Bad Interview Moments Forum

[Samara]

Sorry, to clarify, always let the interviewer act as time keeper. If you run late it's up to them to stop it. In general if shouldn't be your responsibility.

I was a bit drink last night...go Monday...so I was not exactly as clear as I could be.

haha, got it. That's what was so weird. She insisted that I be time keeper. *shrug*

[Icculus]

Sorry, to clarify, always let the interviewer act as time keeper. If you run late it's up to them to stop it. In general if shouldn't be your responsibility.

I was a bit drink last night...go Monday...so I was not exactly as clear as I could be.

haha, got it. That's what was so weird. She insisted that I be time keeper. *shrug*

Well the good thing is it worked out. And that is weird that she handled it that way. Odds are no one at OCI would ever ask you to do that. Congrats that it worked out though.

[roz77]

Last interviewer of the last CB of a 6 CB week. Interviewer asks me a bunch of math brain teasers. I got 1/3 right, but asked for more. Then the interviewer asks me about Pennoyer. Flubbed that too. Got an offer.

Fucking Pennoyer. I probably would have done the same thing.

[tsk123]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

[rad lulz]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

lololol

[tsk123]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

lololol

Just to add: I didn't actually say FML. I just thought it. And, he basically trolled me because although I don't know my narcs very well, the green stuff was NOT AVOCADO.

[Icculus]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

This is my new favorite story.

[Anonymous User]

Just had an interview to help write/research for a textbook at another school. Pretty normal questions on interviewer's part (marred only by a random spontaneous story about a drag queen suing his doctor because the scar from his appendix surgery interfered with his clothes choices), and surprisingly given the distracting circumstances, no embarrassing responses on my part.
The circumstances: he had sensual massage music going on loudly from his computer the entire time. I'm a female. That is all. I got the job.

[Rootbeer]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

You should have replied, "My mistake...remind me what Schedule Avocado is." Alternatively, "Is that one of the brand names for Methylphenidate?"

[Anonymous User]

Screener in Hotel Room: Associate was there with a random female who never introduced herself and sat at a table. The interview was pretty normal aside from the several times he made some inside joke directed at the female and then gave her a creepy, "I want to sex you" look. I'm guessing it was her hot secretary, but damn the sexual tension b/w those two made things awkward. No CB.

OCI Screener: Partner and associate 30 minute interview. Partner was 5 minutes late b/c he had a phone call. Associate arrives 15 minutes into the interview and once he arrives he takes the rest of the time up by telling the partner what his phone call was about. No CB.

[Anonymous User]

not an interview but funny 1L summer job story.

I sent out a mass mailer to fed judges in mid january in February a one calls and offers me an interview, i immediately accept but could not here the name of the judge when the called. Like an idiot instead of asking for the name (my thought process was i dont want them to think i applied to every judge in the district (i did) i thought Id call the number back and confirm my interview the day before and figure it out that day.

Fast forward one week the number was a automated message for the whole court. I proceeded to cold dial 30 judges extensions and "confirm my interview". Some of the clerks were not amused. I started on A, the judges last name was between R-Z.


Got the offer

[thelawyler]

This thread is a goldmine.

[Tanicius]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

Good God some of these interviews are stupid. I mean, it's one thing for the interviewer to be burned out, pissed off, unprofessional because they're tired/sexist/racist/otherwise a dick/bigoted etc, but these confuse me the most. Did that interviewer really think the best way to screen candidates was to ask them to identify drugs? LOL

[KidStuddi]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

Good God some of these interviews are stupid. I mean, it's one thing for the interviewer to be burned out, pissed off, unprofessional because they're tired/sexist/racist/otherwise a dick/bigoted etc, but these confuse me the most. Did that interviewer really think the best way to screen candidates was to ask them to identify drugs? LOL

Personally, I loved it. So gloriously irreverent. I would totally work there if offered.

