(Image via Getty)
As the 2019 ATL Law School Rankings that came out late last month quipped, “[m]ost people attend law school to obtain jobs as lawyers.” Whether that statement (and the ATL rankings rubric more generally) wrongly downplays other important things law schools and law students do, there is no doubt that job placement is (increasingly) important to schools and to current and prospective attendees. With that in mind, and given that early fall marks the start of a very important interview season for many (though not all) law students, in this month’s and next month’s First Monday Musings columns, I — joined by two subject-matter experts (Joshua Vincent, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson who has been leading efforts to develop legal talent there for many years, and Greg Miarecki, my very effective and accomplished Dean of Career Services at Illinois and a former partner at Winston & Strawn) — offer advice on how to get the most out of the interview process and increase your chances of getting the job you want.
Although each of the three of us has practice experience in a large law firm, the advice we offer here applies to any kind of job in the legal profession, whether it be in Biglaw, small to mid-sized firms, public interest organizations, the government sector, or in-house legal departments. This month we will offer some basic principles to focus on before an interview begins in earnest; in next month’s installment, we will offer guidance for how to succeed during the interview itself and afterward.
First things first: It’s (most) important to understand what interviewers are looking for the most. While the objectives of a particular employer might vary from those of another employer around the margins, every employer wants three basic things:
- Someone who wants this job: Employers really want to find someone who wants to work for their particular firms or organizations. They don’t want someone who is “settling” for them. Why? Because new lawyers generally cost time and money to train. Statistics show that most new attorneys are not particularly cost effective for their employers (whether in the private, public, or non-profit sectors) in the first year. If you leave after a year (or even two), an employer’s investment in you has not yet generated any significant return. So an employer, for the most part, wants to find people who want to be with it long-term and who see it as a “dream destination” rather than a stop along the way.
- Someone who can help its organization progress: This is the classic reason employers seek to hire; they want people who can add value to what they already do, and help them do it better (or differently, if difference is an improvement). If you can provide employers with specifics on the value you can add to their particular organizations, you will be ahead of the game.
- Someone who will fit in well with the organization and its culture: This too is a most basic interview criterion. Does the interviewer like you? Would the interviewer (and others at the organization) want to spend time with you?
With this basic framework laid out, here’s more detail on how to prepare for your interview:
Avoid interviewing with firms and other organizations that you are not interested in. Do not apply to jobs that you do not expect will satisfy you. Employers are generally able to tell when you are not sincerely interested in working for them. Doing interviews for “the experience” is a waste of your time and the employers’ time.
Do research on each employer. An employer will favor candidates who know a great deal about its work and its clients. What kinds of legal matters does the employer handle? Use the internet to learn about specific cases, deals, regulations, legal issues, etc., with which the employer has historically — and recently — been involved. Carefully review the employer’s website; a sophisticated employer will expect you to be familiar with this material. Talk to people who currently work at the employer, or have worked there in the past. Alumni and students (who have just completed summer associate programs or externships) from your law school are excellent resources. Targeted email outreach to a few attorneys or former summer associates is usually best. Avoid “blanket” emails to large groups of attorneys who work for that employer.
Do research on your particular interviewers. Generally, employers will give you in advance a list of the particular people who will conduct your interviews. If you do not receive such a list, politely ask for one, explaining that you would like to be as prepared as possible. Review any available online material regarding the folks you will meet, and be ready to ask them specific questions about their practices and experiences. Helpful research includes running a Westlaw or Lexis search to identify specific cases in which your interviewers may have been involved. Lawyers love to talk about their cases and will be greatly impressed if you can ask intelligent questions about published decisions in cases they handled.
Develop a list of non-generic reasons why you want this job. Be specific, with respect to both the employer and you. Identify the practice areas, types of work, employer objectives, types of clients and cases, the size of employer, the location, the culture, etc., that excite you, and explain why. Rely on information gathered during your research. Avoid generalities, such as “the firm has a great reputation” or “I understand the office has a collegial culture.”
Develop a list of benefits the employer would enjoy if they hired you. Again, be specific. Tailor what you bring to the table that relates directly to the particular employer. Discuss strengths and skills, connections to relevant persons or institutions, unique experiences or attributes, and the like. Provide examples. Don’t simply say, “I am a hard worker.” Provide an illustration of how your diligence and conscientiousness benefitted a previous employer or organization at which you worked.
Practice. Mock interviews are tremendously important to improving your chances of doing well in the actual interview. Do a dry-run interview with a friend, a counselor, a professor, or an attorney, giving them as much information as you can about the particular employer so that they can think from that employer’s perspective. Practice-interview sessions specific to each employer or class of employers will give you valuable feedback you can use to hone your skills.
As you get ready to begin a live interview, start by going back and reminding yourself of the three basic things employers care most about that are we mentioned above. Then consider the following pre-game tips:
Dress Like a Professional. Suits are generally acceptable, unless you are directed otherwise by the employer. When in doubt about a fashion question, remember that the legal profession is generally relatively conservative.
Arrive on time. Late interviewees rarely get the job. Being late signals lack of interest and organizational ability. Make sure you know exactly where the interview will take place (the room or floor, not just the building) and how long it will take to get there — accounting for direction snafus, weather, cabs, traffic, check-in procedures, elevators, etc.
Bring relevant materials. Bring copies of all materials pertinent to your candidacy (including extra résumés, writing samples, transcripts, and anything else requested by the employer), but do not provide them unless specifically asked to.
Greet everyone with a smile and a firm handshake, and be confident and enthusiastic about the position. Project happiness and optimism. Sound excited about the prospect of working for this employer. Make the interviewers feel as though they are offering a tremendous opportunity for the successful candidate.
In Part Two, next month, we will delve more deeply into underappreciated things to do (and things to avoid) during the meat of the interview session and then after it concludes. Stay tuned.
Vikram Amar is the Dean of the University of Illinois College of Law, where he also serves the Iwan Foundation Professor of Law. His primary fields of teaching and study are constitutional law, federal courts, and civil and criminal procedure. A fuller bio and CV can be found at https://www.law.illinois.edu/faculty/profile/VikramAmar, and he can be reached at amar@illinois.edu.