Callback Interview Do’s and Don’ts
Posted: 07 Aug 2019 09:00 PM PDT
The on-campus interview season (OCI) has now given way to callback interview season, which will soon swiftly transition to the start of your 2L year. While you are in the throes of callback interviews, we wanted to highlight some tips about communicating with firms during the season and provide a few do’s and don’ts. A podcast from Blacklines and Billables details some tips and tricks during this recruiting season, which we have summarized below.
Do:
- Spend as much time as you can with attorneys at the firm to make the most informed decision. Talk to rising 3Ls to get further perspective on what working for that firm is like, and what their experience was like.
- Look at the firm’s practice groups, press releases and league tables to make sure the firm has experience in your desired practice area. Similarly, know what the firm does and doesn’t do.
- Google the interviewers on your schedule.
- Be prepared to speak about anything on your resume. People will have actually read it, and will want to follow up on the content.
- Demonstrate personal engagement and make eye contact.
- Know what BigLaw associates do. Ask about a typical day in an associate’s life, or what matters that associate is working on currently.
- Ask for a second look or an informal coffee with associates at the firm when you have offers on the table to learn more about their experience. Be specific about who you would like to meet with.
- Make sure you are exploring what makes people successful at that firm in your callbacks and offer conversations.
- If going to lunch with the firm, follow the lead of associates you are with for ordering.
- After you accept an offer, call the interviewers who spent specific time with you. Also follow up with the interviewers from another firm, even if you turned down their offer. Thank each person with whom you met for their time.
Don’t:
- Don’t spend too many hours researching the firm; the recommendation is one hour per firm.
- Don’t give the impression that you just want the job to knock out your law school debt.
- Don’t present yourself as disinterested.
- Don’t lay a hard line for an area of practice that the firm doesn’t do.
- Don’t think that you need to have a niche specialty interest. Uncertainty about which practice area you want is ok.
- Don’t try to split your time between two offices or two firms. You won’t get as much out of the experience and neither will the firm.
- Don’t hesitate to ask multiple attorneys the same question in order to evaluate the answers.
- Don’t wear anything extravagant to the interview; a basic suit is fine.
- Don’t work at a firm that isn’t a good fit just because it seems more prestigious than the others.