The Art of Interviewing: Tips for Converting Interviews into Offers

To be successful in any interview setting, you will have to master both your known interests and what I refer to as developed interests. Known interests are those interests which you have at the outset of your job search. Developed interests are those interests that you work to develop, and that naturally develop, in the course of preparing for (and even in the midst of) your interview.
 

 
Known interests tend to accrue and change throughout the course of one's career. They are experiential in nature. Thus, a second-year law student applying for summer associate positions is likely to have fewer known interests than a third-year associate or a partner with 12 years of experience. In either case, before beginning your job search, you should take the time to ascertain the full scope of your known interests and limit your search to prospective jobs that meet those known interests.

For example, imagine that you are a second-year corporate associate at a large, well-respected law firm in New York. You decide to move to Washington, D.C. and have determined, over your first two years of practice, that you have a particular interest in mergers & acquisitions. At the outset, before you even begin your job search, you have certain clear known interests. Your known interests include, among other things, your interest in moving to Washington, DC, in practicing at a law firm, and in gaining experience with mergers & acquisitions. Upon reflection, you may discover additional known interests that you were not previously aware of. For example, after giving it some thought, you might realize that you prefer to practice in a small or medium-sized firm, or alternatively, you may determine that you have appreciated the resources made available to you in a larger firm setting and thus want to limit your search to similarly-sized firms. After perfecting your initial introduction, our video guide on how attorneys should answer the ‘tell me about yourself’ question can help you confidently move to the next stage of the interview.


Now that you have successfully identified your known interests, you are ready to begin your job search. Your recruiter informs you that there are several DC law firms that meet your known interests and are looking for associates with 2-4 years of general corporate experience, all of which have robust corporate practices and particular expertise in mergers & acquisitions. You send out your resume to each of the firms and, based on your strong academic record and your experience at your current firm, are offered interviews at several of them.
 

• More opportunities equal more chances to convert—going on every interview you get ensures you’re always in the running.

Presumably, you will spend some time separately preparing for each of your interviews. During your preparations, you should naturally find yourself developing additional interests which will help you navigate through your interviews and will provide you with additional insight into your interests and long-term objectives. For example, while preparing for your interview with Firm X, you might discover that the firm recently opened three new offices in Asia, including an office in Beijing, all within the span of six months. You previously spent a semester abroad in Beijing and have at least some proficiency in Chinese. You realize that it would be beneficial to your career, and of interest to you, to gain experience working with Asian markets. Naturally, among other things, you will have questions:
 

• Why did the firm decide to open three offices in Asia within the last year?
• Are there opportunities for attorneys in the U.S. to work with attorneys in Beijing on M&A and other transactional matters?
• Does the firm have an international exchange program in place which would allow U.S. associates to go abroad for a period of time to gain experience in other sectors and industries?
• If not, is the firm considering implementing such a program?

By asking these questions to the appropriate person(s) during your interview, you will convey your genuine interest in the firm and will set yourself apart from the other candidates. Moreover, you will likely learn valuable information that will make you more self-aware and will help you make an informed decision about which firm(s) you are most interested in working at.
 

Proactively Engage Your Prospective Employer

While it's important to be prepared and ready to answer any questions that might be posed by your interviewer, you should also remember that you are interviewing a prospective employer. It is not enough to simply prepare, show up and passively field questions. You must proactively seek answers to your questions so that you can determine if the firm is a good fit for your needs and interests.
 

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See Related Articles:

• Top Ten Interview Questions
• The Importance of Interview Preparation — No Matter How Confident You Feel about Your Interviewing Skills
• Be Prepared For Every Interview: Practice Discussing Everything On Your Resume

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You should make a list of questions prior to the interview that will assist you in obtaining the information you need to make an informed decision. Review your questions and reflect on who would be best-suited to answer each question. You should then make sure to speak with your recruiter (if you are working with one), or with the person setting up your interviews, and let them know what your interests are so that they can help ensure that your interview schedule accords with your interests. While it is important to interview with those having the clout and authority to make hiring decisions, you should also make sure that you interview with attorneys who are similarly-situated to you, even if these individuals are young associates or even attorneys outside of your practice group. For example, if you are interviewing for a summer associate position, ask to interview with a first or second-year associate who summered at the firm. Alternatively, if you are a fourth-year lateral applicant, ask to interview with a recent lateral (even if that person is not in your practice area), so that you can ask that associate about his or her experiences transitioning and acclimating to the firm and can get a real sense of what the lateral experience is like at the firm. You may also want to interview with an attorney who moved to the firm as a young associate and subsequently made partner. The point is, be proactive and take charge of your interview!Lawyers transitioning into practice from other professions face unique hurdles; these interview strategies for attorneys changing careers address how to position transferable experience effectively.

