What Not to Ask

“So, what do you make of that Ninth Circuit ERISA decision?” or (worse yet) “Any thoughts about the legality of Israel's Separation Wall under international law?” Questions such as these tell your interviewer that either you are boring, or you want to show off, or you do not really understand the legal issues involved.

Most lawyers do not casually talk about random legal issues in their spare time unless those issues directly pertain to their practice. Moreover, whatever you think you know about any given legal issue or controversy, a practicing attorney (especially one with experience in that field) will probably know much more, and your comments could easily reveal your ignorance. You can also embarrass your interviewer if he or she has no idea what you are talking about. In short, these types of questions may turn out to have a much less impressive effect than you had hoped. Therefore, if you need to make conversation, rather than asking complex legal questions or attempting to show off your legal prowess, focus on something lighthearted and easy to discuss, such as hobbies, cooking, traveling, law school experience, and so on. If you claim to have a certain hobby, however, you must be able to show a genuine interest in that hobby.

When her interviewer jokingly said he was looking for an associate who could bake, Beverly informed him that, although she did not bake well, one of her passions was gourmet cooking. Intrigued, the interviewer asked follow-up questions. As it turned out, Beverly had exaggerated her cooking skills. When she was asked pointed questions, she revealed that her “passion” consisted of occasionally watching cooking shows and regularly dining at upscale restaurants. In other words, she herself did not do any gourmet cooking. Although she was otherwise a strong candidate, this seemingly innocent misrepresentation was enough to cost her an offer. Her interviewer was no longer confident she gave him an accurate picture of her background.