Call-back Interview Tips
Friday, August 19th, 2011 |
| In the grand scheme of interviewing, legal employers often ask an applicant to interview more than one time. During formal recruiting season, or “on-campus interviews,” the second interview is often referred to as a “call-back” interview.
A second interview most often occurs at the employer’s office and can last from one hour to several hours and may include one or two meals. Second interviews for summer associate positions are often shorter than second interviews for permanent association positions. You should prepare for a call-back interview in much the same way you prepared for the first interview but be prepared to ask additional and more-detailed questions. At this point, you should be able to indicate through your questions that you are interested in this employer for the long haul. They should be able to tell that you are interested in their long-term growth and you should be able to articulate why you might want to join the firm after you graduate. This is true even if you are interviewing for a summer associate position! You will likely meet with several associates and partners at the firm in a series of 20-30 minute interviews. You will be asked the same questions more than once – be prepared to be positive and not respond with, “Geesh, everyone asks me that question.” This can be harder than you think when the twelfth person asks, “Tell me how you ended up in law school after 10 years in the underwater basket weaving industry” or “How did you end up in Kansas when you were born and raised in [fill in the blank with someplace exotic].” You will also ask the same questions more than once. It is completely appropriate to ask more than one person about his or her experiences at the firm – you will likely get different answers, which should be helpful in your decision-making process. More than ever, responding “I think all my questions have been answered” is a suggestion that you are not interested in the firm. Again, this can be harder than you think after interviewing with ten different people at the same firm on the same day. Be early, and know where you are going! Ask for directions and plan on arriving early. You should plan to walk into the reception area about 5-10 minutes before your scheduled arrival time. If you arrive earlier than that, hang out in your car and review your notes. If you are going to be late – and it should go without saying that you should avoid being late at all costs – call the employer and let him or her know. My advice is not to call until you are absolutely sure you will be late. If there is a chance you will make it on time, don’t give yourself away (but do make sure to call before you are actually late). You may be asked to have a meal as part of the interview day. If so, remember that this is still part of the interview. Even if the conversation is more casual, you are still interviewing. Occasionally interviewers will order an alcoholic beverage before or during dinner. Whether you order a drink is totally up to you. My advice is to gauge your company and your own preference for and tolerance of alcohol, and if in doubt order a non-alcoholic beverage. In no circumstance should you over-indulge. This is not the time to try and impress them with how many beers you can down before munching on some hot wings! Speaking of hot wings, you may wonder what entrée to order. Generally speaking, don’t order the most expensive thing on the menu. Order something you would order if you were paying the bill – and err on the less-expensive side. In other words – strive for middle of the road. A nice way to gauge your company is to state, “I haven’t been to this restaurant before, what do you typically order.” And by all means, don’t order something messy. If you do splash spaghetti sauce on your tie or blouse, don’t make a big deal of it. Finally, always treat the wait staff with respect. Regarding treating people with respect, you should treat everyone you encounter at or near the employer as though they hold the golden key to whether you are given a job. The person you cut off pulling into the parking lot, the receptionist you snub, or the undercover partner in the elevator who overhears your inappropriate chatting on the phone could be the person who “breaks the deal.” |