Success in interviewing comes from posing the right questions to the right people. A first-year associate is not going to be able to give you real insight into the philosophy of a particular practice group or the group's business development strategies, but a senior associate or partner will. If you ask this question of the first-year associate, you will convey a lack of ''real'' interest in the actual response and the associate will become disinterested. You must relate to that associate. You will want to ask the first-year associate your questions relating to what it's like to be a summer associate and a first-year associate at the firm. For example, your questions might include the following:
 

• What was your experience as a summer associate like and what kinds of assignments did you work on?
• How did your experience as a summer associate compare to your experience as a first year associate?
• Can you provide some examples of matters you are currently working on and describe the work you do on those matters?

You should focus your questions on the experiences of the attorney with whom you are interviewing. By doing so, you will keep the associate engaged in your interview while simultaneously obtaining valuable information about the firm and the kind of experience you can expect to have. The more you engage the person you are interviewing with, the better you will be able to sell yourself as a prospective candidate.
 

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See Related Articles:

• Interviewing Tips
• Mastering the Interview Process: Insights from the BCG Attorney Search Interview Preparation Guide
• How to Ace the Interview

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You will want to make sure to similarly engage the other attorneys with whom you interview by actively participating in each interview and directing each of your questions to the attorney best-suited to answer your questions. Presumably you will interview with one or more partners within your prospective practice group. Your questions might include the following:
 

• Can you tell me about your specific practice and what kinds of matters you focus on?
• How have you built up your practice over time and how do you go about developing business?
• What kind of work can an attorney of my experience and class level expect to do on your matters and/or other matters within the practice group?
• What do you believe will make for a successful attorney in the practice group?
• What, if any, formal mentoring programs are in place between partners and associates?

Of course, you will have some questions that can easily be answered by more than one attorney, such as questions about the culture of the firm or about the rapport between associates and partners at the firm. To the extent time allows, you should ask these questions of each person you interview with in order to get the most fulsome set of perspectives. It's always good to have a couple of questions in reserve in the event you find yourself with a passive interviewer or just with extra time on your hands.

Pay attention to the responses of your interviewer and ask follow-up questions as needed. Your interviews should take the form of an ongoing dialogue rather than a series of unrelated calls and responses. If you focus on asking your interviewer questions that are geared to your specific and genuine interests, a dialogue should naturally result and, in turn, a natural rapport will develop between you.

Finally, if you have remaining, or additional, questions at the end of your interview, let your recruiter or the person who set up your interview know that you still have additional questions and would like an opportunity to speak with someone about them. Be specific! For example, you may ask the following: ''I am really interested in learning more about the international exchange program the firm is getting ready to implement. Is there someone in particular whom I could speak further with about the program?'' Do not hesitate to proactively seek out answers to any remaining questions you may have. After all, the more information you have, the better positioned you will be to decide which prospective employer best meets your interests.
 

Impress Yourself upon Your Prospective Employer

Once you are offered an interview, you have effectively won half the battle. At this point, it is generally all about ''fit.'' Your credentials and experience have made an initial impression and now it is up to you to impress yourself upon your prospective employer. Want to turn your interview into an offer? Start by avoiding the mistakes detailed in our video “21 Major Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs,” which reveals common missteps that can derail even the strongest candidate.

In order to really be yourself, you have to know yourself and what it is you are seeking to accomplish. By assessing your known interests, and working to develop additional interests during the course of your preparations, you will naturally develop a better sense of yourself. But it is critical that you also take the time - prior to your interviews - to further develop your self-awareness. By doing so, you will gain an understanding of yourself and will develop a self-confidence that will capture the attention and interest of those with whom you interview. For practical demonstration, watch Common Questions and Answers About Law Firm Interviews, which covers how to communicate your value in every interaction.

The following types of questions should help you to develop your self-awareness prior to your interview:
 

• What are my long-term professional goals and how will this position help me to achieve those goals?
• What, if any, short-term sacrifices am I willing to make in order to achieve my long-term goals?
• What concerns, if any, do I have about accepting a position with this prospective employer?
• What do I believe I have to offer my prospective employer and what makes me unique/sets me apart from other applicants?
• What are my greatest strengths and my greatest weaknesses at this point in my professional career?
• What skill(s) am I most interested in developing and which prospective employer is best situated to help me gain those skills?

