It may be tough to get a legal job. But, Richard Hermann said the profession is still largely recession-proof. His new book, “The Lawyer’s Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market,” serves as a manual for surviving in the legal professions.
[Excerpt from Chapter 8 of Hermann’s book, “The Lawyer’s Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market,” published by Kaplan Publishing.]
Telephone Interview Tips
Telephone interviews are becoming more popular with employers, primarily as a means to prescreen job applicants. In rare cases, the telephone interview is the only interview.
Telephone interviews have a different feel than in-person interviews and have to be approached from a different vantage point. In many ways, it is easier to “blow” a telephone interview than the face-to-face variety.
Here are a few simple suggestions for handling a telephone interview, which will make the experience much more productive for both you and your prospective employer.
Visualize a face-to-face interview. Telephone interviewees tend to come off sounding unenthusiastic. Because neither party can see or react to the other party’s nonverbal cues or body language, you consciously have to sound interested and enthusiastic (without going over the top) on the phone. This might be particularly daunting if you naturally speak in a monotone.
Don’t ramble. It is easy to fall into this trap because you cannot see and interpret the visual cut-off signals from the interviewer. The best way to ensure that you do not wander into a monologue is to take off your watch and keep it in front of you so that you can see how long you have been talking. Keep your responses short and crisp—90 seconds max.
Have your résumé in front of you. If questions arise regarding your work history, your résumé should be able to answer most of them. Be careful not to read the interviewer your resume verbatim. If your résumé does not outline, step by step, what you do at work, prepare a list of such steps, in sequence, so that you can paint a strong visual image for the interviewer. Moreover, if you work in an esoteric area not well understood or easily grasped by outsiders, put your activities into a framework and language that they will understand.
Have your cover letter in front of you. The interviewer may ask you questions generated by your cover letter. Since job hunting usually means sending out multiple applications, make sure you have handy a copy of the specific cover letter that you sent the employer.
Have the job ad in front of you. This will enable you to emphasize your background and capabilities that conform to what the employer specified in the job ad. In addition, it can serve as the stimulus for good questions you can pose to the interviewer.
Prepare to deal with the employer’s relocation concerns. Many telephone interviews arise, in part, because good candidates reside out of the employer’s geographic area. Be prepared to indicate (1) your intention to move to the employer’s location, (2) any ties you might have to that location, (3) the steps you have taken or will take to meet any local bar requirements, (4) your willingness to travel to the employer for a face-to-face interview, and (5) your acknowledgment that you will be responsible for interview travel expenses and relocation costs (provided you have determined beforehand that the employer does not usually cover those costs).
Hermann is the co-founder of AttorneyJobs.com and Federal Reports Inc., a leading provider of legal-career information in the United States. Visit www.legalcareerweb.com for more information.
