Got called out on my affinity group Forum

[Anonymous User]

Interviewer today was like, "So what exactly do you do in [X Law School Affinity group]?"

I'm like, uhhh, well I joined to stay informed of the legal conflicts surrounding us today and see how I can use my legal education to help blah blah blah

Then... "So have you done any work for these issues before law school?"


Whole time I'm just thinking, it's a god damn resume line item, doesn't everyone know affinity groups don't do jack shit??? I have literally no idea wtf he expected me to say about this. Or does he just want me to say, yea we do a few dinners and this really fun cookout.

Anyone else encountered this w/r/t BLSA, LALSA, asian, gay, NA, etc etc etc ??

[Anonymous User]

Yes, got called out for my heritage affinity group. Still got a callback, but it was incredibly awkward, considering the group has done next to nothing since like...forever.

[Anonymous User]

it's a really easy question and you should have considered it a total softball. you can just say it's important to you to help provide a support network to people of your affinity group type, you joined it to meet more people, it's a really friendly social environment, etc. there's no need to act like it's some die-hard social justice movement you're a part of. they realize it's basically just a social club.

[hichvichwoh]

it's a really easy question and you should have considered it a total softball. you can just say it's important to you to help provide a support network to people of your affinity group type, you joined it to meet more people, it's a really friendly social environment, etc. there's no need to act like it's some die-hard social justice movement you're a part of. they realize it's basically just a social club.

this. its one of those questions you cant really score points off of but you can definitely mess up.

[Anonymous User]

it's a really easy question and you should have considered it a total softball. you can just say it's important to you to help provide a support network to people of your affinity group type, you joined it to meet more people, it's a really friendly social environment, etc. there's no need to act like it's some die-hard social justice movement you're a part of. they realize it's basically just a social club.

Diff anon here. Don't agree that it's a softball and agree with OP that anyone in law school should know these groups are pretty fluff. However I was asked about this in my first CB and while I was able to manage a halfway decent answer on the spot, your answer sounds so much more effective. Will use in future. THANKS FOR THE HELP SRSLY.

[Anonymous User]

Of course it's a softball question. Just like 9 times out of 10 holding a made-up position in one of those groups is the softball equivalent of work.

The salient point is this: if you don't come in prepared to speak on every line of your resume, you're not playing the game right.

[Bildungsroman]

Be prepared to talk about anything on your resume. That's resume 101.

[worldtraveler]

If you don't want to talk about it, don't put it on your resume. Especially if it's so useless that you have nothing to talk about with it anyway.

[sd5289]

it's a really easy question and you should have considered it a total softball. you can just say it's important to you to help provide a support network to people of your affinity group type, you joined it to meet more people, it's a really friendly social environment, etc. there's no need to act like it's some die-hard social justice movement you're a part of. they realize it's basically just a social club.

Diff anon here. Don't agree that it's a softball and agree with OP that anyone in law school should know these groups are pretty fluff. However I was asked about this in my first CB and while I was able to manage a halfway decent answer on the spot, your answer sounds so much more effective. Will use in future. THANKS FOR THE HELP SRSLY.

If it's not a softball question for you, don't put it in your resume. I've had interviewers ask me random questions about my undergrad thesis, which had absolutely zero to do with anything legal. It was fun to talk about that research after years of not even thinking about it, but the point is that I could talk about it extensively. If you have an "affinity group" on your resume that you don't really do anything with or for, take it off.

[Anonymous User]

this is why You should volunteer a lot before taking up a position so you can back it up

[Anonymous User]

If you don't want to talk about it, don't put it on your resume. Especially if it's so useless that you have nothing to talk about with it anyway.

This is completely off base, for anything where u need to submit your resume for a preselect/mass-mail etc. Affinity groups are signaling devices and I doubt any other single resume line could have as much of an impact. I srsly wonder tf kinda socially challenged person choose to talk about this in an interview tho

it's a really easy question and you should have considered it a total softball. you can just say it's important to you to help provide a support network to people of your affinity group type, you joined it to meet more people, it's a really friendly social environment, etc. there's no need to act like it's some die-hard social justice movement you're a part of. they realize it's basically just a social club.

Diff anon here. Don't agree that it's a softball and agree with OP that anyone in law school should know these groups are pretty fluff. However I was asked about this in my first CB and while I was able to manage a halfway decent answer on the spot, your answer sounds so much more effective. Will use in future. THANKS FOR THE HELP SRSLY.

100% agree with this response, thank u to the original responder there, sounds like pretty much the perfect way to handle this question.

[First Offense]

Is an affinity group like law and business society or some shit?

[Anonymous User]

Plenty of people with affinity groups on their resume HAVE been part of the same scene in undergrad or even before that. I think he expected you to say, "Yeah, actually, I started so-and-so journal devoted to these issues as a junior in college." I agree it's not a total softball, but it's pretty easy to see what a good answer would have been.

[DELG]

Be prepared to talk about anything on your resume. That's resume 101.

JFC, this. You should be able to say something consistent with your pitch about every single thing on your resume.

[Big Dog]

If you don't want to talk about it, don't put it on your resume.

Exactly.

Affinity groups are signaling devices and I doubt any other single resume line could have as much of an impact. I srsly wonder tf kinda socially challenged person choose to talk about this in an interview tho

EVERYthing on the resume is fair game. Period. It should not be on there, unless it is meaningful. It it is just fluff, the interviewer will perceive it that way, and start to wonder how much of the rest of this resume is fluff. (Just human nature.)

I've had interviewers ask me random questions about my undergrad thesis,

Chambers says that such happens frequently. It's an easy question to see if you a) can remember what you did several years ago; b) explain it in laymen's terms to someone who knows nothing about your field of work. (Both are good skills for a lawyer.)

[A. Nony Mouse]

Affinity groups are signaling devices and I doubt any other single resume line could have as much of an impact. I srsly wonder tf kinda socially challenged person choose to talk about this in an interview tho.

Agree with everyone saying that anything on your resume is fair game. And yeah, I completely get the signaling purpose of putting such a group on your resume...but that doesn't make it off limits to talk about. I think for some interviewers, making clear it's just a signaling device isn't a good look.