Looking for a Job? Follow the ‘80/20 Rule’ and Make an Impression, Hiring Partner Says
Law students going through on-campus interviews should follow the “80/20” rule, a hiring partner says.
That means the job candidate should do 80 percent of the talking, according to hiring partner William Krais and recruiting coordinator Carole Mecca of the law firm Porzio, Bromberg & Newman in Morristown, N.J. “A candidate who has nothing more to say 10 minutes into a 20-minute interview will not do well,” they write in an article for the New Jersey Law Journal.
They also advise candidates to be prepared. “While fledgling second-year law students may not know exactly what they would like to do, if a candidate comments that he wants to be a criminal defense lawyer, or she wants to be a family lawyer, but our firm has neither of those practice areas, then the candidate has not done his or her homework and does not have a particular interest in our firm,” they say. “Also, if a candidate knows ahead of time who the interviewer will be, then the candidate should, at a minimum, look up the interviewer on the firm’s website.”
Job seekers should also bring a writing sample and at least an unofficial law school transcript to the interview, they say. And candidates should help themselves stand out by offering some interesting details about their hobbies or interests. Have they written a novel, or do they cook ethnic meals or volunteer their time in a soup kitchen? Firms want students not only with good academic credentials but also people who will enrich the workplace.
Krais and Mecca also offer tips on callback interviews and writing samples.
