Description
- Maintaining Composure: In a recent Q&A, Harrison maintained a positive demeanor during challenging interviews or stressful situations.
- Dealing with Intentional Challenges: When faced with interviewers intentionally trying to throw candidates off balance, Harrison suggests considering the value of working in such an environment. He notes that while typical in specific industries, law firms typically focus on finding candidates to fill essential roles and are less likely to unsettle applicants deliberately.
- Preparation for Stressful Questions: Stressful questions often revolve around job changes, gaps in resumes, or frequent moves. Harrison emphasizes the importance of being well-prepared for these inquiries, especially the common question: "Why are you looking for a new position?"
- Understanding Law Firm Needs: Law firms bring candidates in for interviews because they have specific needs and work that needs to be done. Understanding this perspective can help candidates approach interviews with confidence.
- Key Questions to Prepare For: Candidates should anticipate questions related to job changes, gaps in employment, and the reason for seeking a new position. Being ready with positive and well-thought-out responses is crucial.
- Highlighting Positive Career Trajectory: When answering questions about frequent job changes or relocations, candidates should present a positive career trajectory, emphasizing growth and upward movement in their professional journey.
- Conclusion: Harrison's advice centers on preparation, upbeat presentation, and understanding the dynamics of law firm interviews. By anticipating and effectively addressing common stressful questions, candidates can confidently navigate challenging interviews.
Transcript:
Can you provide some guidance on maintaining a positive and composed demeanor when faced with challenging interviews or stressful situations? How can job seekers handle and effectively handle interviews that may intentionally or intentionally try to throw them off balance?
The first thing is if someone's trying to throw you off balance, I don't see the point of trying to work there; these kinds of questions, by the way, are prevalent when MBAs and things are trying to get jobs and invest in banks that have their choice of.
Thousands of hungry people could work there, and big jobs and investment banks where people can hedge funds and things are prevalent that people do. But law firms typically, in my experience, will try to keep people balanced. You just have to understand when you're going in for an interview with a law firm, the law firm is trying to find someone they're losing money.
They would employ. They have work that still needs to be done. They're losing thousands of dollars a day. They need someone to do the work. The partners are doing work that they don't want to be doing. So, if you're asked those questions, which is rare, you need to be able to prepare. You need to be able to have a good response.
So, most of the stressful questions will be related to losing jobs, things in your resume, why you're looking for a new position, and why things along those guides. You've had so many jobs. That's another big one. Why did you move three times in two years or whatever, those kinds of things?
It would help if you were prepared for answers and have good answers when asked those sorts of questions. But just remember, by the time a law firm brings you in for an interview or brings you in for an interview they want to hire you, they want to hire you because of losing money by not having someone in your role.
Or having work or having to do work that's not getting done or whatever. So, most of the time, a law firm is going to try to avoid throwing you off balance, and what the big questions are going to ask that are going to be related is the big one they always ask. This is an answer for the previous person who asked the questions, almost always: why are you looking?
So that's the biggest one you're going to be asked. Why are you looking, or why aren't you currently working? So those are the most significant questions: are you not currently working? So those are the biggest questions that can be asked. And so, you need to prepare for those other things. Why so many jobs?
Why did you move? That sort of thing. And those are the most significant questions you need to prepare for. And if you are prepared for those questions, the answer you want to give. It will be more related to making sure you're looking positive and like you're moving up instead of down.
