Interview Tips: Questions to Ask at the End of Your Interview

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, one of the ways you can prepare for your interview is to prepare a list of questions to ask at the end of the interview. More often than not you will be asked if you have any questions, and you want to make sure that you are prepared for that. Occasionally the interviewer will talk your ear off and you might not actually have anything left to ask, and that's okay. However, generally there will always be something that that wasn't covered that you can ask about. The questions below are divided into questions for the interviewer, questions about the firm, and questions generally about the position. Depending on how you think you're getting along with the interviewer can help you determine which questions are most appropriate. 

Questions for the Interviewer

These questions are more specific to the person who is actually interviewing you. This is a good way to get to know them, and make them feel like you really are interested in what they do and genuinely appreciate their time and their opinions. That being said, make sure that you have still asked a couple of questions about the firm itself since you are going to be working for the firm, rather than that one individual.

Questions about the Firm

The most important thing about these questions is to make sure non of them could have been answered by looking at the firm's website. However, a lot of things like the culture and and comparison to other firms is not something readily available in that formal. Obviously, they can and should be adapted to the specific firm and interview that you are participating in.

Questions on the Position Generally

This is a great way for you to find out what is going to be expected of you if you are offered the job. Similarly to questions about the firm, make sure that you are not asking questions that were covered in the job posting itself. It is not worth looking interested, if it makes you look ignorant or lazy because you should have already seen the information about the position. In the same fashion, it is also important to make sure when you are asking questions about the position it comes across as genuine interest, rather than it sounding like you are unwilling to work hard.

These questions can all be adapted to serve the position you are interviewing for. It is also very common once you are in the interview and they are telling you a lot of things about the firm, questions will come to you that you may not have prepared ahead of time. Those can be some of the best questions because it shows you are really listening to what they are telling you. However, it is also helpful to have a few questions in your back pocket so you don't have a blank stare at the end of the interview when asked if you have any questions for them.

Do y'all have any go-to questions that you always ask at the end of an interview?

Have a great day, y'all! And if you have an interview coming up, good luck!

xoxo 

Interview Tips: How to Prepare for an Interview

There are so many different aspects to an interview from what you should wear, how you should act, what you can and can't talk about, etc. I think often the preparation before the interview can get overlooked, but can make such a difference when you are in the interview. It will make you more confident, and it will give the interviewer the impression that you want to be there and want to have that job. Here are a few things you can do to prepare, that are so so easy it's crazy not to do them! 

1. Research the Firm/Company

This is one of the most important things you can do because it will show that you actually do have interest in the company. Depending on how long you anticipate the interview lasting, it is likely that you'll be asked why you want to work there and why you applied for the job. You need to be able to tell your interviewer the answer to these questions, and if they can see that you have researched their company it will be a major bonus. i.e. "I noticed that you all just litigated a case on adoption law, and that is something I've always been interested in." or for something outside of the legal field, "I notice that your company has a lot of career opportunity and that is something that is important to me." 

All of that being said, you don't want it to look like you've memorized their website and are just spitting it back out. But, if you are asked what area of a law you are hoping to practice, the last thing you want to do is either (a) ask them what their firm does (because you should know!) or (b) reply with an area of law that the firm doesn't actually practice. 

This is something that you can spend as little as fifteen minutes on know way more than you would have going in, and it is something that is essential to feeling confident and honestly (and appropriate) answering the questions.

2. Research your Interviewer 

If you're lucky you will be told who is conducting your interview. Usually a company has a staff/employee/attorney directory that you can use to research your interviewer. And, fortunately for us, there is this thing called google. However, make sure if their linked in page comes up in your search that you either don't click on it, or are aware that they will know that you've viewed it. In researching your interviewer I think the important things to look for are (1) his or her position with the company, (2) how long he or she has been with the company, (3) undergraduate and graduate schools, (4) general appearance. This information can give you some preliminary information about questions they are likely to ask you and what they might expect from you. It can also be beneficial to know where he or she attended college or graduate school because if you have that in common it is something they will likely bring up and you can be prepared to discuss that. Finally, I do prefer to know what my interviewer is going to look like. I know it might sound ridiculous, and its obviously not the most important thing, but it's just one more thing that you will know before you get there and one less thing to distract you once the interview starts. 

