Not gonna lie. I'm experiencing some
Truthfully, most of my anxiety concerns whether I want to work there, whether it would be a good fit, etc., and how to find that out. They're definitely interviewing multiple candidates, and I expect that this is probably the first of at least two rounds of interviews.
No idea which attorneys I'll be meeting, though there are only about 20 in the firm. The paralegal doing the scheduling didn't say, and I failed to ask. (Flummoxed by the unexpected call, out of practice, and terrified a baby would start crying while I was talking.) I've read the attorney bios (and will again & again). No one in my local network of former classmates etc. has had much experience with them. My two recommenders had nice things to say about the firm in general (respected, etc.) but didn't have much in the way of insight into the place. Also, both of my recommenders were men in their 70s, so there is that.
My main source of anxiety is what do I ask when they inevitably turn the tables and ask me whether I have any questions. I have ... so many. But its the first round of interviews. Its the initial "get to know you but not really because we're all putting on our best faces" meeting.
I know I will ask which partner(s) I'd be working with. The position is the position is advertised as a mix of two related transaction-heavy practice areas, plus litigation. I'd try to get a break down of what the expected mix between litigation and transactional stuff would be. What's a typical day for an associate? When the hell are you gonna update the firm website because its not 2004 anymore? (Kidding... mostly... says the girl still using blogger).
Taking suggestions for how / when / whether to raise the more difficult questions. What would you ask?
These are the questions I appreciate from candidates:
ReplyDeleteHow are associates evaluated? Is there a formal associate review process? Are all partners involved in evaluating associates? What sorts of things do the partners look for in reviewing associates at my level?
What sort of associate training does the firm offer? Are there any formal trainings done in house? Brown bag lunches or in-house CLEs?
How does the firm support other professional development opportunities? Are there bar associations the firm is involved with? That associates are encouraged to be involved in? (If you feel comfortable, you can also ask about reimbursement/financial support for professional development activities.)
How does the firm work with associates on business development? Is business development expected of associates on a partner track? (If you feel comfortable, you can also ask about reimbursement/financial support for business development activities.)
These are all the good questions about The Job. There are other questions you should consider asking that relate to The Firm or Firm Culture. But I would say avoid ASKING those questions (so, don't ask "Does the firm support working from home?") Instead, take opportunities to ask open ended questions of the people you're interviewing with, like whether they feel fulfilled at the firm, what they like best about the firm, what their favorite things are about the firm.
And otherwise, just be comfortable. They can't ask you about your family situation, obviously, but I wouldn't hide the ball on that -- don't shy away from asking questions that relate to how the job would affect your family life. They can be open-ended questions (I asked someone I interviewed with what life was like as a woman at the firm, since she was the only woman I interviewed with.)
Well, my first idea would be along the lines of matching career development with the firm in a positive way. "I'm really hoping to gain more experience/expertise in X area (that the firm has significant history in, where you have some ). Can you tell me how you develop your associates in that area?" Or something to that effect. Your interest and enthusiasm and how their firm develops talent in that regard.
ReplyDeleteI am SO keeping track of the devinemissk's comment so I can totally steal all those questions if I ever interview with a firm...
ReplyDeleteReally, I just came to say congrats on the interview, and wish you luck!!
Seriously, that was a great comment, Miss K! You should really make that a whole post on your blog so we can all find it again.
ReplyDeleteI'm always curious about the structure of the firm. Is there strict separation between various practice areas, or is there a lot of overlap? Is the firm organized more vertically (litigation, corporate, IP, labor/employment, etc.) or horizontally along industry areas? Are there certain types of work the firm doesn't do? Are there areas that the firm is focusing on or where it wants to develop? In general, what is the firm's business plan? (For instance, do they make their money from contingency cases? Do a lot of routine work for fixed fees? Have a particular area of expertise so that every client of that type in the area will go to them?)
I can't tell you if interviewers actually like these questions, but they help me in evaluating a place to work.
I always find that the question "what case (o deal) takes up most of your time" is a pretty good window into the respective associates satisfaction level. and people typically like to talk about their big case so it's a nice question for that reason. also, for someone who has been there a long time, "what has kept you at [firm]", or someone newer "why did you choose to work at [firm]"?
ReplyDeleteand i'll part ways a bit with divinemisk in that i wouldnt offer anything that indicates family status - i know they arent supposed to but i have heard employers balk at moms having three kids versus one or none.
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks Divinemissk! I've ALWAYS wondered what interviewers expect when they ask if you have any questions. My one firm interview, I lucked out because I was taking a law class related to the area of the firm's practice and our professor has just told us about a proposed bill related to that area of law. I asked all my interviewers what they thought of the bill and how they thought it would affect their practice. It was the ONLY question I could think of and I asked it to all my interviewers when they interviewed me separately. I hoped they wouldn't compare notes later!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can see if any new cases came out in their area of practice? Maybe ask how they expect it to affect their practice?
I totally understand your mixed feelings about whether you WANT to work there. I have mixed feelings about returning to work, myself. And I totally have squishing maternity leave brain!
Good luck and kick some butt!
Wow. I had almost emailed Miss K in addition to posting here because I knew she'd have insight, but talk about exceeding expectations for blog comment! Agree: blog post that!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone too for additional insights!
CM's questions are FABULOUS. If a candidate asked me those questions, I'd know they were really being thoughtful about their job search.
ReplyDeleteYou have some great suggestions here. I'm not job-hunting and have no plans to do so in the foreseeable future, but I'm still going to bookmark this!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I want to add is that this may be the ONLY interview, so be ready for that, too, rather than only a lighter "getting to know you" interview. I know my firm only does one round.
As Twitter knows, they've already checked my references... so I think you're probably right, Suzie
DeleteI have absolutely no suggestions (maybe this is why I still don't have a job?) but I just wanted to say Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteIf get interviewed by an associate you can ask them about their experiences. I like when interviewees ask about my experiences because I can tell them more about the firm and generally ppl just love talking about themselves. Questions like--how did you come to work at this firm? how did you come to work in this particular practice group? (related--did you try out other practice areas before settling on this one?) tell me about the nature of the transactions you do. what is the life-cycle of a typical deal/transaction in your practice area? And although they are stock and trite, they really are great questions--what do you like most/least about your work? Ppl like to answer these questions and you can find out a lot through them.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I'm always impressed the most by interviewees who show they've done some hard-core research on the firm and know exactly the kind of practice that we do here. That demonstrates that you really want to work here instead of someone who's just looking for any old firm job out there.