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Hi. I have googled this question but I figured I'd try to get some opinions from fellow/past law students:

What do you think is the best time slot for an interview and why? First, last/ if you have to be in the middle--closer to first/last?

The concepts of primacy and recency say that people are most likely to remember what they hear first and last. So, logically you should be one of the first or last interviewers. But, the problem with being last is that if the interviewer has spent the entire day seeing people he/she may be tired by the time he/she gets to you and thus won't quite be into it.

If the interviewer will be seeing a lot of people, be one of the first. If the interviewer will not be seeing many people, be last.

Good luck.

Ridiculous question, but I did once hear about a study somewhere showing that judges were more likely to give lighter sentences after lunch. It was a pretty significant difference too. So maybe go for that slot?

Go either first thing in the morning, or immediately after lunch, if possible. After a while, decision fatigue sets in, and the default decision is to not give someone an offer, as opposed to giving them an offer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magaz ... d=all&_r=0

Thanks.

My dilemma is that for OCI I have 2 (maybe 3 interviews) in one morning. I scheduled the first time slot for one of them and then had to be 3rd (out of 6) for the second because I wasn't sure if being 6th (11:40am-noon interview time) would hurt me since I would be last and right before lunch.

When offered the chance, I choose to go first and as early as possible in the morning. I want to go first so that the interviewer is comparing every single person to me. I like to go as early as possible to show the interviewer that I can get up early and get myself all super fresh first thing in the morning. I'm not sure how important that is because pretty much anyone who can complete law school can get themselves out of bed, but it feels right.

If it goes well though you want the one before a break or lunch or the last one of the day so you can have a longer conversation.

KidStuddi wrote:Ridiculous question, but I did once hear about a study somewhere showing that judges were more likely to give lighter sentences after lunch. It was a pretty significant difference too. So maybe go for that slot?

Unintended consequence of having an interview after lunch: realizing I had salad dressing on my tie the entire time. No CB.

Go early.

If you are the first borderline person they see in the day, they'll be more inclined to put you through. If you're the 4th and you were just after two superstars, it's not likely to happen.

If you're banking on your time slot to be what puts you over the top, I think you're doing it wrong.

I feel like the wide majority of my best interviews occurred in the morning. I did have one fantastic interview late in the afternoon, but I was the only one that day...and I also didn't get the position, though I'm pretty sure it was for other reasons.

Anyway...yeah...I think morning is the way to go, just from my experience.

Rootbeer wrote:
I feel like the wide majority of my best interviews occurred in the morning. I did have one fantastic interview late in the afternoon, but I was the only one that day...and I also didn't get the position, though I'm pretty sure it was for other reasons.

Anyway...yeah...I think morning is the way to go, just from my experience.

Agreed. Some slot in the morning seems to work the best. The post lunch interviewers ( if they didn't get swapped ) seemed less energetic/enthusiastic.

1. If you can be first or last, do it

2. If you can't, but can be first after lunch, do that

3. If not, go as early in the day as possible.

4. If at all possible, don't be in the middle of the afternoon pack. Your interviewer will be bored and sleepy, and you will not be memorable.

1. I don't like being first or last.

2. Do not go right before their lunch break. That is the single worst time to go as the interviewer will be looking to get out the door.

3. Don't just be randomly in there somewhere. Try and be there 2nd or 3rd or 2nd or 3rd to last.

Thanks for the help

jml8756 wrote:If you're banking on your time slot to be what puts you over the top, I think you're doing it wrong.

Didn't say it could put me over the top, but I did think the timing of my interview is something that could help me--even if its marginally.


Thanks for the tips, guys. It confirms a lot for me and I'll be scheduling as early as possible. Most of the OCI interviews I received are all before noon with the last slot ending at noon. I was worried about being right before lunch and after 5-6 people but I managed to get slots in the AM.

I would choose an interview slot based entirely on when you, personally, will feel most comfortable and therefore interview best. I've seen hiring managers say that time slot really doesn't matter - if you're a good candidate you'll look good in whatever slot, and if you're not such a great candidate, the "right" time slot isn't going to make up for that.