I’m in the midst of preparing our latest Popcorn & Principles (CLE ethics) program.  This year’s installment will review the films based on the novels of John Grisham, analyzing the legal and ethical issues that emerge therein.  While preparing this program, I’ve had the opportunity to view and review The Rainmaker.  If you don’t remember the movie, it stars Matt Damon as a new young lawyer who is assisted by Danny DeVito.  The two of them take on a big insurance company and win, though they never manage to collect a dollar.

 

Early in the film, Matt Damon interviews with a small southern law firm.  What occurs during the course of that cinematic interview, I’m afraid, is repeated way too often in real life on- and off-campus interviews—the lawyer/interviewer doesn’t know what to ask, so instead he sells the firm.  By the end of the brief meeting, the interviewer knows very little about the candidate.

 

Because on-campus interviews, in particular, are restricted in length, it is absolutely critical that members of your organization enter the interview with a very specific game plan.  Following are the steps I recommend they undertake:

 

Step 1    Establish rapport. 

Many candidates are likely to feel uncomfortable.  Your interviewer’s first job is to help put candidates at ease. 

                 

Step 2    Set the interview agenda. 

Interviewers should begin by confirming the length of the interview.  They should then explain that they will ask questions related to the position as well as provide some background information on the organization.  They should also ensure candidates that they will have the opportunity to ask questions.

                 

Step 3    Ask qualification questions. 

These might include “What are you looking for in a summer associate experience” and “How does our firm meet that goal?”  If it turns out the candidate is only interested in international employment law and your firm does not support such a practice, the interviewer may be able to immediately shorten the interview.

                 

Step 4    Ask pre-selected interview questions. 

I am a strong believer in the value of behavioral interviewing, which asks candidates to describe past behaviors.  Because past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, I believe this form of interviewing gives interviewers the best chance of determining whether a candidate is going to “fit.”

 

In 2006 I devoted an entire E-Update to behavioral interviewing.  You can view that E-Update by going to my web site (www.marycrane.com) and clicking on “Read Mary.”  Feel free to copy and distribute the Update to anyone in your organization who will be involved in the interview process.

                 

                 

                 

Step 8    Wrap up. 

Interviewers should explain to the candidate what will happen following the interview and thank the candidate for attending the interview.

 

 

If you happen to reside on the career services side of the interview season equation, float these suggestions to your students:

 

Nothing turns off an interviewer faster than a candidate who fails to invest time in researching the interviewer’s firm or organization.  It shows an utter lack of respect for the interviewer’s time as well as for the interviewer’s organization.

                       

Studies indicate that most people develop their first impressions of one another within the first 30 seconds of a meeting.  An interviewer’s first impression will be based in part on what each candidate says.  The remainder will be based on the candidate’s appearance.  Candidates must dress for the position they hope to acquire.

                       

Every candidate possesses unique qualities that may contribute to an organization’s success.  Candidates must be able to describe who and what they are in a way that captures the attention of the interviewer.  Encourage your students to practice responding to questions quickly and concisely.

                       

Suggestion 4    Leave gadgets behind. 

Students should carry a copy of their résumé in a portfolio with a pad of paper and a pen to an interview.  To the extent possible, everything else should be left behind.  And, by the way, if students have listed a phone or cell phone number on their résumé, any recorded voice-mail greeting should be office appropriate.

                       

I recently encountered one law firm recruiter who continues to talk about the 2006 recruit who brought his mother to the off-campus interview . . . and Mom sat in the reception area throughout the entire day.  Candidates should never bring their parents to interviews.  Instead, they can report back after each interview with their success.

 

 

Finally, no matter what office role you now play, I’m willing to bet you are hearing lots about the challenges of integrating today’s NEXTers into the workplace.  Everywhere I go, I hear about NEXTers and the sense of entitlement they seem to have.  I’ve blamed this on the invention of T-Ball, a game in which no one fails, and all too often at the end of a game, everyone wins a prize.  A recent Wall Street Journal “Moving On” column (07/05/07, page B5) suggests we can blame Mr. Rogers instead.  Columnist Jeffrey Zaslow writes that Mr. Rogers often told young viewers that they were “special” just for being whoever they were.  This may have helped build an entire generation’s self-esteem.  That message, however, failed to also communicate that being special is the direct result of hard work and having high self expectations.