PART I - THE SURPRISINGLY WORST QUESTIONs A LAW STUDENT CAN ASK IN A JOB INTERVIEW
SCENE 1: DIMINUTIVE CANDIDATE SITTING AT GIANT CONFERENCE ROOM TABLE ACROSS FROM Ms. Big Law Attorney
Candidate silently ask for a lifeline: please let me say all the right things.
Dribble, dribble.
And just when the candidate is fresh out of ways of describing their “transferrable skills,” this dreaded line floats from the mouth of Ms. Big Law Attorney: “So…what questions do you have for me?”
Awe man, c’mon! Gulp. Teeth clench.
The candidate is now silently begging for a lifeline: please, please let me think of a good question!
Hmm…
Let me see…the candidate says.
The candidate’s eyes look up at the ceiling.
Umm…
And then that’s it. Lights out. Interview’s over. They’ll be in touch.
Doh! Why did I ask that?
That was the worst question ever.
CUT TO CAREER ADVISOR’S NARRATION
Have you ever been in this scene…
The one where the powerless law student candidate is in some interview with the scary big law attorney?
Or maybe switch out the actors and it’s seemingly any powerless candidate with any seemingly powerful employer.
Believe it or not, it’s all too common: candidate is uncomfortably trying to impress with clever answers to simple questions. Employer ends the interview with a reverse. Now, candidate is supposed to ask the all important ending questions.
What is the candidate supposed to do when the spotlight turns?
Lots of sage, old internet advice says that when the questioning reverses, that is, when it’s the candidates’ turn to finally do the interviewing, it’s carpe diem! Seize the day! Ask what you want to know. So the advice goes.
Wrong, nah, nope!
It’s bad advise to a law student. Why? As someone new to the profession, a law student job candidate likely doesn’t have experience practicing law yet, and therefore doesn’t have much leverage. At this stage in their career, most employers still hold all of the power; and while an individual law school candidate may be bright, eager and amazing, employers think there is an endless supply of them.
So insisting on asking only the questions you want to know, can cause an employer to simply pass you over.
That sage old advice about asking whatever you want to know often fails to qualify that that advice should only apply to those who have leverage, in the form of experience, in an interview. Those are people who it is expected that they come into the organization and make an immediate impact on the bottom line - and that’s NOT usually law students.
Ok, so I’ll ask again in a different way. What should a candidate NOT do with the reverse? What questions should candidates NOT ask?
Well, let me tell you. Here is one of the all-time worst law school candidate questions to ask a the end of an interview.
SURPRISE! QUESTIONS ABOUT PRO BONO ARE A NO NO!
Where did we leave off? Oh, Here:
The candidate is now silently begging for a lifeline: please, please let me think of a good question!
Hmm…
Let me see…
The candidate’s eyes look up at the ceiling.
Umm…
Candidate says, with a crack in their voice, "can you elaborate on the firm’s pro bono work?”
Phew, got one off!
But oh wait, it’s a miss! Boo. Hiss. Fail.
Hold up, what’s the problem with asking this? Let me break this one down.
Pro bono work is honorable.
Pro bono work is vital.
One SHOULD care about and do pro bono work!
For most lawyers, is an important community service to those in need. It’s often unpaid work, performed outside, and above and beyond regular attorney duties.
Students should concern themselves with law firms committed to doing it.
And yet, students should never ask about it in an interview when seeking a position with a for-profit employer.
Why?
BECAUSE IT’S NOT WHY THE FIRM IS IN BUSINESS! IT’S NOT WHAT THEY EXIST TO DO! AND YES I’M YELLING!
It’s obvious right? Of course for-profit legal employers don’t exist to do free work. We all know that!
But to many of my (and I’m going to leverage a stereotype here that I know is not true in every case) Gen Y and Gen Z friends, who are navigating this professional life as some of the greatest generations to value the ideal of helping others, it isn’t necessarily obvious when it comes to play in an interview (sorry fellow invisible Gen X’ers, we will remain invisible, yet again, on this one too).
And despite my own Gen X invisibility cloak, I get it Gen Y and Gen Z friends - you want to work for an organization that shares your esteemed values.
You want to be a part of something in your professional life that is bigger than you, that is socially contentious and that seeks to address the many problematic issues that your generations are inheriting. I do get it, and you are not wrong for wanting to understand this fully.
But, I bet I know something else about you. You want a job. You want experience. You may even want to make money.
And money is only made when services are sold, and services are sold to paying clients, and paying clients will always be prioritize by for-profit employers.
So asking a firm, or any for-profit employer, about their pro bono work is a non-starter. Especially as your first interview question? Especially as a law student? Hmph.
Chile, that is a bright red, loud, flashing, unmistakable alarm signal to these for-profit, decision-making interviewers to run (sorry Gen Y and Gen Z friends, those decision-makers are still mostly the invisibility cloak wearing Gen X’ers and the sordidly famous OK Boomers).
To them, your questions about pro bono work read: clueless. It reads: not really interested in what we do here at this big ole’ firm. They hear: skip me and pick the next candidate who understands the firm’s goals.
Which is what, by the way? Say the goal with me: TO MAKE MONEY! And? LOUD FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T HEAR IN THE BACK: TO SERVE CLIENTS!
And for those of you that insist on this line of altruistic questioning, they may say: do not pass go. Do no collect $200K.
Read my next post to see what I suggest you ask instead.
