What Not to Ask - “how Much Will I Make?”, “what Is The Quality Of Life Here?”
interview interviewer income interview questions intrusive date
A law job interview is very similar to a first date. You must make a good first impression if you want to receive a follow-up invitation. You already have what it takes to get your foot in the door—you would not get an interview if you did not. Now you must also show your interviewer that you are sociable, likeable, and normal. As with first dates, your conversation with potential employers should be pleasant and lighthearted. Just as you would not want to ask about your blind date's income, age, or weight, you do not want to ask intrusive questions at your first interview. The key to a successful interview is to stay away from intrusive topics and avoid the questions in this chapter.
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Do not ask questions about salary, partners’ incomes, or bonuses. These questions are never appropriate at the interviewing stage, and they will be held against you in the evaluations. Moreover, in terms of informational value, these questions are worthless. Salary information for most firms is available online, and it may actually change before you start working. Thanks to the popular lega…
This question is unoriginal and ambiguous, and calls for a Pollyanna response about work-life balance. Even worse, it tells your interviewer you are not willing to working hard. We understand your predicament and your desire to get paid the highest market salary, do challenging, interesting work (none of that document review or due diligence stuff), and still be able to leave at 5 p.m. You must re…
“How many lawyers does your firm have?” “How many lawyers in this office do IP?” “When did this office open?” “What practice areas is this office known for?” Here is what your interviewer is thinking when he or she hears these questions: “Are you kidding me? I have to waste .2 hours of my otherwise billable time regurgitating publicly …
“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 rand…
When faced with an awkward silence during an interview, you may be tempted to keep the conversation going. Most interviewees resort to generic questions in order to fill the gaps—for example, “What are your hours like?” or “What kind of work do you do?” One candidate even asked why his interviewer decided to be a lawyer. Rather than fill awkward silences with ran…
Questions about how a firm has dealt with racially offensive comments or insensitive employees may be legitimate. But, for your offer's sake, go easy with these types of questions. If you really must know an answer before deciding whether to join a firm, your law school career services may help by asking this question on behalf of the student body. Alternatively, if you are interviewing as …
Although it may seem self-evident, we are including this advice because there are many job applicants who make the mistake of asking overly personal questions. Although it may be tempting to ask your interviewer personal questions, you should resist this temptation because you never know how your interviewer may react. Some interviewers are eager to talk about their children, their married lives, …
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