Rock The Interview, Get The Job Inside Information On Recruiting And How To Get Hired

1. Rock The Interview, Get The JobInside Information On Recruiting And How To Get Hired

2. Overview • The Law Firm Hiring Process • The Recruiting Odds • What Firms Look For In The Interview • How To Rock The Interview • Using Personal Connections

3. The Law Firm Hiring Process • Resume window opens • Initial filter by hiring partner or coordinator • Gatekeeper interviews (1 or 2 to 1) • Callback Interviews (several 1 on 1s + lunch?) • Recruiting Committee Meeting • Initial (Rolling) Offers • Further Gatekeepers and Callbacks • Further Recruiting Meeting and Rolling Offers

4. Playing The Law Firm Recruiting Odds • Typical year for 100-lawyer specialty firm # % Adv. Offer% • Resumes received ~750 - 1.7% • Gatekeeper ~60 8% 22% • Callback Interview ~26 43% 50% • Offers (Rolling) 13 50% • Employed 9 70%

5. New Law Firm Recruiting Odds • The new reality Post-2008 # % Adv. Offer% • Resumes received ~1150 - 0.7% • Gatekeeper ~45 4% 18% • Callback Interview ~15 33% 53% • Offers (Rolling) 8 53% • Employed 5 63%

6. Lawyer’s Thoughts On The Hiring Process • Recruiting season again already? • It takes up so much non-billable time! I just want this to be over ASAP so that I can get back to work • We want our firm to look good • Include younger lawyers - law students are too nervous to talk to senior people (also, lawyers are nervous to talk to law students) • Where do law students get these strange ideas?

7. The Interview – What are they looking for? • The interviewer is looking for you to exhibit skills/traits that will be useful in doing your job • Know the job – research and emphasize those traits – not just “good lawyer” • Note that different jobs may emphasize different traits - like commitment to social justice

8. The Interview – What are they looking for? • Three general categories for almost any legal position: • Reliable/ Takes ownership/ Attention to Detail • Pro-Active/ Self-Motivated /Entrepreneurial • Communicator/ Personality

9. Reliable/ Takes ownership/ Anal • Grace under pressure – deadlines and client demands • Stays late when something is due • If you agree to do it, partner can sleep soundly – it’s taken care of. • Pro-actively determines and addresses potential problems • Goes beyond what is asked and verifies underlying assumptions and law • Looks for dangers that others may have missed • Hates to be wrong and makes sure that they are not • Takes pride in their work – almost control freak

10. Pro-Active/ Self-Motivated /Entrepreneurial • Will continuously learn • Will seek out opportunities and clients on their own • Will put in the non-billable time to learn and advance career • Is not just going to sit in their office and wait for their “boss” to tell them what to do • Not just “waiting to be fed” • Identifies goals, comes up with a plan to achieve them, and implements plan successfully

11. Communicator/ Personality • Not annoying – Even after three days • Neither egotistical nor a sycophant • Can put them in front of a client and a jury • Can communicate complex ideas easily • Inspires confidence and trust in lawyers and clients • Easy and fun to talk to • Charisma that will draw business • Can be learned with practice, but most don’t practice

12. How To Rock The Interview -1 • Prepare, prepare, prepare • Most important – mental preparedness - Unconsciously express the three traits above • Know yourself and know what you want – this is no place for soul-searching • Know the firm and the interviewers and make sure it meshes with what you want • Know the area of law • Have a plan and know your good points– like advocating before the Supreme Court

13. How To Rock The Interview - 2 • Show (not tell) them what you’ve got • Demonstrate your ability to communicate • Put the interviewer at ease (like a client) • Be prepared to take the lead (like you would in a client presentation or before a jury/SC) • Sell/Advocate for yourself • Be interested in the specific firm • Use examples from resume and life to show that you are pro-active, completely reliable, and put in the extra effort

