The modern law firm faces a dual challenge: identifying candidates with not only the requisite legal acumen but also the soft skills necessary to thrive within the firm’s unique culture and contribute to its future success. Innovative interview strategies, including scenario-based questioning and practical assessments, are now pivotal in evaluating a candidate’s adaptability, critical thinking, and real-world application of legal knowledge.
Articles under Interview Tips
10 Reasons You didn’t Land a Job Offer (and How to Improve)
It can be crushing to be rejected for a job you were perfect for, especially if the job seemed like your dream opportunity. The good news is there are more opportunities available for you now and in the future. You can learn from the experience by determining why your interview went well but you were rejected after the final round of interviews and by finding ways to improve for a better chance at job procurement in the future.
How In-House Counsel Candidates Can Shine in Interviews
Years ago, the Texas energy industry was thriving, and candidates were driving the hiring process. Candidates had the luxury of sitting back and letting the clients sell them on why they should move from a stable and fulfilling job to an even better opportunity.
Enthusiastic Job Seekers Sought
Rejected for a job? Sometimes we hear “she lacked passion,” “too quiet,” “didn’t see his personality,” “didn’t seem interested in the job”. While demonstrating enthusiasm isn’t the only predictor of a great job candidate, hiring managers reference this trait repeatedly in their interview feedback. To succeed in your next job interview, you need to convey interest and figure out how to convey what matters most to you. Here’s how:
What Are Today’s Hiring Managers Looking For?
Today’s candidates need to be fine-tuned and savvy to land their next career opportunity. Job seekers must take the necessary steps and measures to make sure they are marketable. How should a candidate communicate, present a resume, or answer recruiter inquiries? Based on what we’re hearing from hiring managers and the clients we represent, here are some suggestions that might help.
Social Media and Your Job Search
Job seekers, employees and recruiters can get in touch with people of the same or similar background and extend their professional network with an aim to get noticed. Whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, or another platform, each one gives an opportunity to interact and grow your network.
Make Your Resume Count with a Legal Recruiter
Your resume is the first impression you make, and first impressions are important. You only get one. As Legal Recruiters, we read dozens of resumes a day so we know what works. Research has proven that the average resume gets looked at for quick six seconds. For this reason, your resume needs to be concise, easy to read, and especially easy to digest. It also means that sometimes “less is more.”
4 Interview Questions Texas Attorneys should ask when being Recruited
Almost every attorney interviewing for a new position gets asked at some point during the interview: “Do you have any questions for me?” This is your chance to not only learn more about the position and the company but to also make a good impression with the questions you ask. As recruiters advising Texas attorneys on how to get the job they’re seeking, we heartily agree with four of the five questions that ZipRecruiter recommends. In fact, we also recommend that our attorney candidates ask: 1) Why is this position vacant; 2) Can you describe a typical workday for the lawyer in this position?; 3) How would you characterize the culture of this company/law firm, and; 4) What are the goals of this company, and how does this position and legal department factor into those goals?
The 8 Types of Legal Department Job Interviewers
When looking to join an in-house legal department, you will meet a variety of interviewers. Some will be lawyers and others not. While your legal department interviewers may be excellent lawyers or business people, they might not all be the most effective recruiters. You may encounter good interviewers having a bad day, inexperienced or unprepared interviewers, or those who have ineffective methods for eliciting the information they need to make the best hiring decisions.
Post-Interview Thank You Notes In The Information Age
Candidates frequently ask our Texas legal recruiters whether to send thank you notes after an interview. If so, how and when? The question has sometimes vexed us, given the vast changes the information age has brought to the workplace. Not all that long ago, law school graduates were taught to send out hard copies of their resumes on high quality “resume paper” and to always follow up with a note handwritten in black ink on Crane’s stationery.