[tsk123]

Interviewing for the Major Narcotics Unit at the DA:

Attorney: Here's a picture of some drugs. Tell me what they are.
Me: I think that's cocaine, or maybe it's heroin. And this might be...marijuana bulbs?
Attorney: No. That's avocado.
Me: FML.

Good God some of these interviews are stupid. I mean, it's one thing for the interviewer to be burned out, pissed off, unprofessional because they're tired/sexist/racist/otherwise a dick/bigoted etc, but these confuse me the most. Did that interviewer really think the best way to screen candidates was to ask them to identify drugs? LOL

After I'd failed, the interviewer told me that he wouldn't have hired me if I'd gotten every drug correct nor would he have hired me if I'd gotten 0 correct (I got one). But he also berated me on rules that I'd never heard of as a 1L. He also spent five minutes telling me that he didn't want a 1L (and also said he was interviewing four 1Ls, a 2L, an an LLM). He responded to my thank-you e-mail in one hour saying that I didn't get the position.

However, his colleague hired me for another unit in the DA.

[Danger Zone]

He responded to my thank-you e-mail in one hour saying that I didn't get the position.

LOL

[emciosn]

First off--this thread is pure gold for the most part. I read through it last night and just wanted to comment that for some reason the image of the guy falling over his chair into the dishwasher popped into my head during my class this morning and I started to smile THEN the word "buttpunishment" popped into my head and I started to audibly laugh. We can't even have laptops in the class so I'm sure my behavior was somewhat confusing to my neighbors.

I think the dishwasher one is the best because it would have been so hard for me not to absolutely lose it laughing and I'm sure the partner wouldn't have appreciated it. The buttpunishment one may have been the most well told of any in the thread (fantastic job of crafting words to exactly describe what was going on in that stall...)

[Myself]

.

[emciosn]

First off--this thread is pure gold for the most part. I read through it last night and just wanted to comment that for some reason the image of the guy falling over his chair into the dishwasher popped into my head during my class this morning and I started to smile THEN the word "buttpunishment" popped into my head and I started to audibly laugh. We can't even have laptops in the class so I'm sure my behavior was somewhat confusing to my neighbors.

I think the dishwasher one is the best because it would have been so hard for me not to absolutely lose it laughing and I'm sure the partner wouldn't have appreciated it. The buttpunishment one may have been the most well told of any in the thread (fantastic job of crafting words to exactly describe what was going on in that stall...)

Your school doesn't allow you to have laptops in class? What kind of paternalistic crap is that? You pay six figures for that education; you should be allowed to learn in any way you see fit.

Its not a school-wide policy, its just a professor to professor thing. I guess it is kind of paternalistic but I hand-write notes anyway so it doesn't really matter to me.

[PennBull]

Bumping this thread for OCI season

Bring the lols

[Anonymous User]

Interviewer: "What surprised you most about law school?"
Me: "How much I hate it"

Me: "I am really interested in your firm because of practice area X"
Interviewer: "I don't think we do that"
(Firm is one of the biggest/most reputable law firms in that field)

Interviewer: "with your background, it looks like you are well-suited for a corporate practice"
Me "absolutely. Blah, blah, love corporate"
Interviewer: "you do realize our firm is almost entirely litigation, right?"

[brotherdarkness]

.

[Anonymous User]

Interviewer: "Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?"
Me: "Hopefully buying a home and starting a family."
Interviewer: "Okay. Where do you see yourself career-wise?"
Me: "Ideally working at a firm I have been with for a while."
*awkward silence*

[Anonymous User]

Interviewer: "Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?"
Me: "Hopefully buying a home and starting a family."
Interviewer: "Okay. Where do you see yourself career-wise?"
Me: "Ideally working at a firm I have been with for a while."
*awkward silence*

10 years from now, the only right answer is "partner"

[09042014]

Interviewer: "Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?"
Me: "Hopefully buying a home and starting a family."
Interviewer: "Okay. Where do you see yourself career-wise?"
Me: "Ideally working at a firm I have been with for a while."
*awkward silence*

10 years from now, the only right answer is "partner"

Unless the interviewer knows that partnership is a flame.