Interview Prep
All: comment here to indicate your availability for an interview prep session.
2Ls: also let us know if you have any particular questions that you'd like addressed (e.g. how to pronounce "Debevoise"? pink tie/shirt? how to explain your Civ Pro grade? mention the kid(s)?).
3Ls: let us know if there's any particular wisdom we should impart (assuming you're going to be out of town or too jaded to participate -- if neither apply, then just come along and bring yer wisdom with you).
NB: bring any pictures you may have of Alan Lewis. We'll be setting up a small shrine in the corner of the room so that he may preside over the meeting, if in spirit. And bring some votive candles too. And chips and dip.
Matthews, Brice and Jennejohn
2Ls: also let us know if you have any particular questions that you'd like addressed (e.g. how to pronounce "Debevoise"? pink tie/shirt? how to explain your Civ Pro grade? mention the kid(s)?).
3Ls: let us know if there's any particular wisdom we should impart (assuming you're going to be out of town or too jaded to participate -- if neither apply, then just come along and bring yer wisdom with you).
NB: bring any pictures you may have of Alan Lewis. We'll be setting up a small shrine in the corner of the room so that he may preside over the meeting, if in spirit. And bring some votive candles too. And chips and dip.
Matthews, Brice and Jennejohn
posted by jennejohn at
5:47 PM
10 Comments:
I will be flying in the morning of Wednesday, August 16 (the day before EIP). Scott will be flying in that afternoon and Joseph is already back in New York, I believe. What if we did something the night of the 16th? I'd be happy to host something at our apartment if people want to do it there.
Here are some potential questions I have:
1. When do you bring up the possibility of splitting between two markets?
2. How do you explain less-than-stellar grades?
3. What are some of your favorite questions to ask in interviews?
4. What are major mistakes any of you made last year that we can hopefully avoid?
5. If I have interviews set up at 10:55-11:15, 11:20-11:40, and 11:45-12:05, do I have a chance of making it from one interview to the next?
6. What is the best way to research firms in the least amount of time?
7. Does it help to slip the interviewer a $20 bill when you shake his hand?
8. What is the best way to discuss the possibility of not returning back to one's 1L firm?
I'll think of other questions as I go along.
Thanks,
Jeff
By
Jeff, at 9:27 PM
Hey,
Those are all great qusetions, Jeff. I hope we can get some people out to have this interview prep. Sadly, I will be out of town that night, and since that day seems about the best day possible, I will have to just mention some things in a later comment...hope things are well with everyone...looking forward to seeing everyone again this Fall.
By
Matt Brice, at 7:36 AM
Let's plan on the evening of the 16th. We'll wait to hear from Jeff and Scott for a precise time. Meeting up at the law school sounds most sensible to me, as it is central.
mcj
By
jennejohn, at 11:47 AM
Yeah, Aaron I would like to hear why you are tired of being a summer associate? What is up with that...
By
Matt Brice, at 8:10 PM
One piece of advice: Don't overthink this whole process; just be yourself. Being overly prepared and trying really hard to impress the interviewers will only come off as weird. They know you're smart, and will inevitably judge you to some extent (in some cases largely) based on your grades. The way to overcome any of this pre-judging is not by trying to prove to them in 15 minutes that you are smarter than your grades indicate. Almost every firm is willing to overlook mediocre grades if they like your intangibles enough. Being normal, likeable, having a comfortable conversation about non-legal issues, etc. goes a long way.
That said, preparation is nonetheless important. But it should be used as support for your enthusiasm for the firm or the market, not to show off your preparation per se. That is to say, they will not be impressed that you know the name of all the partners in the M&A group or all the recent cases they've worked on. They will be impressed if you tell them that everyone you've talked to says that they have a top notch M&A group, and that you would be thrilled to work on the type of matters they routinely handle.
I guess the point is delivery. Know everything about the firm, but don't go in trying to (overtly) show it off. Be yourself, and focus on having a good conversation and letting the firm research come up when it is comfortable.
By
blaine, at 2:48 PM
I may be re-interviewing. It all depends on what the head of Shearman's Antitrust group tells me in the coming week. We'll see.
I second Blaine's suggestions. The trick is to sound natural -- to imply that you're going to fit in with a group of sharp professionals dedicated to their work. If you look like you're trying, then you've indicated that you don't really know what you're doing. What you're trying to show the potential employers is that you have the ability to learn. Your grades are a strong, but not comprehensive, indicator. The other part of the equation is how you interact with others.
What time on the 16th, 2Ls?
mcj
By
jennejohn, at 6:43 PM
Oh, and I'd like to echo Ben's comment, since I interviewed for five cities (three heavily): the key is the word "mostly." As in, "I'm interviewing mostly with New York and Fargo firms." Everybody will assume that, because you're at Columbia, you're going to interview with some NY firms. I don't remember anybody pressing me further on the question.
mcj
By
jennejohn, at 6:48 PM
For lack of anyone else throwing out a time for the meeting, how would 7:00 work? Is the consensus to meet at the law school?
By
Jeff, at 11:20 PM
I just wanted to mention some basic things that I felt helped me...
1. Seriously prepare your ability to talk about your resume. I think this one cannot be stressed enough. Start now, and prepare thoroughly. I will tip my hat to Alan on this one...before his session, I did not really do this, but prepared a lot after his little session...and it helped me with my self-confidence in the interviews, because I had already talked about these points multiple times with Annie, or before a mirror, etc...
2. Have one or two reasons why you want to go to that firm...I think this is the hardest, especially if you are interviewing with 38 firms. But, in reality if you dont have those reasons, you might as well not interview. The best interviews I had were the ones were I was actually interestd in that firm, instead of just another name on the list.
--One good way to do the second one, is know someone who worked at the firm...you have a lot of 2Ls, and you can just drop a name, "I know Matt Brice worked for you and he had a great summer, and could not stop talking about how much he loved it", etc...
So maybe we could send around a list of where people worked so you could drop names, except if someone really did not like the firm, and already decided not to go back...
I know these are probably really basic, but they seemed to help me last year so I felt like I wanted to share them...good luck!
By
Matt Brice, at 8:06 AM
Ok, we'll hold it 7pm on Wed. About location: if Scott and Joseph are not attending (a possibility I suppose since they haven't chimed in on the discussion), then we'll all convene on Jeff's apartment and give him a personal prep session.
mcj
By
jennejohn, at 8:22 AM
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