Bad Interview Moments Forum

[cavalier1138]

Screener at V20 firm. First question: "I see you have 'avid traveler to such destinations as [lists off names of countries on my resume that I've traveled to]' on your resume. Nuke one of them."

If the person who asked me that reads this: you're an idiot.

Seems like an opportunity to have a little fun in the interview? Why wouldn't you have just gone with it?

There are a million ways to have a little fun during an interview without bringing up nuking a country (which I don't really find to be a "fun" topic anyway). Other interviewers found ways to do it pretty easily. I wasn't really offended--though I imagine other people who got the question might have been. I just thought it was a dumb question to ask at a screener. I'll drink beers and talk about sports and chicks with you all you want once I'm hired brah!! Maybe(?) then somehow we'll end up discussing nuking countries we've been to.

Most of a law firm interview is a test to make sure the candidate isn't the type to walk around with his panties constantly in a wad.

You know how I know you failed?

Yeah, I hate people who can't just take a joke about nuclear holocausts. Lighten up, guys! This shit is hysterical when you don't actually think about anything before you open your mouth!

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

A significant portion of interviewing is acting like you get along with people who in reality horrify you.

If you decide that's the time to take your moral stance, go ahead and play with that fire. If I didn't have an offer and the interviewer said the Tutsis and the Armenians had it coming, I'd smile and nod.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Most of a law firm interview is a test to make sure the candidate isn't the type to walk around with his panties constantly in a wad.

You know how I know you failed?

Nah, it was a dumb question.

[Carlton_Banks]

I guess the trolley problem is dumb and sociopathic too. It's not like the question is any less insightful than most of the other questions being asked, which reveal close to nothing about people beyond whether they can carry on a conversation.

[lowlands]

A significant portion of interviewing is acting like you get along with people who in reality horrify you.

If you decide that's the time to take your moral stance, go ahead and play with that fire. If I didn't have an offer and the interviewer said the Tutsis and the Armenians had it coming, I'd smile and nod.

post/av

[JusticeJackson]

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[El Pollito]

Prob going to out myself.

I was a mid/senior level ASUA who went on a bunch of associate interviews not too long ago.

Interviewed w/ one partner who would not stop trying to put me down from the start. Put me down on my non-t14 law school ("do they even have a law school? I've never heard of it . . . it's accredited, right?"), tried to tell me that federal prosecutors aren't actually that good at litigation because we do too much volume (all breadth, no depth), went on to tell me that my district was the least respected (it's not) and then told me that my generation (I was born in mid to late 80s) is/was very immature. At first, I went along with it, mainly because I was confused and thought maybe he was just being funny. But eventually, the guy said something about my prior firm and I just had it.

I 180'd and started answering his snark with more snark -- I asked if he went to law school because he failed in finance (guy did 6 years in i-banking before law school). He said he made the change because he wanted to play a more substantive role. I ignored the answer and asked, "so was it hard to start a new career, knowing that you already failed at one?" Partner maintained that he didnt "fail" at finance and then told me that he once defended [famous billionaire we've all heard of] in 90s, to which I responded, "if you're still talking about it, you must not have done anything else since then, huh?"

Guy ends the interview without giving me a card, saying good bye or anything

can i venmo u a drink?

[El Pollito]

Screener at V20 firm. First question: "I see you have 'avid traveler to such destinations as [lists off names of countries on my resume that I've traveled to]' on your resume. Nuke one of them."

If the person who asked me that reads this: you're an idiot.

Seems like an opportunity to have a little fun in the interview? Why wouldn't you have just gone with it?

There are a million ways to have a little fun during an interview without bringing up nuking a country (which I don't really find to be a "fun" topic anyway). Other interviewers found ways to do it pretty easily. I wasn't really offended--though I imagine other people who got the question might have been. I just thought it was a dumb question to ask at a screener. I'll drink beers and talk about sports and chicks with you all you want once I'm hired brah!! Maybe(?) then somehow we'll end up discussing nuking countries we've been to.

Most of a law firm interview is a test to make sure the candidate isn't the type to walk around with his panties constantly in a wad.

You know how I know you failed?

no it's not

[A. Nony Mouse]

Most of a law firm interview is a test to make sure the candidate isn't the type to walk around with his panties constantly in a wad.

You know how I know you failed?

Nah, it was a dumb question.

I get asked to interview people because actual important people like to take vacations in August. And sometimes I ask dumb questions. Your odds improve for favorable reviews from me if you just play along with my half cocked questions and don't make me feel dumb. Thanks interviewees!!!

Oh, I totally get that; just saying someone thinking it was a bad question doesn't mean they walk around constantly with their panties in a wad, that's all.

[Anonymous User]

A significant portion of interviewing is acting like you get along with people who in reality horrify you.

If you decide that's the time to take your moral stance, go ahead and play with that fire. If I didn't have an offer and the interviewer said the Tutsis and the Armenians had it coming, I'd smile and nod.

Anon above. This was at a t-10 law school where firms are dying to hire you if you have a half decent gpa and can speak like a normal person. Again, I wasn't offended. Just thought it was an odd question to start off an interview where you're competing against other elite law firms for candidates. Maybe he only asked it to me because he had a weird vibe coming in or something. Just thought it was strange.

[Anonymous User]

If a partner and associate screened me, and the partner went absolutely ballistic on me for saying something like "I understand associates have to do some doc review" is reporting her to my school gonna hurt. After all, there was a witness... I can't describe how awful this partner was. No justification to what she did. She screamed at me for a long amount of time in the interview.

