Careers

Key Attorney Interview Skill: Mental Editing

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Once you’ve done a few, associate job interviews often involve some of the same stock questions and answers. But an anonymous young solicitor puts a fresh spin on the subject by recounting what she was really thinking at a recent job interview, in a British newspaper column today.

Asked why she wants to leave her current firm, for instance, she flashes momentarily on the reality of the situation, she writes in the London Times: “The truth: my Boss is a scheming bully, my colleagues currently hate me because of the pro bono initiative and my pay rise was worse than pitiful.”

Of course, that’s not what she actually says: It’s time for a fresh challenge and a chance to spread her legal wings, she replies.

As the interview concludes, she is asked whether she has questions of her own. Those that come to mind: “Did you believe a word of what I’ve just said? Do you always serve such terrible coffee? Is that your real hair?”

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