Callback Advice Forum

[KijiStewart]

So 4 days of EIP torture is done.

Got one callback so far and its for a V50. Feel free to DM to inquire about which. Its for a NYC office which as you all know is not my preference, but I'll take it at this point.

IMO my biggest weakness at EIP was my lack of knowledge about the cases I worked on at my 1L summer job. I would usually be assigned to complete a particular task and didnt know everything about the matter. Is the only way to solve this to call my supervising associates and get more info on the cases?

In any event, any callback advice is appreciated. Good questions to ask, good safe non-law topics to bring up during informal conversations etc !

[UVA2B]

Ok, first advice is firming up your ability to speak about your resume. You should be solid in discussing everything you worked on during 1L summer as well as before law school. Like, this should be the easiest part of any interview by far. I'm not sure what it will take for you to be able to speak knowledgeably about what you worked on as an intern, but you don't need to know the inner workings of the entire case. Just be able to describe the work you did related to that case generally, and be able to tie it to what you learned about the job in handling those assignments.

As for what to talk about/ask/bring up in conversation, this is entirely based on your personal interests, areas of commonality you can reach with the given interviewer, and tying your areas of interest both personally and professionally into small talk. I know people that have legitimately talked about the importance of a strong "socks" game for easily half an interview because the conversation just arose naturally. No one can really teach you how to be natural in conversation, so just stick to talking about things you know about and things you're comfortable about, and be ready to respond to the stuff the interviewer wants to talk about without revealing some glaring blindspot you might have personally, professionally, or culturally.

Some generic questions that can be good is asking about how work flow works as a summer, will you be able to work with multiple groups and partners during the summer and will this be by choice or by summer program design, will there be any structural assignments every summer does (oral arguments against one another, team-building exercises, etc.), what is the pro bono program like at the program (if this is something that legitimately interests you, and you should obviously look into their programs at least minimally before asking this question)...I hope this gives some idea. You'll realistically only be talking to each person for ~30 minutes at a clip, so use each question to drive a separate conversation until the time is up, and hope that the interviewer comes away thinking you were pleasant and worth bringing in as a summer and future associate. How they make that assessment will vary by the person, so just try to present yourself as natural and confident.

One piece of advice I've always personally ascribed to is the less you end up talking as an interviewee, the better the interview is going generally. So get them talking about what they do, what they find interesting about their work, any particularly interesting cases they've worked on that they enjoyed, etc. If they're excited to tell you about their practice, their life, and what they like about what they do, they're more likely to remember you fondly when they are filling out a review of your interview with them.*

*Huge caveat: don't continually try to steer the conversation this way if the interview seems uninterested in that vein of conversation. But this goes back to the general advice of figuring out how to let conversation develop naturally. If they give a tepid answer to a question, move on and ask a different question on a different topic.

[KijiStewart]

Ok, first advice is firming up your ability to speak about your resume. You should be solid in discussing everything you worked on during 1L summer as well as before law school. Like, this should be the easiest part of any interview by far. I'm not sure what it will take for you to be able to speak knowledgeably about what you worked on as an intern, but you don't need to know the inner workings of the entire case. Just be able to describe the work you did related to that case generally, and be able to tie it to what you learned about the job in handling those assignments.

As for what to talk about/ask/bring up in conversation, this is entirely based on your personal interests, areas of commonality you can reach with the given interviewer, and tying your areas of interest both personally and professionally into small talk. I know people that have legitimately talked about the importance of a strong "socks" game for easily half an interview because the conversation just arose naturally. No one can really teach you how to be natural in conversation, so just stick to talking about things you know about and things you're comfortable about, and be ready to respond to the stuff the interviewer wants to talk about without revealing some glaring blindspot you might have personally, professionally, or culturally.

