Interviewing Tips and Job Hunt Strategy

Although the economy is showing signs of improvement and the job picture is not as bleak as last year at this time, there are still plenty of new law grads looking for work.  At the same time, second year law students are preparing themselves for the upcoming fall interview season.  Some of the same tips we presented to graduating law students last year still apply as you plan your interview and job hunt strategy.

Law.com  provided an outline recently aimed at  2Ls preparing for interview season. But many of the suggestions in that post still apply to grads who haven't secured the right position yet.  The first steps they suggest- preparing a plan and perfecting your resume  are of course quite important, and the subject of recent posts on the Lexis Hub.  We'd like to focus more attention on the actual interview.  How you can prepare yourself-what kinds of questions you can expect. The firm will be trying to learn everything they can about you to see if you will be a good fit.  At the same time, you are trying to learn more about the firm's expectations and your ability to advance and succeed.  The style of interview questions has changed significantly recently.  Rather than focus on the skills you list on your resume and the experiences you gathered in law school, firms and employers are using a technique called "behavioral interviewing."

More and more, firms and organizations are identifying competencies that they believe are important for members of their organization to master to be successful. Competencies can include areas like professional excellence, interpersonal effectiveness and leadership. In order to ascertain whether or not a candidate is proficient in these areas, employers will use questions designed to encourage exploration of their applicant's behavioral patterns.  Behavioral questions allow you to discuss your past experiences, so that connections can be made between them to predict future performance. To prepare for this, think about situations when you overcame an obstacle, managed a difficult or sensitive situation, responded to criticism, and demonstrated your ability to lead a group. You will be well served to be able to discuss lessons you have learned through past events.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          --  Law.com

You will need to discuss experiences you have had and relate those experiences to a set of circumstances.  For example, you might be asked to discuss the way you handled a particular situation, faced a difficult problem or individual, and be able to explain the course of action you took and the results of your actions. How do you prepare for this kind of interview? Sit down and make a list of your accomplishments and successes.  Then, think about the steps along the way to each of those achievements. Many of the "situations" you will be asked to address will be found in the steps that occurred on the way to the final result (your accomplishment.)  Be sure to prepare some examples of actions you took that did not work out the way you had planned.  Think about what you did to correct those situations and a positive result.   By taking the time to consider these situations, the actions you took and the result, you will already have examples in mind and will be able to avoid long uncomfortable pauses.

 Source:

Law.com

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