How to Ace Public Interest Interviews
The end of the semester is approaching, but we know that many law students are in the thick of the job search – for both summer and postgraduate positions. Needless to say, strong interviewing is a key to landing a job. We figured now is a good time to remind our readers about two resources which offer concrete public-interest interviewing tips:
- PSLawNet’s “Interviewing Tips for Postgraduate Public Interest Jobs” offers a list of 9 concise tips to ensure that you become the best job candidate that you can be at the all-important time when you meet a prospective employer face to face. We can not emphasize enough the value of doing mock interviews, which your career services office should be able to arrange. Even for those of you who consider yourselves to be strong interviewers, there is simply no downside to doing mock interviews. You work out the kinks, and you’re likely to be asked a question in a mock interview that will come up again in a real interview. Having to think that question through in the mock interview will allow you to hit a home run when it actually matters.
- Harvard Law School’s Office of Public Interest Advising offers some terrific advice on interviewing on this web page, including suggestions about questions for you to ask interviewers. This is much more important than you may think. Most interviewers want to have a conversation, not to conduct an interrogation. And conversations, of course, are two-way streets. So you have to be prepared to engage.