3. Print Extra Copies of Your Resume and Transcript

It is rare that you would not have already submitted your resume, but you should still bring extra copies with you. Once I had two interviewers and one of them preferred not to look at the resume until the actual interview so that he wasn't pre-judging the applicants too much. Another time, I had an interview at a big law firm and the associate I was interviewing with had left his copy of my resume in his office, rather than the conference room we were in. He didn't ask for one, but when he mentioned he'd left it, I was able to provide another copy to him. Again, this is an easy thing to do, but can definitely make an impression. 

4. Decide what to Wear the Night Before

As I mentioned in this post, what you wear to an interview can be, and usually is very important. It is also important to make sure that everything you plan to wear is clean and that you can find it. I would recommend trying it on to make sure if fits how you think it should, although not ideal to have to go buy a new suit, it is important to make sure you look professional and maybe it is time to purchase a new suit. Whatever the case, make sure everything you have planned to wear is clean and ironed and get it ready the nice before to ensure a less stressful morning.  

5. Prepare a List of Questions

More often than not you will be given the chance to ask questions to your interviewer(s) at the end. As I addressed above, you definitely do not want to ask any questions that you could have found the answer to on their website. However, you can use that information to form other, deeper questions. There are a lot of factors that can play into what questions you should ask, and tomorrow I will provide a lengthly list of questions that will give you options whatever the situation. 

How do you like to prepare for an interview? 

Have a Great Day, y'all!

xoxo

linking up with: 

Meg

5 Tips for Preparing a Successful Study Plan

As a 3L, I have already been through FOUR rounds of Law School finals, in addition to undergraduate and graduate school finals. I would not say I am an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I have had a lot of experience determining what works and what doesn't. One of the biggest things I've learned is that preparing to study can be just as important as studying itself. When I prepare a study plan I tend to be more effective in my studying and outlining and waste less time trying to decide what I want to work on next. 

1. Make a Master To-Do List

This is what I have found to be the best way to really get started when you don't know where to start. The goal in the end is to have a few weeks planned out, but you need to know what tasks you plan to complete. Sometimes I find myself wanted to write everything down, but that is not what the purpose is here. I tend to only write down "big-ticket" items, i.e. Decedents' Outline, Negotaibles Outline, Take Home Exam, etc. There are other things that might make it on to my daily to-do list, that don't necessarily need to be spelled out here, for example, "print notes," "print slides," "email professors," you get the point. Write down things that need to be done, not things you need to do. You can see that I included registration, which might be considered as something you don't need to include, but in the chaos of everything going on right now it is definitely not something I can afford to forget to do!

2. Take into Account Pre-Existing Obligations

When you start trying to figure out when you are going to have time to work on each task, don't forget about any pre-existing obligations. The first thing I do after I've printed out my weekly calendar is to fill in work, class, and other meetings. This lets me see how much "free" time I actually have and also ensures that I don't plan to work on something if I'm already obligated to be somewhere else. If you make your own template, it is easy to go ahead and fill in any thing you already have scheduled that takes place on a weekly basis so that you are not having to constantly write it in. As much as I love to have this plan, it can be annoying to write "work" 18 times in each week's plan. Obviously, as you will see on the "final" product at the end, it took me one week's planning to realize this.

3. Be Realistic with Yourself

Being realistic with yourself and your plan is essential. If you aren't realistic about what you think you can accomplish on a daily basis you are setting yourself up for failure. Not trying to be harsh, but this is true. It is a tough place to be when you have scheduled 12 hours of straight work and 6 hours in you are ready to pull your eyeballs out. Trust me, we've all been there, but there is a balance between overestimating and underestimating yourself. Some people might think, set the bar low so that you always meet your goal. In some cases that might work fine for you, but depending on how much work you have do get done, if you set the bar too low, that is only schedule 6 hours of any kind of activity for the day, you literally won't have time to get it done. For instance, I schedule every hour from 8 am until 10 pm, but I know that if I were actually trying to engage in something for every single one of those I would go crazy, which is why I let myself have an entire hour (or 2) for dinner, laundry etc. Which brings me to my next tip - schedule breaks.