Some generic questions that can be good is asking about how work flow works as a summer, will you be able to work with multiple groups and partners during the summer and will this be by choice or by summer program design, will there be any structural assignments every summer does (oral arguments against one another, team-building exercises, etc.), what is the pro bono program like at the program (if this is something that legitimately interests you, and you should obviously look into their programs at least minimally before asking this question)...I hope this gives some idea. You'll realistically only be talking to each person for ~30 minutes at a clip, so use each question to drive a separate conversation until the time is up, and hope that the interviewer comes away thinking you were pleasant and worth bringing in as a summer and future associate. How they make that assessment will vary by the person, so just try to present yourself as natural and confident.

One piece of advice I've always personally ascribed to is the less you end up talking as an interviewee, the better the interview is going generally. So get them talking about what they do, what they find interesting about their work, any particularly interesting cases they've worked on that they enjoyed, etc. If they're excited to tell you about their practice, their life, and what they like about what they do, they're more likely to remember you fondly when they are filling out a review of your interview with them.*

*Huge caveat: don't continually try to steer the conversation this way if the interview seems uninterested in that vein of conversation. But this goes back to the general advice of figuring out how to let conversation develop naturally. If they give a tepid answer to a question, move on and ask a different question on a different topic.

Thank you !

Whats a good answer for "why did you transfer".

When I say 'academic enrichment' it comes off as negative for putting down prior school, and when I say 'superior job prospects' Ive gotten answers ranging from whats wrong with second-tier firms to we recruit at your 1L school.

[KijiStewart]

Bump ..


Also, can e-mailing an interviewer where I've been dinged for feedback hurt. imo, worst case they ignore my e-mail and life moves on.

I feel that feedback from mock interviews is silly bc I perform differently when its the real thing.

[UVA2B]

Ok, first advice is firming up your ability to speak about your resume. You should be solid in discussing everything you worked on during 1L summer as well as before law school. Like, this should be the easiest part of any interview by far. I'm not sure what it will take for you to be able to speak knowledgeably about what you worked on as an intern, but you don't need to know the inner workings of the entire case. Just be able to describe the work you did related to that case generally, and be able to tie it to what you learned about the job in handling those assignments.

As for what to talk about/ask/bring up in conversation, this is entirely based on your personal interests, areas of commonality you can reach with the given interviewer, and tying your areas of interest both personally and professionally into small talk. I know people that have legitimately talked about the importance of a strong "socks" game for easily half an interview because the conversation just arose naturally. No one can really teach you how to be natural in conversation, so just stick to talking about things you know about and things you're comfortable about, and be ready to respond to the stuff the interviewer wants to talk about without revealing some glaring blindspot you might have personally, professionally, or culturally.

Some generic questions that can be good is asking about how work flow works as a summer, will you be able to work with multiple groups and partners during the summer and will this be by choice or by summer program design, will there be any structural assignments every summer does (oral arguments against one another, team-building exercises, etc.), what is the pro bono program like at the program (if this is something that legitimately interests you, and you should obviously look into their programs at least minimally before asking this question)...I hope this gives some idea. You'll realistically only be talking to each person for ~30 minutes at a clip, so use each question to drive a separate conversation until the time is up, and hope that the interviewer comes away thinking you were pleasant and worth bringing in as a summer and future associate. How they make that assessment will vary by the person, so just try to present yourself as natural and confident.

One piece of advice I've always personally ascribed to is the less you end up talking as an interviewee, the better the interview is going generally. So get them talking about what they do, what they find interesting about their work, any particularly interesting cases they've worked on that they enjoyed, etc. If they're excited to tell you about their practice, their life, and what they like about what they do, they're more likely to remember you fondly when they are filling out a review of your interview with them.*

*Huge caveat: don't continually try to steer the conversation this way if the interview seems uninterested in that vein of conversation. But this goes back to the general advice of figuring out how to let conversation develop naturally. If they give a tepid answer to a question, move on and ask a different question on a different topic.

Thank you !

Whats a good answer for "why did you transfer".

When I say 'academic enrichment' it comes off as negative for putting down prior school, and when I say 'superior job prospects' Ive gotten answers ranging from whats wrong with second-tier firms to we recruit at your 1L school.

