How to handle an informational interview from another firm? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Hey all. I got a question that I'd love to pick your brains on. I've had two firms reach out to me and would like to have me speak with their Partners as like an informational interview. How are these calls typically handled? What is normally discussed, what is asked (by the Partner and by someone in my position), and how do you ultimately handle either an expression of interest to pursue an opportunity or a polite "not at this time" without slamming the door shut on the future?

[Anonymous User]

OP here: For background, I'm a 3rd year associate. Went to a good law school (not T20). Had average grades (not top 30% or anything), but no C's. All A's and B's.

[papermateflair]

So you aren't applying for a job, they just randomly reached out to you? Or do you know them? Either way, take the call, let them know what you do and what your career goals are, and ask about their practice groups. I would treat it like a job interview but slightly more relaxed (because you aren't looking for a job right now), and expect them to want to understand what you do and how that would fit in with what they do. Don't worry about how to turn them down until you know for sure you don't want to pursue it - I would say only good things about your current job, and frame your interest in speaking with them more along the lines of testing the waters/networking. You can say you're not actively looking but would consider a move in the right circumstances, which it sounds like what you're thinking. I doubt grades will matter here at all, if they're reaching out to you directly when you haven't applied for a job then presumably they need someone with your skills, and don't care about using grades to screen you out (plus, if they already like you before they see your grades, then grades won't matter).

[Anonymous User]

So you aren't applying for a job, they just randomly reached out to you? Or do you know them? Either way, take the call, let them know what you do and what your career goals are, and ask about their practice groups. I would treat it like a job interview but slightly more relaxed (because you aren't looking for a job right now), and expect them to want to understand what you do and how that would fit in with what they do. Don't worry about how to turn them down until you know for sure you don't want to pursue it - I would say only good things about your current job, and frame your interest in speaking with them more along the lines of testing the waters/networking. You can say you're not actively looking but would consider a move in the right circumstances, which it sounds like what you're thinking. I doubt grades will matter here at all, if they're reaching out to you directly when you haven't applied for a job then presumably they need someone with your skills, and don't care about using grades to screen you out (plus, if they already like you before they see your grades, then grades won't matter).

You called it! The firm's internal recruiter reached out to me (I don't know anyone at these firms) and they want to schedule a call for me to speak with some of their partners. And thanks! It sounds like I should treat it as an opportunity for them to ask about me, but would you mind sharing your thoughts on what I can ask or should ask about the firm, practice group, or anything else? The last time I interviewed was when I was a 1st year switching to my current firm (it was an upward transition and practice area switch. I'm planning to stay with my current practice area). Frankly, I didn't like my first firm so I was happy to leave and therefore didn't really ask much as I was too busy trying to ensure I got the job.

[papermateflair]

In an informational interview, I would want to know whether their practice is what I'm looking for, whether I immediately hate the people, if they want me to move, and that's about it. Basically what kind of work do they do, what role are they looking for you to fill, how can they help you develop your practice, etc. You want to be curious about their practice and figure out how it works with your long term goals. For example, I'm a tax lawyer, so I would want to know if another practice wants me to do general compliance work or do a lot of M&A work, or a mixture. Obviously how detailed etc. you need to be depends on the length of the call - if they schedule 15 minutes then they probably just want you to be able to talk about your practice, skills, and medium term goals, and you will want to know the basics of their practice, who the key people are, and what they're looking for in an associate. If you have 30 minutes or an hour, probably a little more detail. I would see it as a screener but one where you have slightly more power than normal - they're recruiting you, so you have less information about them than you would if you were applying for a job, so you need to make sure you learn the basics that would be in a job listing.

[Anonymous User]

In an informational interview, I would want to know whether their practice is what I'm looking for, whether I immediately hate the people, if they want me to move, and that's about it. Basically what kind of work do they do, what role are they looking for you to fill, how can they help you develop your practice, etc. You want to be curious about their practice and figure out how it works with your long term goals. For example, I'm a tax lawyer, so I would want to know if another practice wants me to do general compliance work or do a lot of M&A work, or a mixture. Obviously how detailed etc. you need to be depends on the length of the call - if they schedule 15 minutes then they probably just want you to be able to talk about your practice, skills, and medium term goals, and you will want to know the basics of their practice, who the key people are, and what they're looking for in an associate. If you have 30 minutes or an hour, probably a little more detail. I would see it as a screener but one where you have slightly more power than normal - they're recruiting you, so you have less information about them than you would if you were applying for a job, so you need to make sure you learn the basics that would be in a job listing.

Thank you!!! When you mention what role they're looking for me to fill, what does that mean? I'm in Employment Law. Should work from home policies come up at all in light of the pandemic? My current firm doesn't care if I work from home for the long-run which is nice given this nutty pandemic. Any advice on how I can suss out culture since it's a call? I was thinking asking type of work, how cases are staffed, the ration of lit to advice and counsel, career prospect of Partner and if there is an alternative if someone can't make Partner, and other expectations (e.g., marketing, pro bono, or other firm required misc. stuff)? Or is any of that a bad idea to ask?

[papermateflair]

In an informational interview, I would want to know whether their practice is what I'm looking for, whether I immediately hate the people, if they want me to move, and that's about it. Basically what kind of work do they do, what role are they looking for you to fill, how can they help you develop your practice, etc. You want to be curious about their practice and figure out how it works with your long term goals. For example, I'm a tax lawyer, so I would want to know if another practice wants me to do general compliance work or do a lot of M&A work, or a mixture. Obviously how detailed etc. you need to be depends on the length of the call - if they schedule 15 minutes then they probably just want you to be able to talk about your practice, skills, and medium term goals, and you will want to know the basics of their practice, who the key people are, and what they're looking for in an associate. If you have 30 minutes or an hour, probably a little more detail. I would see it as a screener but one where you have slightly more power than normal - they're recruiting you, so you have less information about them than you would if you were applying for a job, so you need to make sure you learn the basics that would be in a job listing.

