Responding to Common Legal Interview Questions
If you are looking to make a career transition in the law (whether to a prestigious Biglaw firm or an in-house legal department), then you may be feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the prospect of the interview. In the legal industry, and others, prospective candidates are often concerned about how they can “correctly” respond to interview questions and, further, do so in a way that will set them apart from their competition.
Here at Garb Jaffe & Associates, our team of experienced Los Angeles legal recruiters has spent decades working with various attorney-candidates, helping them to secure their ideal position with a new employer. In doing so, we provide end-to-end recruitment services — our attorney-candidates can count on us to thoroughly prepare them for the interview, and (with respect to all other aspects of the hiring process) ensure that they are primed to “make a splash” compared to the other candidates.
Curious about the recruitment process and how we can help? We encourage you to call us at 310-207-0727 or complete an intake form through our website. Our services are free of cost for candidates.
Interview questions often confound attorney-candidates, who might not be prepared adequately for how to handle them. Though a single interview question is unlikely to make or break your candidacy, the interview is an opportunity to really shine vis-a-vis the other candidates — simply put, it shouldn’t be wasted!
Let’s take a look at some common questions that attorney-candidates face in their hiring interviews, and what you should keep in mind as you formulate a winning response. Consider the following.
Common Questions and How to Handle Them
Question:
Why are you leaving your current position?
Response:
In discussing why you want to leave your current position, focus more on the positives associated with you moving onto bigger and better opportunities. Do not linger on problems that you may have had regarding your current projects, or colleagues — even if those are actually factors influencing your decision to move on. The interviewer will not look kindly upon a candidate who “badmouths” their former employer, as there is no way for them to evaluate whether you are telling the full story. Further, it is proof of professionalism if you can be kind to a former employer despite there having been irreconcilable differences with respect to your career future.
Question:
Where do you see your career going long-term, and how does [organization] fit into the bigger picture?
Response:
This is a tricky question, as you don’t want to come across as though you have no understanding of your own career path, but you also don’t want to be too keen to identify the employer as a mere stepping stone. It’s best to note your overall career goals confidently, and then to focus almost entirely on how the firm or in-house department with which you’re interviewing will help you to accomplish those goals and build a skillset that will propel you forward in your career.
Question:
What is a work-related accomplishment that you’re proud of?
Response:
Though your application is likely to include major accomplishments, when responding to this sort of question, the interviewer is looking for the finer details that — hopefully — will represent those aspects of your skillset that are valuable to them. If you know what the firm or in-house department is ideally interested in (information that can be gleaned through Garb Jaffe & Associates extensive California networks), then you can choose the work-related accomplishment that best exemplifies those qualities.
It’s worth noting that in telling stories about your accomplishments, it’s okay to discuss factual aspects that are impressive, but try to avoid making boast-y opinion statements. If you helped close a significant transaction between two global multinationals, it’s okay to just mention the facts — the interviewer will find it impressive without further editorializing. If you talk about how you did an “amazing job” (vague and subjective), for example, then that may be damaging to their evaluation of your personality and fit.
Question:
What is a difficult work situation that you’ve overcome?
Response:
In asking this question, the interviewer is looking for you to describe a project or client-related issue at work that you addressed effectively. Your response should include necessary details so as to ensure that the story comes across as authentic, and not “canned.”
Do make sure that the work situation at-issue is objectively difficult — some candidates miss their opportunity (in responding to this question) by discussing an issue that the interviewer can clearly see was not truly challenging to address in the first place.
Over the years, you’ve likely racked up a few stories that match. The story that you ultimately decide to talk about should be the one most relevant to the position for which you are interviewing. For example, if you are interviewing for a position where you will have to interface with clients on a regular basis, then you may want to discuss a story that centers around client difficulties that you ultimately overcame.