Legal Job Hunters Should Tune in to Interviewer’s Personality, Recruiting Directors Say
Law students interviewing for law jobs need to show—and practice—their emotional intelligence by providing good answers to hypothetical questions and connecting with interviewers.
Law firm interviewers are looking for candidates with interpersonal skills that can be used to foster client relationships, according to Alison Bernard and Niki Kopsidas, recruiting directors at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. Writing for the New York Law Journal, they offer tips on how students can demonstrate their EI.
“During the interview it’s likely that there will be more hypothetical questions geared towards eliciting a candidate’s level of professionalism and how he or she would approach a problem. Listen carefully and try to connect with the interviewer,” they write. “It’s important to tune into an interviewer’s personality and adapt to that individual’s style.
“However, proactively manage the interview and make sure that you have conveyed certain experiences and abilities. If this is done in an appropriate way, an interviewer will appreciate your confidence and ability to lead the meeting.”
Job candidates should look for opportunities to talk about experiences that highlight their ability to communicate, manage conflicts, adapt to change and build strong interpersonal relationships, the article says. A law student who led a sports team or managed a restaurant, for example, could use the experience to show how he or she dealt with conflicts and communicated with others.
The interview process will also likely provide opportunities for job candidates to socialize with potential co-workers. Job candidates will need to establish rapport and convey confidence and comfort. “It’s important to have a sense of humor, but make sure that it shows good judgment,” Bernard and Kopsidas say. “Do not make off-color remarks just to get a laugh.”
