Interviewing tips from the horse's mouth

Fred Cohn from JD Jungle has this terrific dialogue with recruiting coordinators and hiring partners from major law firms (Paul Weiss, Weil Gotshal, Arent Fox) on how to interview. One overriding theme present in this article is that candidates need to really exhibit their interest in the FIRM. The interview isn't just about the candidate but how much the candidate wants to be a part of the firm. Doing your homework and expressing your enthusiasm for the position goes a long, long way.

Another critical point for interviewees is to watch your BODY LANGUAGE. You must have good eye contact, stand up straight and give off an open confidence. When I first began interviewing to be become a recruiter, I met with a recruiting firm that stressed to me how important favorable candidate interviews are when it comes to your chances of placing that candidate. Ironically, I asked how I HAD DONE when it was all over the and the owner of the company said it was a great interview, but that my eye contact was sub-par. It was such a great lesson! And as you can see in the article, it makes a big difference to all of these firms.

The third point that really stood out in this article is how much GEOGRAPHY matters. If you are looking to transition to another city, you better have all of your ducks in a row and be able to portray a compelling reason as to why you are willing to move to this city. "I love the ocean," isn't a great answer when you are interviewing for a position in L.A. Ummm...Who doesn't love the ocean?