Caldwaller will be interviewing 2Ls in the near future, and to prepare you in advance, has insights to share to help improve WashULaw students’ rate of success. Read their tips on how to negotiate the screening and callback interviews below!
1.) Thoroughly research each firm before pursuing an interview. It makes sense to focus only on firms that most closely match your interests.
2.) Create a “cheat sheet” for each firm that you can review prior to your interview. Using this information, craft questions to ask during your interview that can help you narrow your choices.
· Sources of your research should include:
o Firm websites, especially any sections or microsites developed specifically for law student recruiting
o Your school’s alumni or 3Ls who have worked in firms in which you’re interested
o Surveys (NALP, Chambers, The American Lawyer’s Midlevel, Vault)
o National or industry newspapers and magazines that have written about the firm, its cases, deals, or people
o Legal and business blogs (But be wary! Blogs are not always credible sources and many post gossip or false information to increase hits and generate advertising revenue.)
o The Career Services Office on your law school campus. Career services professionals can help you make connections with alumni, share with you feedback from former summer associates, and offer advice from career counselors who are familiar with the industry, among other things.
3.) Be genuine and honest. Interviewers will assume that you researched their firm, but no one expects you to know much about the actual practice of law or specific areas of practice. Pretending to know more than you do or over-inflating your qualifications will make you seem less credible.
4.) Be courteous to other candidates and to firms, and respond to callback invitations promptly. Firms may designate a certain number of callback interviews to students at your school. They might wait for responses before offering an interview to additional candidates, so a prompt response is appreciated.
5.) Before accepting a callback, strongly consider whether the employer meets the criteria that are genuinely important to you.