincing that you can do the
work.
 You need to show confidence and what you bring to
the table.
 Eye contact
 Firm handshake
 Greet by name
 Stay positive no matter what.
 Show enthusiasm. Your manner should suggest, “I
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know who you are and I want to be a part of you.”
No time for modesty, but don’t be cocky.
Assertive, not aggressive.
Puffing is fine, lying is not.
Stay in your skin; make it real; take possession of the
questions; don’t just go through the motions.
No note taking; no index cards.
 Answers should be about what you bring to the table,
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not how the experience will be good for you.
Be as specific and concrete as you can be.
Why do you want to work here?
Why did you go to law school?
Why did you go to Touro?
What do you do with the Touro Real Estate Law
Society or with the SBA?
What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Anything on your resume is fair game.
 Tests how you handle yourself under pressure.
 The way you answer the question is often more
important than the answer itself.
 The employer is asking him or herself: Do you have the
good judgment to answer the question in a way a lawyer
would answer it?
 If the employer raises a bad fact, admit the bad fact
and move on to something positive that is related.
 Don’t be defensive.
 Tell me about yourself.
 In other words, tell me something about yourself that
will make me want to hire you
 Use your infomercial
 Avoid family histories; don’t go on and on
 What are your weaknesses?
 Pick a weakness with a positive associated with it: you
focus on one aspect of a project; you tend to over
research. Don’t say “perfectionist”
 What are your strengths?
 Something(s) the employer will value: “I’m patient”
doesn't cut it.
 Use specific examples in your experience to back up your
answer: “For example…”
 Why should we hire you?
 Can do and will do answers: use your infomercial; your
experience; willingness to work hard; commitment to
practice area; interest in building and developing clients
 Not, “I’m the best there is”
 Why aren’t your grades better?
 Fess up: “I am disappointed in a few of my grades, but I
always turned the disappointment into a learning
experience by talking with my professor about what he
or she wanted to see written on the exam. What I am
most proud of is how I’ve been able to translate what I
have learned in school to the office. For example…
 Mention classes you did well in that are related to the
employer; great feedback on your writing at work;
seminars vs. exam courses; clinical courses.
 Stay positive. No dissing a professor.
Behavioral Questions: questions which
gauge future performance based upon past behavior
 Describe how you have handled a mistake you have made in the
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past.
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to
successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Discuss an important written document you were required to
complete.
Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call
of duty in order to get a job done.
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you
were required to prioritize your tasks.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good
judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Illegal Questions: questions used to obtain
information which could be used to unlawfully
discriminate against the applicant
 Are you married?
 Do you have children?
 Do you observe the Sabbath?
Your Response:
Anger or Constructive Dialogue?
 You must have a question
 Stay away from purely factual questions, “what’s in it
for me” questions, and things you should know
 Salary, benefits, hours, training, size of employer
 Stick with experiential questions
 What do you like about working here? (Not what do you
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like least)
What might a typical assignment be?
What drew you to this practice area?
How has the practice changed in the last five years?
What is the biggest challenge for an intern or new
attorney?
 Show up late and/or unprepared
 Fail to show enthusiasm
 Be negative
 Hiding your strengths
 Volunteering flaws
 Showing arrogance rather than self-confidence
 Being defensive or apologetic
 Being intimidated
 Dissing the help
 Thinking that associates are on your side