It’s natural to feel anxiety about an upcoming job interview. Many of the candidates we work with tend to feel nervous before they head into an interview.  When you get nervous, it means that what you are doing is important to you.  However, heading into an interview overly nervous tends to lead to an undesirable outcome– it can paralyze you or lead to exhibit some unflattering traits during their interview – either speaking too much and rambling or clamming up and not saying nearly enough.    

Today I wanted to go over some of our suggestions to help calm your nerves before heading into the interview. 

The first and most important thing to do is to be prepared.  Ultimately, the best wayto stay calm is to be very prepared in every way possible.  Research the firm and the lawyers the position will be supporting. Practice answers to anticipated questions, think of three to four examples that highlight things you want the interviewer to know about you and your skillset or performance on the job. Also make note of the questions you want to ask the interviewer.  Know the location of where you are going, know the names of the people you will be meeting with and bring enough resumes for both them and yourself. 

This is one opportunity. Remember, this is just one interview and one opportunity.  You need to explore it to make sure it is the right match for you. It is important to remember that there are other jobs out there and no matter what happens, this interview will be a learning experience that will make you a better job candidate moving forward. 

Also, remember that this will be a conversation.  When you interview with lawyers, the majority of times the interview will take on a very conversational nature.  You need to remember this – whether meeting with a lawyer, office manager or HR, this is simply one conversation.  Further, it is a two way conversation.  This isn’t just going to be them interrogating you—you have questions you need answered, and they are most likely just as nervous about making a good impression.

There’s only so much you can control and accept the fact that mistakes will happen.  You can only control so many things about the interview process - You can take the time to figure out how long it will take to get to their office; You can pick out what you are going to wear, what you bring and how hard you prepare and study. However, you cannot control everything and you need to accept the fact that mistakes will happen. 

Finally, keep in mind that you got the interview because the interviewer saw your resume and liked what they saw.  You ticked enough boxes to get your foot in the door and there is enough of what they saw to believe that you can do the job.  Now, it’s whether or not you are the best match.  If you are, then fantastic!  If it’s not the best match and you don’t get the position, then that’s okay too! 

You want to make sure that you secure a position at a firm where you can be yourself and a position that aligns with your current skillset, while also pushing you to grow in your career.  If this is the position for you and there is a strong match between you and the firm, then things will work out.  If not, there are other opportunities out there that will provide better long term matches.   

Thanks for reading!  If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, feel free to send us an email or give us a call.

Happy Job Hunting and Good Luck!

It can be tempting.  You’re in an interview talking about why you want to change jobs and all you want to do is tell the interviewer just how terrible and bad things are at your current firm. You may want to tell them about your lawyer’s challenging personality, how disorganized the firm is or how mean you find some of your co-workers!  Here’s the thing – YOU SHOULDN’T!

From time to time we hear stories of job seekers going into interviews and talking poorly about their current or past employers. You should never, ever speak negatively about your current or past employers. The last thing you want to do in an interview is go on a long-winded tangent of all the terrible things that are happening at your current firm.  The reality is, you have nothing to gain by being negative, and it can detract from everything else you are saying. 

Therefore, with this in mind, here are some tips when you feel the urge to speak poorly about a past employer:

1. Be honest – within reason.

It is perfectly fine to address what your push factors are from your current place of employment or a past job.  However, the key is being able to discuss it in an objective, non-emotional manner.  You do not need to place great emphasis on all of the things you don’t like and be over-dramatic when discussing it.  A matter-of-fact, frank tone will suffice.

2. Avoid giving unnecessary details.

Similarly, it is unnecessary to provide irrelevant details about the specific things you do not like.  For example, you do not need to make assumptions or speculate as to why you think one of your colleagues is mean. Simply letting the interviewer know that you were not placed in a team-oriented environment will suffice.

3. Address what you are looking for in your next role.

As we have discussed before, highlighting what your pull factors are in a new position is the best way to approach the reason behind why you are looking to make a move.  Mentioning a desire for more responsibility, a structured schedule or a better opportunity for advancement are all ways to re-frame a negative in a positive light. 

Thanks for reading! If you would like to discuss further or want to know the best way to frame your response, feel free to give me a call or send me an email.

Happy Job Hunting and Good Luck!

Everyone makes mistakes and stumbles while carving out their career.  Making mistakes is one of the best ways we can learn and improve.  When you make them early on in your career, some mistakes can have significant impact on how your career develops.  With this in mind, let’s look at some of the very common ones we see made by junior candidates starting out in their career. 

Having money be your number one motivator on whether you accept a job.

• Don’t get me wrong.  Salary is very important, and the cost of living is high.  However, money should not be the only reason you accept a job. The job you take should be one that allows you to get the experience you need to grow your career to where you want to take it.  Thinking two steps ahead always helps. 
• We very regularly see junior candidates accept a position because it pays the most. In our experience, this is not the wisest decision.  Sometimes, there is a reason a firm offers above market salary. High volume of work, a very challenging personality to work with, or a toxic work environment, could be some of the reasons. This is “danger pay”.
• Often, they turn down the role, which offers mentorship, interesting work, or work-life balance for the role which offers the most money.  Despite the higher salaried role not offering them anything else they are looking for in their career, they will accept it.  All too often, we then see these same people looking for a new job in 3-4 weeks because they hate the environment, or they do not like the lawyer they are working with.    Unfortunately, if you do this a few times, you will leave future prospective employers with questions about your stability. 

Not seeing the bigger picture.

• Another thing we regularly see is people with 6 months of experience telling us that they feel they have “done it all” in their current job, and now want a Senior level position.
• When they do make such a move, the firm they are moving to will have a reason behind why they are willing to offer a Senior level position to such a Junior level candidate. (For example, a difficult lawyer to work for, toxic environment, etc.)
• While we like the ambition, it is important to remember that firms need people who can hit the ground running. If you cannot, they will fire you.  We see this very regularly.  Unfortunately, when this happens, these people who have tried to fast-track their careers, end up leaving a blemish on their resume. 

Burning bridges.

• The legal community is very small, and your reputation is everything, as you never know if you’re going to cross paths with someone again in the future. 
• It is important to be respectful of people’s times and be professional in your dealings with them, even when you decide to move on from their firm.
• You will never know what the future holds for your career, or who else you’re going to meet again on the road to your career destiny.

Thanks for reading!  While we try our best to educate those who speak with us regarding the legal landscape about this, we know that unfortunately these answers are not what everyone wants to hear.  Therefore, if you would like to discuss further or have any questions, feel free to send us an email or give us a call.

Happy Job Hunting and Good Luck!