First Interview on Monday

[princessv]

Yay!! I have my first official interview for my 2L summer on Monday with the D.A.''s office and I''m so happy, excited and nervous at the same time! It has been extra difficult for me to get interviews as I was a transfer and most employers wanted my grades from my new school (which I didn''t have till now).

The location is just perfect and where I envision myself to be after graduation (close with my immediate family

)!!!

Extra interview tips from those attorney/law students???

Or anyone in general??

 

[SoonIHope]

Exciting!! Good luck!!!!

I don''t have any advice for you, but a lot of my friends are 3Ls now, so I know how stressful finding your 2L summer job can be! I hope you get the perfect job for you!!!

 

[monarch64]

Congratulations Princess V! I wish you the best of luck in your interview! Hope you don''t stress out over it too much this weekend. At least it''s on Monday so you can breathe a big sigh of relief and cruise through the rest of the week.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Best of luck to you - we will all be pulling for you!

 

[Sundial]

Good luck Princess V! You're going to be terrific!!!

 

[princessv]

Thanks albicocca (love your new avatar!) monarch64 (I''ll still stress this weekend

) MissGotRocks and Sundial!! I love this place and all the extra support it gives you guys are terrific

 

[onedrop]

Hi PrincessV:

Congratulations on your first interview! Being an attorney I do remember those summer intern interviews! One of my best interviews was with the Public Defender, I suppose because people aren''t as high strung, so the DA shouldn''t be much different, just the other side of the aisle so to speak. Do you know if they will ask you to do hypotheticals during the interview? If so, that is one thing to maybe "practice" before Monday. I also found it helpful to see if I could find any information about the interviewer(s) if possible. Last thing, I practiced in front of the mirror a couple of times just to get used to answering the questions.

 

[Kaleigh]

That''d great PrincessV, I wish you the best of luck in your interview!!!!!

 

[princessv]

Date: 1/26/2006 9:21:41 PM
Author: onedrop
Hi PrincessV:

Congratulations on your first interview! Being an attorney I do remember those summer intern interviews! One of my best interviews was with the Public Defender, I suppose because people aren''t as high strung, so the DA shouldn''t be much different, just the other side of the aisle so to speak. Do you know if they will ask you to do hypotheticals during the interview? If so, that is one thing to maybe ''practice'' before Monday. I also found it helpful to see if I could find any information about the interviewer(s) if possible. Last thing, I practiced in front of the mirror a couple of times just to get used to answering the questions.

Hi onedrop!! Well, to answer your question, I believe so as the assistant D.A. that I spoke with today said that it depends on my future career goals and how I answer some of the questions.

He said he could care less about grades and transcripts either. It seems to be a pretty big program....apparently this DA''s office has training in Feb. I soooooo wish that they''d hire me on the spot

I''ll have to look on my school''s website for practice hypotheticals!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[tiger007g]

Congratulations! That''s fantastic! Getting the interview is more than half the battle!

I summered with the DA after my 1L year and some of my friends are now prosecutors - you''ll love it!

As an attorney who was very involved in recruiting, diversity, and professional development at my law firm, the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to let your real personality shine through. In addition to looking for the best candidates in terms of ability, interviewers are also looking for people with personalities that are going to fit in with the other attorneys at the office.

BE GENUINE - interviewers can spot canned answers from a mile away; prepare thoughtful questions (I used to like to ask interviewers about their experience and why they chose to be in the job they have today); and if the occassion arises to talk about your interests outside of career/school - go for it!! Those are the things that make you memorable and likeable as a candidate - remember, no one wants to work with someone who has no life or interests outside of work. However, it would probably not be a good time to bring up your hobby of diamonds and PS!!

Oh, and if you don''t know the answer to a question (interviewers always have a bag of hard-ball questions that they like to throw out there), it''s preferable to pause and say "That''s a very good question, I''ll need a second to think about that..." rather than to quickly respond with some unconvincing BS.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

 

[lmurden]

V,
Congratulations!!!

I''m sure you''ll do well.

 

[Gemklctr]

I''ve been on the interviewer side for more than 25 years now. The most effective interviewees I meet can articulate with some specificity why they are a strong candidate for a particular position based on relevant skill sets, career interests and background experience. For you, that means a good academic record (I would not rely on the asst. DA''s comments, especially if the position is at all competitive), prior related course work/job experience, career goals consistent with the business interests of the employer (especially as a 2L, where most students are looking for a position that leads to a job offer after graduation or clerkship and most employers use the 2L summer experience as a recruiting tool), being confident and self-possessed, and exhibiting a healthy dose of dedication/attention to detail (which is a prerequisite for success in every legal field). Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[onedrop]

Glad I could help! Sounds like some others have given some good advice as well. Break a leg!! And let us know how it goes.

 

[princessv]

Thank you all for the great advice!!

tiger007g: I''ve been thinking hard about the sort of questions to ask but I''ve found in other interviews its better to go with the flow and come up with questions as they come. But thank you, thats a great tip!

Lmurden: Thanks for the encouragement!!

GemKlctr: Thanks you for the advice. I worked this past summer in a Louisiana prosecutor''s office and the people there were really laid back. I just hope this office''s environment is somewhat similar! I really really want to be in the Charlotte area after I graduate.

onedrop: Thanks again but I hope I don''t break a leg

I''ll make sure to update everyone, I just hope the interview goes well!

 

[Gemklctr]

Date: 1/28/2006 11:35:58 AM
Author: Princess V
Thank you all for the great advice!!

tiger007g: I''ve been thinking hard about the sort of questions to ask but I''ve found in other interviews its better to go with the flow and come up with questions as they come. But thank you, thats a great tip!

Lmurden: Thanks for the encouragement!!

GemKlctr: Thanks you for the advice. I worked this past summer in a Louisiana prosecutor''s office and the people there were really laid back. I just hope this office''s environment is somewhat similar! I really really want to be in the Charlotte area after I graduate.

onedrop: Thanks again but I hope I don''t break a leg

I''ll make sure to update everyone, I just hope the interview goes well!

Well, how did it go?

 

[princessv]

Hi GK! I think it went well, I was definitely asked if I had strong public speaking impromptu skills

which I feel is one of my strongest points. Problem with the position is on my school''s career services listing, they listed the position as Paid with Salary Unknown. Come to find out the position is unpaid, but I can apply for grants through my school. Unfortunately, most of the grant deadlines will have passed by the time I will find out about the position (Late Feb.-Early March)

Back to the drawing board I guess....

Thanks for all the support!

 

[Gemklctr]

Date: 1/31/2006 7:14:43 PM
Author: Princess V
Hi GK! I think it went well, I was definitely asked if I had strong public speaking impromptu skills

which I feel is one of my strongest points. Problem with the position is on my school''s career services listing, they listed the position as Paid with Salary Unknown. Come to find out the position is unpaid, but I can apply for grants through my school. Unfortunately, most of the grant deadlines will have passed by the time I will find out about the position (Late Feb.-Early March)

Back to the drawing board I guess....

Thanks for all the support!

That''s tough, but don''t give up. I did an unpaid internship at the Delaware Dept. of Justice Criminal Division (essentially the DA''s office in that small state) between college and law school, but they were able to find me some of their own grant money towards the end of the summer. Maybe your DA''s office has something like that even if it''s not in your school''s listings. You should ask them. Good luck.