14. Common Ways People Underperform • Unprepared – Especially mentally • Not having a plan – “just showing up” • Have a set of pre-planned stories based on your resume that illustrate the three traits above. Write the resume to purposely include these. • Your resume is your cue card for your pitch - it’s your sales advertisement/ Notes for SC argument • What points do you want to impress on the recruiter? • Know what you want to do before you go into the room. If all the recruiter says is “sell me” – can you? • Bad - “Ride the Chair” – Sits straight in chair and one word answers. • Bad - Passive/ No eye contact/ lack of confidence

15. Interviewing From The Lawyer’s Side • On campus especially - Lawyer is not your opponent • Firms get tons of resumes and don’t need on-campus • Interviewing on their own time, must make up billables • If lawyer does the work, they sway the process • Meet so many wonderful people – wish we had jobs for all of them – depends on work type, quantity and applicant pool quality and quantity • Helping U of I law students get to the next stage (Double the odds), but not able to help them all • Lawyers need you to do something great that they can use to advocate for you to the committee • Help them help you

16. Personal Connections – Info and Opportunities • “Networking” can be a dirty word • Cheesy/false impressions of process • That’s NOT what it is about! It’s making friends! • Talk to lawyers to get first-hand info (field-specific) • Learn where opportunities are • Learn how to position yourself • Establish connection with potential referral sources • Let them know you are there and get them to care • Get notice of obscure/non-traditional positions • Get pre-publication notice of positions • Recruit lawyers to steer opportunities to you

17. Why People Don’t Network - 1 • Networking is “cheating” the hiring process • It’s in parallel to the traditional process • Attorneys value personal connections and trust • You are going to have to do this to get business in practice, why not start now • Lawyers won’t take me seriously • Every lawyer in the world was in your shoes once, and they took themselves seriously (and it seems like yesterday!)

18. Why People Don’t Network -2 • I don’t know who I should be talking to • Anyone who has information or opportunities that you want or can lead to them • Pick someone and try it out – practice run • I don’t know what to ask • How did you get involved in … • What would you recommend for someone interested … • Can you tell me about what you do? • I am passive/lazy • Not desirable traits for your chosen profession

19. How to ask the lawyer to lunch “Hi Mr. Lawyer, I’m Law Student and I got your contact info from [Source Lawyer Trusts]. I’m in law school right now and [connection/ reason for calling] Example - [You practice in Oswego, and I would really like to end up practicing there.] Example - [I’m really interested in Veteran’s Law] I was wondering if I could take you to lunch – on a very informal basis – just to pick your brain a little about how I could best position myself for a career in [Veteran’s Law, working in Oswego, etc.]. I will be in your area on [pick a Friday]. Would you be available for lunch then? If not, are there any other days that might work for you?

20. Asking the Lawyer to Lunch • Be prepared to break script – you want to start a conversation and get the lawyer interested in you personally • Why did the lawyer say no? • Swamped with work • Has already helped several people • Does not feel a connection (ask for referral) • Move on to the next one, it’s a numbers game • One friend is not going to help, but 10 might • If you really screw up with a lawyer, there are always others

21. Lunch Nuts and Bolts • Who pays? You intend to pay. If lawyer insists, then graciously allow them to pay. • Where do we go? No place fancy. Someplace catering to a business lunch crowd and near their work. Give them the option to pick. • Don’t bring a resume – you can send one later if they are interested (have it ready, though) • Don’t wear a suit • It’s great to have questions written down and take notes – 1 hour goes by fast, be direct

22. How Making Friends Helps Interviewing • After a few lunches, you will lose the fear of talking to lawyers – that’s great when it comes to your interview. • You are also learning the concerns of people in your field – this will make you seem very insightful in the interview. • Treat it as starting your professional network and have long-term goals to help avoid desperation • Be mentally prepared before the lunch – it’s not a time to search – be committed and decisive

23. Conclusion • Recruiting is a numbers game, don’t take it personally • Inculcate the three traits firms are looking for and display them in the interview • Make friends – the mere act of making friends is good practice for the interview • As always, best of luck!

24. Questions? Thanks!