Revealing Questions

Yesterday, I met with two lawyers and the head of the professional development and recruiting department at a major NYC law firm. Wouldn’t you know, the conversation eventually turned to interviewing skills. 

 Most would probably guess that lawyers are natural interviewers. After all, they’re trained in the art of carefully examining and cross-examining petulant witnesses. You’d think if anyone could draw out critically important information from a candidate, it would be a member of the bar.

 My conversation led me to conclude that even lawyers often make poor interviewers. Like their counterparts in the corporate world, the average lawyer, when asked to conduct an on-campus or follow-up interview, resorts to use of a few relatively banal questions (“So why are you interested in working here?”). Then they rush to fill any awkward silences that might emerge during the course of the meeting and begin “selling” their firm.

Within your firm or company, make sure you train your interviewers to ask questions that reveal past behaviors. Remember, past behaviors are the best predictors of future behavior.

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