Questions to ask Interviewers at OCI and CallBacks Forum

[kotleta]

When you get the "do you have any questions for us" question, what kind of questions are the interviewers looking for and what are good questions to ask? Trying to avoid asking questions that can be found on the firm's website.

[thebasedgod]

do interviewers even know what's on the firm's website?

[SomewhatLearnedHand]

Had a partner tell me a good question for litigation is what the partner/associate ratio is (even though you can usually find that on the website?) and how they staff. That question really drives at how they staff cases and what kind of work/responsibility you can expect to see early on.

[BrainsyK]

Defaults (Ask these if you panic or couldn't find anything):
"Why did you choose [firm]?"
"How did you end up in your practice area?"
"What do you see as the qualities of a good associate?"

For partners:
"Based on your time there, how have you seen the driving vision of the firm change?"

I use these if I don't know my interviewers. If I know them, I would scour their firm profiles for stuff. Asking about upcoming talks they have, articles they've written, any change in their practice areas, past firms, secondments, all give the impression that you came prepared.