[UVA2B]

If a partner and associate screened me, and the partner went absolutely ballistic on me for saying something like "I understand associates have to do some doc review" is reporting her to my school gonna hurt. After all, there was a witness... I can't describe how awful this partner was. No justification to what she did. She screamed at me for a long amount of time in the interview.

No, there is no harm telling career services about this interaction. They welcome that kind of input.

But it won't change anything about the school's interaction with the firm.

[JusticeJackson]

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[JusticeJackson]

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[El Pollito]

If a partner and associate screened me, and the partner went absolutely ballistic on me for saying something like "I understand associates have to do some doc review" is reporting her to my school gonna hurt. After all, there was a witness... I can't describe how awful this partner was. No justification to what she did. She screamed at me for a long amount of time in the interview.

More please.

[rpupkin]

If a partner and associate screened me, and the partner went absolutely ballistic on me for saying something like "I understand associates have to do some doc review" is reporting her to my school gonna hurt. After all, there was a witness... I can't describe how awful this partner was. No justification to what she did. She screamed at me for a long amount of time in the interview.

I don't understand. What did she scream at you about? Why was she upset?

[KissMyAxe]

A significant portion of interviewing is acting like you get along with people who in reality horrify you.

If you decide that's the time to take your moral stance, go ahead and play with that fire. If I didn't have an offer and the interviewer said the Tutsis and the Armenians had it coming, I'd smile and nod.

Anon above. This was at a t-10 law school where firms are dying to hire you if you have a half decent gpa and can speak like a normal person. Again, I wasn't offended. Just thought it was an odd question to start off an interview where you're competing against other elite law firms for candidates. Maybe he only asked it to me because he had a weird vibe coming in or something. Just thought it was strange.

Yeah, I'm on Monochromatic's side now. You're not some special little snowflake that these firms should be falling over themselves to hire you. Most of your interviewers are associates or partners who got roped into this and this person asked a random question they thought could be fun. Also, T10 isn't a thing.

But I'm curious about this screaming partner as well.

[Anonymous User]

A significant portion of interviewing is acting like you get along with people who in reality horrify you.

If you decide that's the time to take your moral stance, go ahead and play with that fire. If I didn't have an offer and the interviewer said the Tutsis and the Armenians had it coming, I'd smile and nod.

Anon above. This was at a t-10 law school where firms are dying to hire you if you have a half decent gpa and can speak like a normal person. Again, I wasn't offended. Just thought it was an odd question to start off an interview where you're competing against other elite law firms for candidates. Maybe he only asked it to me because he had a weird vibe coming in or something. Just thought it was strange.

I'm sorry but that's not how this process works. Contrary to what you might have been told no firm is dying to hire students just because they went to a top law school and have decent grades and can talk. There are far more of those students than a firm can hire.

[Anonymous User]

A significant portion of interviewing is acting like you get along with people who in reality horrify you.

If you decide that's the time to take your moral stance, go ahead and play with that fire. If I didn't have an offer and the interviewer said the Tutsis and the Armenians had it coming, I'd smile and nod.

Anon above. This was at a t-10 law school where firms are dying to hire you if you have a half decent gpa and can speak like a normal person. Again, I wasn't offended. Just thought it was an odd question to start off an interview where you're competing against other elite law firms for candidates. Maybe he only asked it to me because he had a weird vibe coming in or something. Just thought it was strange.

I'm sorry but that's not how this process works. Contrary to what you might have been told no firm is dying to hire students just because they went to a top law school and have decent grades and can talk. There are far more of those students than a firm can hire.

Sure. But this is also a two way process. There is a reason firms try to put their best foot forward and try to avoid putting the disgruntled or stressed out in front of you during screeners and callbacks. A lot of students at the top 7-10 schools have a lot of options, even with median grades. They aren't beholden to any firm that deigns to give them a callback. Firms know that and are trying to compete for those students. Not asking stupid/off-putting questions would be a part of that competition.

[Bach-City]

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[RaceJudicata]

Screener at V20 firm. First question: "I see you have 'avid traveler to such destinations as [lists off names of countries on my resume that I've traveled to]' on your resume. Nuke one of them."

If the person who asked me that reads this: you're an idiot.

So what country did you answer?

[cavalier1138]

At the end of the day you really did that firm a favor. I wouldn't want to work a long week with a snowflake who takes offense so easily. If I ever do interviews I might ask the same question to weed out the wusses.

Yeah! Testosterone fighting guns nukes football manliness!

Do I fit in? Can I work across from you?

[Carlton_Banks]

Yeah! Testosterone fighting guns nukes football manliness!

Do I fit in? Can I work across from you?

Women are equally capable of answering that question without pearl-clutching; it has nothing to do with testosterone or manliness - just an ability to answer a question without feeling personally offended.

[cavalier1138]

Yeah! Testosterone fighting guns nukes football manliness!

Do I fit in? Can I work across from you?

Women are equally capable of answering that question without pearl-clutching; it has nothing to do with testosterone or manliness - just an ability to answer a question without feeling personally offended.

I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that the interviewer who asked someone which country they want to nuke and the poster unironically throwing around the word "snowflake" are both male.

And it's still a stupid fucking question. Blame it on being so incompetent at interviewing that you think you need to "shake things up" with a shit question, or turn it around on anyone with half a brain who doesn't feel like answering such an idiotic hypothetical. Doesn't change the fact that it was stupid and guaranteed to turn off a lot of perfectly qualified candidates.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Yeah! Testosterone fighting guns nukes football manliness!

Do I fit in? Can I work across from you?

Women are equally capable of answering that question without pearl-clutching; it has nothing to do with testosterone or manliness - just an ability to answer a question without feeling personally offended.

There's a difference between thinking it's a stupid interview question and getting personally offended.