4. Schedule Breaks

If you are going to insist on scheduling every hour of the day (which there is no shame in because it's what I do!), make sure you schedule yourself a couple of breaks. Whether that break is to watch some Netflix, grab something to eat, or call a friend, just make sure you do it. I have found that I am much more productive and efficient in my studying and outlining if I take breaks every couple of hours and let my eyes rest and my brain focus on something less demanding. I think it is important to schedule these so that you don't feel like you are "breaking the rules" when you take a break and so that you stay on track.
As an aside, it is also 100% okay to block off a Friday night to have fun. This purpose of the schedule isn't to make sure that you are all study, all the time, but rather to show you how much time you still have left and give you a chance to plan accordingly.

5. Compartmentalize Separate Tasks

Obviously with all of these tips, certain things will work better for some than others. In this case, by "compartmentalize" I'm trying to say, "keep separate tasks separate" (which maybe is just what I should have said.) But what I mean is, don't try to do a different task/project every hour. I've learned that people tend to work more efficiently on something when they can work on it for a few hours at time. That way, in the even that it takes you thirty minutes to really get a grasp on what you are doing/how you want to organize your outline/etc., you still have a couple of hours to implement your plan. When I've tried to go back and forth between classes and projects too quickly, I end up getting lost in my thoughts and have very little to show for my time. If you are able to jump around and do so effectively, I applaud you because honestly I get bored doing the same thing for more than two or three hours, but it has still not been to my benefit to actually change what I'm doing more frequently than every two hours.
I also like to work this way because I can get a big chunk of something done and will normally have "something" to show for it, whether that is in the form of page numbers, highlighted notes, or flash cards. I am very much visual in measuring my accomplishments and I feel much better when I can see where my time has gone.

Hopefully it should look something like this when you're done. As you 'll see, I still have some empty boxes for now (I also made this on Sunday, hence why Sunday is blank). I think it is a good idea to give yourself some room to adjust initially and re-familiarize yourself with having to study longer hours as you approach exams.

How do you prepare for exams?

Have a Great Day, Y'all!
xoxo

Things I Wish I'd Known: 3L

The final countdown. 3L year is finally here for me and I can't even tell you how excited I am. I know that 3 years might not sound like a lot, especially compared to medical school (+residency) and other graduate programs, but it certainly feels like a long time. I know you know the feeling, you have been in school since you were 5 and you just want to be DONE. Your friends have "real life" jobs, they're getting married, starting a life, and you're still doing homework, but not for long! 3L year for me has already been in full swing since mid-August and let me tell you, it is not all its cracked up to be. There are already things that I wish I'd known and I'm sure by the end of this year the list below will have tripled. 

1. It's not as Easy as Everyone Says
1L year we always heard, "1L year they scare you to death, 2L year they work you to death, and 3L year they bore you to death." Now I will say that is generally true. However, do not confused "bored" with "easy." A lot of my friends, myself included, were under this assumption that 3L year would just be sooooo easy and fly by. Well, it is certainly flying by, but I feel like I am falling more and more behind as the days go by. It is important to remember you are still in classes with 2Ls, 2Ls who like you last year are working hard to undo the damage of their 1L year or maintain the coveted top spot they achieved Either way, you are not in classes with a bunch of carefree 3Ls and you need to be aware of that. This is not to say that 3L year is miserable, but just be prepared for what lies ahead.

2. Be Aware of Your Actions
This should go without saying, and really applies every year in law school (and thereafter), but especially in your 3L year. You have finally made it, the last thing you want to do is jeopardize the work you've put in the last three years. Not only that, but your classmates are soon to become colleagues. You want them to be able to recommend you to clients and friends without hesitation and that might be hard to do if all they remember about you is that keg stand you did at homecoming.

3. Get/Stay Organized
As I mentioned, 3L is not as easy as you think it is going to be. However you can make it a lot easier on yourself by staying organized. Ideally you have gotten pretty good at this by your 3L year, but it can be so important as the days come to an end. You have a lot of things going on, work, school, papers, deadlines, etc. and it is so important that you are aware of all of your commitments and deadlines.

4. Triple Check Your Graduation Requirements
Seriously. The last thing you want to do is tell your parents and friends that you aren't graduating this year because you forgot to turn in a paper, or forgot to take a perspective class, or forgot to go to a required 3L meeting. You get the point, there are a lot of things that go into graduation requirements, some easier than others, but all of them have to get done. If your school is anything like mine there are "Graduation Checklists" that list out everything you need, even your 1L classes. It is such a relief to have that piece of paper and check everything off with confidence that it is done.