If you take the time to think about these (and similar) questions, and thoughtfully respond to them prior to your interview, you will develop a better understanding of how you can be of value to a prospective employer and will be better equipped to proactively seek out the information you need to determine whether a particular job accords with your interests and career goals. As a result, you will be much more at ease and confident during the interview process.
 

• To reinforce these conversion strategies, the BCG Interview Preparation Guide helps candidates navigate each stage toward an offer.

And remember that it is to your benefit to be yourself! Your personality is what will distinguish you from the other candidates. Think about your own past experiences interviewing potential employees or co-workers and how refreshing it was to interview someone who offered up no pretenses, gimmicks or artifice. Consider the fact that you are likely to be just one of many people interviewing for the position, all of whom presumably have similar credentials. There is very little to set one person apart from another in such a circumstance and, thus, personality (or ''fit'') is often the deciding factor that leads to an offer.
 

• Of course, conversion begins with avoiding the obvious pitfalls. Why Most Attorneys Screw Up Interviews and Their Legal Careers reveals the exact missteps that prevent attorneys from turning interviews into offers.”

Finally, you should strive to impress yourself upon every prospective employer, even if you are not certain that the firm is the exact right fit for you. The focus prior to and during your interviews should be on being prepared and presenting your best self so that you can get the job offer and create every possible opportunity for yourself. There will be ample time after the interview to decide if any given opportunity is right for you.
 

• If you want a comprehensive playbook, Harrison Barnes shares timeless strategies in Winning the Interview: Insider Tips from BCG Attorney Search that will help you transform every meeting into a potential offer.

 

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See the following articles for more information:

• Top 23 Law Firm Interview Tips: How to Excel in Law Firm Interviews
• 21 Major Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
• The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
• How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
• How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
• How to Answer the Do You Have Any Questions for Me Interview Question
• Had a Great Interview But Have Got No Response to My Thank-You Emails
• What Does It Mean if I Haven't Heard Anything Back from an Application/Interview in a Couple Weeks?
• What to Wear to a Lunch Interview?
• How to Effectively Interview Lateral Candidates: Pointers for Law Firms
• The Interview Post-Mortem: Don't Forget Your Thank You Notes!
• The Secret to Effectively Sharing Concerns about Your Current Employer without Committing the Most Common Interview Blunder
• How to Conduct Yourself During a Lunch Interview
• Why Most Attorneys Fail Telephone-Screening Interviews

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About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations-from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

• Immigration Law
• Workers Compensation
• Insurance
• Family Law
• Trust and Estate
• Municipal law
• And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

• Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
• Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
• Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
• Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success - The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm's unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison's legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

• His articles on BCG Search alone are read by over 150,000 attorneys per month, making his guidance the most sought-after in the legal field. Read his latest insights here.
• He has conducted hundreds of hours of career development webinars, available here: Harrison Barnes Webinar Replays.
• His placement success is unmatched-see examples here: Harrison Barnes' Attorney Placements.
• He has created numerous comprehensive career development courses, including BigLaw Breakthrough, designed to help attorneys land positions at elite law firms.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials-he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison's work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

• Finds and creates job openings that aren't publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
• Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
• Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney-no matter their background, law school, or previous experience-has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

• Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
• Senior attorneys who believed they were "too experienced" to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
• Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options-only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
• Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist-often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today - Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison's expertise will help you take control of your future.

Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Harrison's reach, experience, and proven results make him the best legal recruiter in the industry. Don't settle for an average recruiter-work with the one who has changed the careers of thousands of attorneys and can do the same for you.

About BCG Attorney Search

BCG Attorney Search matches attorneys and law firms with unparalleled expertise and drive, while achieving results. Known globally for its success in locating and placing attorneys in law firms of all sizes, BCG Attorney Search has placed thousands of attorneys in law firms in thousands of different law firms around the country. Unlike other legal placement firms, BCG Attorney Search brings massive resources of over 150 employees to its placement efforts locating positions and opportunities its competitors simply cannot. Every legal recruiter at BCG Attorney Search is a former successful attorney who attended a top law school, worked in top law firms and brought massive drive and commitment to their work. BCG Attorney Search legal recruiters take your legal career seriously and understand attorneys. For more information, please visit www.BCGSearch.com.