The Call Back Interview

[Mirage1959]

I have a call back interview in a few weeks. Any tips on what questions to expect, what is the firm "really" looking for, etc.

any and all info would really be appreciated.

 

[jacy85]

Totally depends on the Firm.

All of mine were almost fun.  I felt no pressure, I really enjoyed meeting almost everyone I interviewed with.  I got none of the bull-*&^% interview questions people tend to fear.  It was really just a conversation, getting to know people while letting them get to know about me, what I wanted from a Firm, what sort of career I was looking for, what I do outside of school and work, my summer job, etc.  It was really laid back.

I'm sure there are firms out there (or at least specific interviewers) that are NOT like this at all.  I'd recommend that you be prepared for everything.  Try not to tell each person the same thing about yourself (they all talk about how your interview went at the hiring committee meeting).  Try to at least have an answer in mind for any of those crappy "tell us about your biggest strength/weakness" questions.  Don't be afraid to ask "tough" questions about the firm, like the recent financial trends, what kind of growth the Firm has experienced and what the growth plan for the future is.

Overall, just be as genuine as possible, remember to try to get to know the Firm while letting them get to know you.  And I really found that trying to see interviewing as "fun" really took the edge off; the Firm obviously liked you to call you back, so this is really just an opportunity to meet 6-10 new people, which is interesting and can be fun.

[dorsia]

If you are on a law review or a journal at your school, an interviewer may ask you what your law review or journal article topic is.  If you haven't choosen one yet, that is ok.  If you have and you tell the interviewer that you have, be prepared to discuss it. 

[Jumboshrimps]

Main thing is, be interesting and interested. You typically will not get the job by merely being acceptable.

[Ronald Hyatt]

Getting the callback is the hard part. You have already managed to stand out from the many short OCI interviews as someone they would like to talk to more. The person who did your OCI is already on your side. They liked you enough to call you back, so you already have at least one vote in your favor. So just relax, and be yourself. You will probably get an offer from most of the firms that have called you back, unless you are a total tool. At this stage, the job is yours to lose.

Remember that a big reason for the callback is to convince you that this is a place you want to work. My experience has been that callbacks are really more for your benefit than a hyper critical scrutiny of you. (Still, it is a two-way street, so don't become cocky.) This is especially true when you are interviewing with the younger associates. That is your time to ask the tough questions about hours, quality of life, bonuses, working environment, etc. When you are interviewing with the partners you may want to be slightly less candid because they wield a lot more of the hiring power. Just remember to be yourself, be relaxed, and be professional and you should do just fine.

Oh yeah, and more imporant than anticipating what they will ask you is to be sure to be ready with a lot of questions that you genuninely want to know. Here are a couple that I have found useful:

- What does the firm look for in its partners because I would like to get a sense of whether this is a place where I can live up to that ideal?

- What specific policies does the firm have to either incentivize cooperation and teamwork or decentivize internal competition?

Also, Pillsbury has some pretty good questions and advice on their website: http://careers.pillsburylaw.com/careers/index.html (click Law Students, then Interview Resource Center)

Good Luck!

[Jumboshrimps]

Getting the callback is the hard part. You have already managed to stand out from the many short OCI interviews as someone they would like to talk to more. The person who did your OCI is already on your side. They liked you enough to call you back, so you already have at least one vote in your favor. So just relax, and be yourself. You will probably get an offer from most of the firms that have called you back, unless you are a total tool. At this stage, the job is yours to lose.

Unfortunately, this is not true for most firms. The callback to offer ratio for big firms averages just below 50% (meaning you have a slightly less than 50/50 chance at landing the job.) This comes from LSDAS, but I can't find the link now. The odds are a little better on the coasts.

Of course, some firms expect to hire all callbacks, and others have a 10:1 ratio or worse.

[OneLdcgal]

I would suggest reading the entire newspaper the day before the callback.  The first five meetings in my callback day went really well, then the last partner asked me three current events questions.  I'd had interviewing and a memo to write, etc., and hadn't read the paper so I had no clue what he was talking about.  He wanted to know my opinion about some editorial, an article in the latest issue of Atlantic Monthly, and some sports team's game.

[giraffe205]

In regards to the above post, that is great advice. However, do not be afraid to be yourself. If you do not like baseball, tell them that you are not a fan but do like hockey. People can see right through fake.

[Jumboshrimps]

I honestly think I lost jobs becasue I don't give a *&^% about football and can't carry on a conversation about it.

[wardwilliams]

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