5. Make Time for  Yourself
The. Most. Important. Thing. This is the last year that you are going to have the chance to really make time for yourself. Ideally we are not all going to be stuck in 80+ hour work weeks, unless thats your thing, which is cool, but my point is that when you are in law school you might think you are busy, but you have no idea. It is a lot easier to skip a class than to not show up for work. So just take some time for yourself, whatever that may be for you. Make a date with yourself to go for a run every week, or just to hang out at home and relax, whatever you prefer, just do it. It can make a world of difference just to have some time that is yours,  you can lounge, you can run, you can binge watch Gilmore Girls, just let your mind relax.

This is so bitter-sweet. As I said, it is so nice knowing that I am going to be starting a "real job" and can finally make a five-year plan without so many unknown variables. On the other hand, it is terrifying. I have no idea what the next 8 months hold for me or how I will really cope with having a full-time job that is so challenging and demanding. It is definitely going to be a new chapter and a new adventure, but I can't wait to start!

Let me know what advice you have as a recent graduate, or just for life in general post school, I'm sure it will be a benefit to us all!

Have a great day, y'all!
xoxo

Things I Wish I'd Known: 2L

By 2L year you might feel like a seasoned pro, but there are more differences than you might realize when it comes down to it. You've probably (hopefully) worked over the summer and had first hand experience with much more than what you might have ever been able to learn in class. However, there is still a whole world of information for you to learn, and eventually be tested on. Below are a few of things that I either wish I'd known or that I implemented into my plans during my 2L year.

1. Meet With Your Professors
This is still so important. I would say its more important to meet with your professors in 2L, rather than 1L, but I think the information and knowledge you get from the meetings as a 2L is more valuable. As a 2L you are generally much better at spotting issues and identifying the key information in a case, so when you meet with your professors you can ask deeper questions to really understand the material and the law. You have the ability to create realistic hypotheticals to discuss with your professor that will give you the ability to apply what you are learning to more situations that just what the case or book covers. I think this is extremely important because in the end almost every exam is a set of hypotheticals, so discussing hypos with your professor will help prepare you that much more.

2. Don't Over-Commit Yourself
I'm not sure about every school in the country, but I know the majority of law schools allow minimal if any involvement in groups, journals, and moot court teams as a 1L. So by the time you get to your 2L year you want to do everything. It is definitely possible, but just keep in mind the necessary balance. For example, if you are on a journal that has a note due in the fall, consider applying for moot court teams that are primarily active in the spring semester. You will talk to dozens of 2Ls and 3Ls that tell you it is possible to be involved on a journal and a moot court team, while also working. And it is, but I would just suggest remaining realistic about the activities that you commit yourself to. This is one (of many) times that it can be very helpful to talk to an older student. Some moot court teams and journals might require more or less work than others and that can be very important to know when you are considering what you want to apply for.

3. Keep Having Fun
The saying that they "work you do death" as a 2L is partly true. But luckily as a 2L you have gotten much more efficient in your reading, so the work increases, but so does your ability to complete it. I know a lot of people who have let Law Review or more difficult classes take over their lives. While it is very important to continue applying yourself and meeting the commitments that you have made, it is still important to maintain a balance. If you let classes and work bog down your entire 2L year, I can guarantee you will regret it. Even if it just saying yes to a Friday night movie or drinks on a Saturday, just say yes and work hard during the week so that you don't feel guilty going out. It is possible, I promise.

4. Start Looking for a Job Earlier than You Think You Need To
Ugh. The dreaded job search. Aside from grades, this might honestly be the most stressful part of law school. You start talking about it from day one, but there are rules that don't let you really talk to any one at school about it until November, so you're left with tons of questions. By 2L hopefully you've had a summer job, or at least an internship that has given you a) a feel for what you like and don't, but also b) some experience. It always seems to be this Catch 22, everyone wants you to have experience, but no one will hire you to give you experience. Obviously everyone has their own opinion and ideas on what works, but I think it can be so important to do your best to get some kind of law related job as soon as you get a chance. Even if it ends up not being what you want to do for the rest of your life, it is something, something that gives you experience, something that gives you a line on your resume, and hopefully something that gives you a reference for future jobs. It can seem like a daunting task to add to your list of things to do as a 2L, but the summer after your 2L can be make or break and lead to a great opportunity post law school. All of that being said, don't stress your year away worrying about it. Be smart and use the resources at your school.  I've found making your professors and faculty aware that you are looking for a job can be so important because when one of their colleagues asks for a recommendation, they can point that person to you. I had more than my fair share of interviews, but something finally panned out and I couldn't be happier.

