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 With the exception of rent, hiring and training lawyers is the largest expense your law firm or legal department incurs each year. Because the wrong choice can cost your hundreds of thousands of dollars in downtime, training and simply by selecting the wrong candidate, choosing the right recruiting firm is critical. Our highly professional team partners with you to develop a deep understanding of your firm or organization’s culture, management style of senior executives and the specifics of the position you are trying to fill. Ten Tips to the Perfect Interview 1. Preparation: Read the resume before you walk into the interview. Take the time to check for gaps in employment, drastic compensation changes and other items you might want to discuss further in the interview. Write your questions down. Also, check educational, personal and work references before the interview. 2. First things first: The order in which you conduct an interview is very important. After introductions, get right into your questions. If you spend time selling your firm before you ask questions, you may be wasting time impressing someone you later find you don’t want to hire. More importantly, you are giving the candidate clues as to what you might want to hear from them. 3. Interview for behavior, skill and desire: Every candidate will tell you they are skilled – you need to find out how they would solve a problem, react to a situation. Ask questions that are situation-based. Ask about what motivates them. Never ask yes/no questions. 4. Silence is golden: The number one interviewing mistake is not letting the candidate talk. Ask your question – then keep silent. Don’t rephrase the question if the candidate hesitates, just look them in the eye and wait for the answer. Silence is uncomfortable, so the candidate will eventually fill that silence … with the truth. 5. Listen AND look: Make sure you are making eye contact with the candidate. Can they meet your gaze? What is their body language like? Are the relaxed and confident or tense and wary? 6. Do the unexpected: Surprise a candidate in order to dig deep and find out what they’re really like! Are you looking for an affable team player? Ask them to tell you a joke. Looking for a fast-talker who can think on his/her feet? Toss a pen and ask them to sell it to you. Try something out of the ordinary; you might be surprised by the results. 7. Take notes: Take notes of what the candidate says and compare that to what is on their resume. Are the answers relevant to the question? Also, try jotting down your impressions of their answers to each of your questions in a word association style. If an answer made you hesitate, write it down before you forget. 8. Be honest: You hope your candidates are being honest with you; make sure you return the favor. Don’t put on a show or an act – even for that all-star recruit. Make sure they understand the realities of working at your company. After all, it does no good to hire that seemingly perfect candidate if they are unhappy and leave your company. 9. Be legal: Don’t ask questions that would indicate age, sexual preference, racial characteristics, marital status, questions about children, or ask if a candidate has a disability. Even seemingly innocent small talk can cause trouble. Stick to the business at hand. 10. Be human: Remember, you and the candidate are looking for the same thing: a good match. Your job is not to humiliate, confuse or intimidate the candidate; it’s simply to learn more about them. |
Home | About Us | Candidates | Employers | Client Services | Contact Us | Candidate Log In | Employer Log In Highland Legal Search, LLC, The Attorney Placement Experts 100 Park Avenue, Suite 1600, New York, NY 10021 P: 212.922.9005 | F: 212.984.0656 |