Discouraging CB Feedback. Thoughts? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have four offers from V10s. My thoughts -

Ask penetrating questions. Not just "what is the summer program like?" but ones that reflect the fact that you've done your homework on the specific firm you are interviewing with. Think about what questions are appropriate to ask partners, and what questions are appropriate to ask associates. For partners, I would often ask questions involving their ideas about particular practice groups at the firm that were growing, or questions about a unique element of management at the firm. For associates, I'd ask more about in-house training at the firm, the types of projects they were staffed on coming in, etc.

The concept of "selling yourself" is weird and amorphous, so you have to find a strategy that works for you. To me, selling myself doesn't mean going through a laundry list of my accomplishments or the things I've done - it is more about having a story that demonstrates my best qualities without having to outright say what those qualities are. I found that I had four stories I told over and over in interviews that involved highly specific examples of what I loved about the work I did over the summer, why I wanted to come to the city I was interviewing in, why I wanted to be a lawyer, etc. This will probably sound odd, but for me, those stories were, in a way, very personal. They each explained something about me and something about an item on my resume at the same time. The people you are meeting with look at tons and tons of great resumes. You are right that "fit" is key - and for me, demonstrating the fact that I would "fit" was about showcasing my personality through the lens of my resume, not the other way around.

HTH.

This is the best advice I have seen on this forum. With 13 CB's from 17 interviews, this is exactly what I do. I will say, however, that I do not ask probing questions about their practice area. There is nothing I can contribute to that conversation. I actually hate asking questions period. No one is going to go into a hiring committee and say "we gotta hire this guy, he asked amazing questions." But if the questions get the interviewer talking about something personal, non-law related, it allows you to contribute something meaningful.

Re: Stories. This advice is golden. Use it.

[Anonymous User]

I just went on a callback. I talked a lot about sports too. Hopefully that doesn't mean i will get dinged...
Also, an interviewer asked me a really weird question. "what makes you happy"
Southern biglaw firm.

Weird questions can definitely throw you off. Someone asked me "What would you want to be if you didn't want to be a lawyer?"

wtf.

Interviewer: "What would you want to be if you didn't want to be a lawyer?"

You: Are you telling me the interview is going that badly? It's something I would have to think about because during undergrad, with my work in the pre-law society and an LSAT teacher, and up to now, all I have focused on is becoming the best possible lawyer I can.

[Anonymous User]

I just went on a callback. I talked a lot about sports too. Hopefully that doesn't mean i will get dinged...
Also, an interviewer asked me a really weird question. "what makes you happy"
Southern biglaw firm.

Weird questions can definitely throw you off. Someone asked me "What would you want to be if you didn't want to be a lawyer?"

wtf.

I've gotten this, and the variant "if you won $5 million, would you still want to be a lawyer?"

Dinged quick from one, silence from the other for over a week from the screener. Didn't really know how to answer those.

[Heartford]

I've gotten this, and the variant "if you won $5 million, would you still want to be a lawyer?"

Dinged quick from one, silence from the other for over a week from the screener. Didn't really know how to answer those.

That's not really the same though. It's pretty obvious that the answer to the $5m question is, "of course, and here's why..." If you say no, it says you're only interested in a paycheck, which is an auto-ding message to send in any interview.

It's much different to be asked what you'd want to do if you didn't want to be a lawyer. That one is kind of a dumb question, in my opinion.

[Anonymous User]

I've gotten this, and the variant "if you won $5 million, would you still want to be a lawyer?"

Dinged quick from one, silence from the other for over a week from the screener. Didn't really know how to answer those.

That's not really the same though. It's pretty obvious that the answer to the $5m question is, "of course, and here's why..." If you say no, it says you're only interested in a paycheck, which is an auto-ding message to send in any interview.

It's much different to be asked what you'd want to do if you didn't want to be a lawyer. That one is kind of a dumb question, in my opinion.

You're right, they're not exactly the same. And the answer is obviously that you would still want to be a lawyer.

But they both tripped me up because they raise the specter of doing something else with your life. You want to end the interview seemingly like you have a burning desire to be a lawyer. But you don't want to seem like some one-dimensional oaf whose never really thought about doing anything else. Being able to express the choice to become a lawyer as just that - a choice, rather than a default - is what gave me trouble. Probably easier for someone with more extensive work experience to answer, I'm sure.