Interviews are really just conversations. It’s not meant to be an inquisition. It’s just an opportunity for the employer to get to know you – and for you to get to know the employer. The employer is looking for something that sets you apart from other candidates, your interest and enthusiasm, your motivation, and whether you can fit in.

Interviews are really simple. At the end of the day, it comes down to the employer assessing, “Are you smart enough to do the work that I have on my plate? Are you smart enough and do I like you?” That’s really all there is to it. It’s not that much more complicated.

Enthusiasm and Fit

You might think that grades are the most important thing, and for some employers they are, but don’t underestimate the importance of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm can really go a very long way in making the right impression on an employer and making up for any perceived deficiencies in other skill sets.

Similarly, a lack of enthusiasm can hurt you. Employers don’t care how good you are on paper if you don’t express in your words and actions that you really dig what you do. If you’re lucky enough to have a lot of interviews, there may be times when you don’t feel great. Get it together and show that enthusiasm! You always want to be in a position of showing a lot of enthusiasm and convincing your employer that you really do want to work there and get the offer.

Fit means, “Do I like you?” When employers talk about fit they’re saying, “I could see this person getting along really well with this other person in my organization,” or “You really remind me of one of my associates. I feel like you would just generally fit in in this organization.”

Research and Preparation

Prepare for job interviews as much as you possibly can. You have lots of tools at your disposal. Do some general internet research. Google them. Look on blogs and trade periodicals. Lexus, WestLaw, and Bloomberg are great resources. Talk to people who have worked there before. Our Career Planning Manager (CPM) can do a full text resume search on every resume we’ve had in our system. We can put you in contact with someone who’s worked at that organization.

Research the interviewer. Sometimes you’ll know with whom you’re meeting and sometimes you won’t. To the extent that we know, the name of the person that you’re meeting with will be in the CPM or in the notification. This could be really important. If you can find something out about them online, this is a great way to keep the interview moving, show your enthusiasm, and really make a connection with the person. They’ll be really flattered if you have done that research and care about that.

A hiring partner from a large Philadelphia law firm once said to me, “I wish that people would ask me more interesting questions.” This guy had been a hiring partner for a while, so this was his umpteenth On-Campus Interview (OCI). For him, some of this is really old hat, but he said that he was a teacher before he went to law school and he said, “You know, I know a lot of your students have a teaching background and it’s on my bio that I was a teacher and sometimes at the end of the day I really want to talk about that.”

It’s more interesting to make that kind of connection. You may or may not have an opportunity to deploy this technique during your 1L interviews. There is a little bit of a caveat here, you can’t go so deep into someone background and ask a question that’s too personal. Ask a question about them, or really specifically about their practice area. Pretend for a second like you’re not a law student. Pretend you’re a real person at a cocktail party, or a dinner party, or you just met this person in a bar.

“A hiring partner from a large Philadelphia law firm once said to me, ‘I wish that people would ask me more interesting questions.'”

For example, say you have an interview with somebody who does Foreign Corrupt Practices Act work. You probably have no idea what that is, right? So you’re going to say, “I haven’t gotten to that part of law school or learned that particular statute yet, can you tell me more?” That’s a pretty generic question. And then you’ll learn that it’s about bribery and foreign officials and then you’ll think about what they say. Listen to what they say, and ask a question that’s like, “But does the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act put American industry at a disadvantage? If it’s against the law in the United States for a pharmaceutical company to bribe people in India but bribing people in India is how business gets done in India, doesn’t that put the American company at a disadvantage to other countries that don’t have that rule and are setting up entities in India?”

That is a great question. It shows your enthusiasm. It shows that you’re smart. It shows you’re curious. You won’t be able to do that for every interview; it might not even be appropriate for every interview. Think more broadly. Put on your Terry Gross hat or whatever hat you want to use and just think of a good question.

Another step in preparation: research yourself. Read your resume again. You need to avoid, short, generic, lousy answers to questions about your background. You need to be in the batter’s box on everything regarding your resume. Have two or three sentences that you can say for every single thing on your resume and if you can’t remember it, take that thing off.

Reread your writing sample. A person who no longer interviews here told me after OCI that he read everyone’s writing sample that they had to submit for on-campus interviews and he asked them, in the interview, to take the opposite position, and argue him. Pretty difficult, right? (Unsurprisingly, that person is now a judge.) Reread your writing sample. You never know if you’re going to get a question about that. Make sure that you know your documents. Know yourself.

Bring an extra copy of your resume, an extra copy of your writing sample, and an extra copy of your transcript.

General Advice

Finally, below you’ll find some general advice for interviews. Follow these guidelines, and you’ll already be ahead of the curve.

• Make sure your internet presence is okay.
• Remember that a lot of people you’re going to meet along the way are Temple grads. There are tons of Temple grads in town so they’re going to say, “Is Professor X still teaching X? I really loved him! He was my favorite.” Be prepared to talk about who some of your favorite professors are. Do not fall into the trap of trashing a professor. That’s one of the cardinal rules of interviewing. Never say anything bad about anybody.
• Always sticking with the truth is a really good answer. Show some personal insights, show you have realistic views, and show you have that enthusiasm. When you’re answering these questions you’re also trying to sell yourself.
• If you’re asked about a grade on your transcript that you’re not happy with, take responsibility for that grade and show that you’re not defeatist. Emphasize positive trends and talk about other indicators of your talent.
• If you’re not from Pennsylvania, or Philadelphia, make an effort to show that you chose Temple and you like it here. Mention where you’ve lived in the city and any favorite local spots or activities. Show that you’re connected to your neighborhood and your city. Talk about your commitment to the geographic area.

You have lots of resources in the Career Services Office. You can find people who’ve worked there before. We have lots of really great books. You should practice interviews with career counselors. You should sign up for mock interviews. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to ask!