Good thing I bought a suit

Because it looks like I am going to have interviews for summer jobs* on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week.

(I wish I had something more interesting to wear under my suit - the shirts I own that work are very boring - but at least boring is preferable to dork.)

I have to confess to freaking out somewhat, mostly because, legal interviews! eek! never done this before! But it's also because academic interviews from which one will be hired are such long, drawn-out ordeals, that I think part of me thinks I'm going to three campus interviews this week (which would be less than pleasant).

The other thing that's weird is that I don't really have any idea how to react to this. I mean, on the one hand, I am very pleased - they're all interesting positions in which I think I could learn a lot. But I have no idea what getting these interviews means: I have no idea how many people applied for these jobs, or how many are being interviewed. (Two of the interviewers got back to me within 24 hours of getting my application - which is so mind-blowing to me, conditioned by the academic cycle, that I can't help but assume that they're interviewing anyone who applies.) I'm excited, but have no idea how to compose myself, mentally, about the whole thing.

I will say that something that's bothered me about the job application/interview process is that (ironically) it feels more competitive than the academic market, not less. The thing is, in your first year in law school, your entire class does EVERYTHING together. You take the same classes, you complete the same assignments - which kind of drives me nuts; on the one hand, yes, we bond in shared misery, but on the other, nothing makes me crazier than sitting in the cafeteria at school listening to groups around me discuss the current assignment (I should point out that this is purely because of my own weirdness, not that my classmates are in anyway acting inappropriately) - and, it feels like, we apply for all the same jobs. I'm sure we're not actually all applying for the same stuff; I'm not applying for any firm jobs, for instance, and I'm sure lots of my classmates are. But it still feels like we're all going after the same limited pool of stuff.

Now, I knew, of course, when I applied for medieval history jobs, that there were ~100-150 other applicants. But I only ever knew a tiny number of those personally, and I've realized that not knowing who my competitors were was a lot more comfortable than wondering who, sitting in class with me, has also thrown their hat into the ring with mine. I am a deeply envious person, and the less I know about my competitors, the better.

So, yeah. A busy week, and I got three and a half hours of sleep last night (but my trial brief is done! and turned in! slightly late, because there was a veritable traffic jam at the library printer this morning, which made me realize that oh my god, I am one of those students I hate! which I will post more about in the future, I think). So before I topple off to bed, any words of advice on non-academic interviews?

*where job = I get to work and they get to not pay me. To which I attribute most of my success: in this economy, who WOULDN'T want free summer labor?

Comments

[Rev Dr Mom]

The competing against all your classmates for the same jobs thing sounds an awful lot like getting a job at the end of seminary. You look around your class and wonder which ones of your friends are interviewing for the same positions you are, and yes it is awkward and sometimes painful (and yes, envy and jealousy get in there, too, even when you want to be happy for your friends.) Grad school wasn't like that b/c we weren't all on the market at the same time.

Good luck with your interviews! It sounds intense having them so close together.

[Seeking Solace]

Don't worry about the blouse, Anything conservative is good.

As far as the interview goes, they are just going to ask you about your coursework and your goals. the usual interview fodder. They may ask you why you decided to go to law school, especially given that your previous career is quite far from law.

The best advice I can give you is to just be yourself. You are going to do great!!!!

[loyal reader]

Law school, competitive? Who knew?

[New Kid on the Hallway]

Thanks, folks! :-)

And yeah, loyal reader, of course law school is competitive - but when I hear law school described that way, I always think of students actively competing, and that's not what I'm talking about at all. The culture at this school is very supportive and collegial, and NOT cut-throat or consciously competitive. And people don't brag about interviews or anything like that (most people I know downplay them, if anything). This is just about the structure of applying for jobs - just like Rev. Dr. Mom points out about seminary, which is NOT usually considered to be a hotbed of competition. So no one is ACTING competitive - it's just that we're all at the same stage, doing the same things.

[belle lettre]

Good luck! You'll do great! I hope that your school has a public interest summer grant you can apply for (when you get the job), which is usually a pittance ($4-5K), but it's better than nothing.

These interviews will be NOTHING like job talks in academia. They'll be very short. They're mostly to get a feel for you and your personality. Maybe a few questions will be about your career interests and background, but mostly it's to see if you will fit into the office culture. In law, if they offer you an interview, it's to screen you out the first time to make sure you're bright and capable. If they give you a callback, it's to see if you'll fit in, personality-wise--you're considered qualified. If you are not any of these things, you don't even get an interview. So congrats on the interview! That means they like you already--your resume, your grades, etc. They just want to meet you.

Unpaid work isn't bad. But if you need pay, try to RA, as you already are. Don't feel bad about no pay, because BigLaw people are unhappy and even more nervous these days about layoffs. You have a great head on your shoulders and you'll do fine.

Hugs to you!

[belle lettre]

Oh, and by "really short", I mean that interviews are 15-30 minutes. Seriously. At big firms, they are longer in the sense that the "informal interview" is over lunch, at which you're still "on." But yeah, for judicial externships or government, pretty short interviews, and no lunch usually.

[helenesch]

I have no advice regarding this kind of interview, but I wish you luck! I'm sure you'll do well. I continue to be fascinated by your observations about how different law school is from grad school in the humanities...