Does anyone else Google “how to answer interview questions?” Or “how to make a good first impression in an interview?” I have. Even when I am not interviewing for a job. I do this because I have often times been on the other side of the table . . . the interviewer. I want to know which candidates are giving canned responses and what the internet is telling people will “land you the job of your dreams.”
In my past position, I interviewed numerous candidates to fill the vacancies for staff that held support functions in our office. Now, as an attorney, I have been asked to continue my role as a panel interviewer for incoming attorneys. I was blown away when they asked me to stay on in that role and I have enjoyed every minute of it.
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting on an interview panel at my law school. During the part of the interview when the interviewer asks “so, do you have any questions for me?,” the last candidate of the day turned to me and asked:
“I heard you are an alum of this law school. Can you tell me the one thing that you learned in law school that makes you successful in your job?”
Without even thinking about it, I responded “protect your reputation, because you never know who will be sitting on the other side of the table.”
It’s more true than I think some new attorneys will ever have the ability to understand. I started to appreciate that fact more when I started interviewing other attorneys that I either knew of or heard of during law school.
I explained to the candidate that your reputation in the legal community starts in law school because you are sitting next to your future colleagues. People who you will work with for the rest of your career. How they know you in law school will be how they perceive you for the rest of the time you interact with them during your legal career.
I can think of two attorneys that I currently work with as opposing counsel. I know how they played fast and loose in law school and I know they are probably flying by the seat of their pants in the cases we have together. I can think of another currently unemployed attorney who reached out to me for a referral for a position in my office. I was very direct and explained to them that I did not know anything about their work ethic as they were rarely in class and failed to show up to our final group presentation. And for those reasons, I was not comfortable in making the referral. They probably cussed me out, deleted my email, and moved on to find the next person they could suck a referral out of. All I know is that I will never refer someone for a job in my office that I cannot personally see myself working alongside of.
So, to all of you thinking about going to law school, starting your 1L year, or even entering your 2L year, protect your reputation because you never know who will be across from you at that table when it comes time to interview for that job you really want.
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