{"id":5963,"date":"2016-08-09T21:06:15","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T04:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/?p=5963"},"modified":"2016-08-09T21:07:14","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T04:07:14","slug":"interview-career-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/gov-talk\/career-advice\/interviewing\/interview-career-law\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Interview for a Career in Law"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"interviewJob interviews are stressful by nature.<\/p>\n

The stakes are high, as one wrong move could cost you gainful employment, and the stress of that situation is compounded by the fact that many other candidates are doing their best to make themselves look better than you.<\/p>\n

If you know what to expect and how to handle yourself during an interview, though, it doesn\u2019t have to be so stressful. The following tips will help you get through an interview with a law firm and increase your chances of being hired:<\/p>\n

A Tale of Two Interviews<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sometimes, the first \u201cinterview\u201d you sit down for won\u2019t be an in-depth interview at all, but rather a short, casual chat to see if your personality will mesh well with their culture.<\/p>\n

In fact, it\u2019s fairly normal for no specific questions about law to even be asked during your first meeting with a law firm, other than some brief talk about your resume.<\/p>\n

This is a particularly common practice at larger firms, where an open position will generally attract a lot of applicants. In cases like this, there just isn\u2019t enough time to give every worthy candidate an in-depth interview. The first round of interviews will be used to weed out any applicants who seemed a lot better on paper than they do in person, and the second round of interviews will be used to take a closer look at the cream of the crop.<\/p>\n

Dos and Don’ts <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Do<\/u> research the firm you\u2019re applying to, as well as the person who\u2019s interviewing you if you can. Dropping a specific fact or two about the company during the interview, or perhaps congratulating the interviewer on a recent award or promotion, will help you stand out from the rest of the pack.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t<\/u> bring up any details about the personal life of the interviewer that you might have gleaned from Facebook or some other social media source. That\u2019s inappropriate.<\/p>\n

Talking about your previous legal experience is something you should absolutely do<\/u> in order to showcase what you can bring to the firm.<\/p>\n

Be careful, though, to make sure you don\u2019t<\/u> make any negative remarks about any firms you\u2019ve worked for. No matter how bad a former employer may have treated you, complaining about it in this setting is off-putting and unprofessional.<\/p>\n

The Cheat Sheet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Every firm is different, and some interviewers are cleverer than others. That said, there are a few stock questions that seem to pop up in just about every interview with a law firm. Here are a few such questions that you will probably be asked, as well as some advice on how to answer these questions:<\/p>\n