Director of Employer Relations & Administrative Director of HLP
I’ve been hearing a lot from employers lately about interviewing, and as the Fall Recruitment season starts to heat up, I wanted to share some of those insights with you.
Last week, I moderated an Interview Workshop Panel here at Golden Gate with employers from the private, public interest, and government sectors: Brianne O’Leary from Perkins Coie LLP; Katherine Asada from the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office; and Patricia Salazar from Centro Legal De La Raza.
I also recently attended an Interview Workshop Panel sponsored by the Bay Area Lawyers For Individual Freedom. The panelists at that event were Eric Stern from the University of California at Berkeley, School of Law; J. Dominic Campodonico from Gordon & Rees LLP; Delia Swan from Swan Legal Search; and Sabrina Lonergan from Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP.
At each of these events, the employers on the panels stressed many of the same points:
- Relax and be yourself. If you’re sitting there, then the employer is already impressed with you. Now they’re mostly trying to get a feel for chemistry and how you’d fit in.
- Get to know the employer ahead of time. You don’t need to spout out arcane facts during the interview, but you should have a firm grasp of what that employer does.
- Dress like you were going to court. You want to impress the employer with what you say, and it’s harder to do that if he or she is distracted by how you appear. Avoid outfits that are too bright, too loud, or too revealing.
- Practice makes perfect. You’ll get stronger as you do more interviews, but to do great in those earlier interviews, practice in front of the mirror and do mock interviews with Law Career Services. Don’t memorize any answers though. Canned answers are offputting.
- Own up to your grades. If they leave something to be desired, don’t be defensive or negative. Be honest and then pivot to something positive, namely your recent academic successes or your other strengths.
- Think about your past experiences. A lot of employers like to ask behavioral interview questions (“tell me about a time when…”), and while you can’t anticipate the full range of these questions, you can at least be prepared to draw on past challenges and successes from your work and school histories.
- Be nice to everyone you meet at the employer. That includes the receptionist. Everyone’s opinion matters, and people do talk about candidates.
- Personalize your Thank You notes. They make a better impression that way. Plus, if you interview with more than one attorney at an employer, chances are they will compare notes and discount your sincerity if you say the exact same thing.