I figured others might respond, but since no one has, I'll give it another shot. Answering the question about why you transferred should be about the opportunities you saw in transferring to CLS. Don't mention your 1L school in the least, but just speak positively about the programs available at CLS that interest you. People understand why lower tier students transfer to schools like CLS; your job is just to affirm that you've made that decision for the right reasons (academics, opportunities, etc.). Basically, if the answer is true to you in trying to transfer, and as long as it doesn't come off weird, then it'll be a fine answer for that question. You aren't going to be losing jobs you otherwise would get because you answered the "why transfer" question wrong.

Don't email people who have rejected you. Nothing constructive will come from it.

[KijiStewart]

Ok, first advice is firming up your ability to speak about your resume. You should be solid in discussing everything you worked on during 1L summer as well as before law school. Like, this should be the easiest part of any interview by far. I'm not sure what it will take for you to be able to speak knowledgeably about what you worked on as an intern, but you don't need to know the inner workings of the entire case. Just be able to describe the work you did related to that case generally, and be able to tie it to what you learned about the job in handling those assignments.

As for what to talk about/ask/bring up in conversation, this is entirely based on your personal interests, areas of commonality you can reach with the given interviewer, and tying your areas of interest both personally and professionally into small talk. I know people that have legitimately talked about the importance of a strong "socks" game for easily half an interview because the conversation just arose naturally. No one can really teach you how to be natural in conversation, so just stick to talking about things you know about and things you're comfortable about, and be ready to respond to the stuff the interviewer wants to talk about without revealing some glaring blindspot you might have personally, professionally, or culturally.

Some generic questions that can be good is asking about how work flow works as a summer, will you be able to work with multiple groups and partners during the summer and will this be by choice or by summer program design, will there be any structural assignments every summer does (oral arguments against one another, team-building exercises, etc.), what is the pro bono program like at the program (if this is something that legitimately interests you, and you should obviously look into their programs at least minimally before asking this question)...I hope this gives some idea. You'll realistically only be talking to each person for ~30 minutes at a clip, so use each question to drive a separate conversation until the time is up, and hope that the interviewer comes away thinking you were pleasant and worth bringing in as a summer and future associate. How they make that assessment will vary by the person, so just try to present yourself as natural and confident.

One piece of advice I've always personally ascribed to is the less you end up talking as an interviewee, the better the interview is going generally. So get them talking about what they do, what they find interesting about their work, any particularly interesting cases they've worked on that they enjoyed, etc. If they're excited to tell you about their practice, their life, and what they like about what they do, they're more likely to remember you fondly when they are filling out a review of your interview with them.*

*Huge caveat: don't continually try to steer the conversation this way if the interview seems uninterested in that vein of conversation. But this goes back to the general advice of figuring out how to let conversation develop naturally. If they give a tepid answer to a question, move on and ask a different question on a different topic.

Thank you !

Whats a good answer for "why did you transfer".

When I say 'academic enrichment' it comes off as negative for putting down prior school, and when I say 'superior job prospects' Ive gotten answers ranging from whats wrong with second-tier firms to we recruit at your 1L school.

I figured others might respond, but since no one has, I'll give it another shot. Answering the question about why you transferred should be about the opportunities you saw in transferring to CLS. Don't mention your 1L school in the least, but just speak positively about the programs available at CLS that interest you. People understand why lower tier students transfer to schools like CLS; your job is just to affirm that you've made that decision for the right reasons (academics, opportunities, etc.). Basically, if the answer is true to you in trying to transfer, and as long as it doesn't come off weird, then it'll be a fine answer for that question. You aren't going to be losing jobs you otherwise would get because you answered the "why transfer" question wrong.

Don't email people who have rejected you. Nothing constructive will come from it.

Noted, if I feel I connected superbly well with someone who dinged me, can I email them after I've been given other offers and settled somewhere else as a means of staying in touch.