Thank you!!! When you mention what role they're looking for me to fill, what does that mean? I'm in Employment Law. Should work from home policies come up at all in light of the pandemic? My current firm doesn't care if I work from home for the long-run which is nice given this nutty pandemic. Any advice on how I can suss out culture since it's a call? I was thinking asking type of work, how cases are staffed, the ration of lit to advice and counsel, career prospect of Partner and if there is an alternative if someone can't make Partner, and other expectations (e.g., marketing, pro bono, or other firm required misc. stuff)? Or is any of that a bad idea to ask?

I was thinking more along the lines of any specific sub-specialty - so if you're an employment lawyer, making sure you know whether it's a counseling or litigation role (because if you're a litigator, you may not want to go past informational interview stage with a firm that needs someone to do EEOC compliance or whatever). I don't know if I would ask about anything other than general background about their practice (and I probably wouldn't ask about alternatives to making partner as a 3rd year - after all, you want them to think you are gunning for partner unless you're specifically trying to get a role as like, a staff attorney or something).

WFH, nonbillable expectations, etc. are all important things to know, but not sure I would want to spend the limited time in an informational interview covering those things at this point. I feel like those are better questions for the second stage, if you end up there. You don't need to know EVERYTHING about the firm, just generally what they're looking for in an associate and if that lines up with your career goals and talents. I don't know how to find out about firm culture in short call unless you talk to someone who is VERY open, but if you progress through interview stages you will definitely be connected to people who can give you more insight (like other associates) and you can ask about things about work life balance and hours.

Others might disagree, but I think the goal an informational interview is to decide if this is a job that you're interested in (because you're not seeing a job listing), and for them to find out if you pass their screening or have the experience needed for a job (ie are you class of 2017 but you actually spent two years doing work in a different area so you really don't have 3 years of experience).

[Anonymous User]

I was thinking more along the lines of any specific sub-specialty - so if you're an employment lawyer, making sure you know whether it's a counseling or litigation role (because if you're a litigator, you may not want to go past informational interview stage with a firm that needs someone to do EEOC compliance or whatever). I don't know if I would ask about anything other than general background about their practice (and I probably wouldn't ask about alternatives to making partner as a 3rd year - after all, you want them to think you are gunning for partner unless you're specifically trying to get a role as like, a staff attorney or something).

WFH, nonbillable expectations, etc. are all important things to know, but not sure I would want to spend the limited time in an informational interview covering those things at this point. I feel like those are better questions for the second stage, if you end up there. You don't need to know EVERYTHING about the firm, just generally what they're looking for in an associate and if that lines up with your career goals and talents. I don't know how to find out about firm culture in short call unless you talk to someone who is VERY open, but if you progress through interview stages you will definitely be connected to people who can give you more insight (like other associates) and you can ask about things about work life balance and hours.

Others might disagree, but I think the goal an informational interview is to decide if this is a job that you're interested in (because you're not seeing a job listing), and for them to find out if you pass their screening or have the experience needed for a job (ie are you class of 2017 but you actually spent two years doing work in a different area so you really don't have 3 years of experience).

Very helpful, thank you!! If it isn't a position I'm interested in after sussing out the job details like you recommend, what would be a good play to respectfully close out the conversation and not move forward without harming any future chances of pursuing other opportunities with said firms? Also, would it be appropriate to maintain a networking relationship with the Partners I speak with?

[papermateflair]

I was thinking more along the lines of any specific sub-specialty - so if you're an employment lawyer, making sure you know whether it's a counseling or litigation role (because if you're a litigator, you may not want to go past informational interview stage with a firm that needs someone to do EEOC compliance or whatever). I don't know if I would ask about anything other than general background about their practice (and I probably wouldn't ask about alternatives to making partner as a 3rd year - after all, you want them to think you are gunning for partner unless you're specifically trying to get a role as like, a staff attorney or something).

WFH, nonbillable expectations, etc. are all important things to know, but not sure I would want to spend the limited time in an informational interview covering those things at this point. I feel like those are better questions for the second stage, if you end up there. You don't need to know EVERYTHING about the firm, just generally what they're looking for in an associate and if that lines up with your career goals and talents. I don't know how to find out about firm culture in short call unless you talk to someone who is VERY open, but if you progress through interview stages you will definitely be connected to people who can give you more insight (like other associates) and you can ask about things about work life balance and hours.

Others might disagree, but I think the goal an informational interview is to decide if this is a job that you're interested in (because you're not seeing a job listing), and for them to find out if you pass their screening or have the experience needed for a job (ie are you class of 2017 but you actually spent two years doing work in a different area so you really don't have 3 years of experience).

Very helpful, thank you!! If it isn't a position I'm interested in after sussing out the job details like you recommend, what would be a good play to respectfully close out the conversation and not move forward without harming any future chances of pursuing other opportunities with said firms? Also, would it be appropriate to maintain a networking relationship with the Partners I speak with?

I think it would be fine to say that you're currently focused on wanting to do XXXX work and it sounds like they're looking for YYYY but you have loved meeting them and want to stay in touch, and then maybe once or twice a year follow up with them just to say hello, or schedule coffee to catch up, or whatever. I would only do that if I really felt I connected with them and would actually enjoy getting coffee with them. If they like you and know the direction you're heading, then presumably if they need that they'll come to you first, but also sometimes it's just a 15 minute phone call and you'll never hear from them again and if an opening crops up in 5 years that you're interested in, they probably won't even remember this.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you!! I really appreciate this. I will proceed with the guidance you shared!