5. Take Classes You're Interested In
Taking classes you are interested in can be a life saver. When classes and journal and the job search start to become overwhelming it is really nice to know that there is at least one class that you are looking forward to reading for, well kind of. 1L year was difficult for everyone because we all went in pretty much blind, but by the time you're a 2L you have choices, you can choose to take a professor you really liked and, perhaps more importantly, choose not to take take a professor you didn't like as well. Or take advantage of that History major you had and take Legal History, or a Finance major might enjoy Business Organizations and Tax Law more than those who don't love numbers. Just think about what you like and obviously what works best for your overall schedule, but take something that you just might enjoy instead of necessarily taking what all of your friends are taking, its worth it.

There are dozens of other things I might tell a rising 2L, but those are really the things that I wish I'd known, or appreciated during my second year of law school. It is definitely hard, but it can be so fun and rewarding as long as you plan carefully. Plus as a 2L you don't have the fear of the bar exam - yet!

Have a great day, y'all!
xoxo

Things I Wish I'd Known: 1L

For those of you who are planning to attend law school or are still in your first year, I thought I would share a few of the things I wish I'd known in the beginning. I'm not saying I'd go back and start over, but there are definitely things I might have done differently.

1. Meet With Your Professors
I know you've probably been told (will be told) this a thousand times, but seriously. Even if you think you understand the material, find something to go ask them about. You never know what information they might "leak" to you, i.e. "Well on the exam I might ask it this way," kind of thing. My 1L year I went to see each of my professors maybe once, and that was great, but I really wish I had gone more often. My grades turned out fine, but they could have been better and I honestly think that going to see my professors could have made a difference.

2. Choose Your Friends Carefully
You're probably thinking, "Duh." However, let me be the first to warn you, this may be easier said than done. During orientation and even the first few weeks of school you will probably be drawn to the same people, whether it is because you are in all of the same classes or because you're stuck together in the alphabet. Maybe nine times out of ten that will be fine, but just be cautious in the beginning that you are not the one time out of ten that it goes south. As you are hanging out and studying with people try to be aware of how serious they really are about school, if they are people you plan on spending a lot of time with, you want to be sure that they spend their time well.

3. Choose Your Friends Early
This goes with the previous one. As much as I hate to admit it, Law School can be very much like High School, especially in your first year. You have lockers, you're told which classes to take, the drama is off the charts, and cliques start to form. Now I am not saying that you need to form a clique, but do not underestimate how difficult it is to break into a group of people who have already established a strong bond through their first week trials and triumphs. Picture Elle Woods when all she wanted to do was join a study group, not everyone is going to be as bitchy as Vivian, but law school is deceivingly competitive and everyone else is just as guarded as you.

4. HAVE FUN
I cannot reiterate this enough. If your law school has a social event, go. If someone invites you to go play trivia, go. If everyone is going bowling, go. You get the point. My first year one of the upperclassman told us that her only free time during the week was about 6 hours on the weekend. That is, one HALF DAY of the entire week. We. Were. Terrified. Luckily as the semester went on, I realized that I needed to take her advice with a grain of salt. Don't get me wrong, it is very important to stay on top of, and ahead of your assignments and readings. However, don't become a recluse in your first semester f law school. The first year is when solid friendships are formed and memories are made,  you don't want to miss out on those. So take advantage of the invitations you get, who knows what great stories you will have to tell years later!

5. Make a Schedule
The same said upperclassman who terrified us, also gave us the hearty advice to schedule our time down to the hour. I realize this sounds a bit intense, and it was, but it really helps put into perspective what you are doing with your time and how many hours you actually have in a day. The key to this tip is not to get down on yourself if you don't follow the schedule exactly. In your first year of law school, and especially the first semester there is a steep learning curve to reading cases and the related material. Sometimes it is difficult to acurately schedule the appropriate amount of time to prepare for each class. My advice there would be to schedule what you think it will take you to complete a task and ideally it will balance out. Contracts might take longer because there are a lot of new vocabulary words, but Criminal Law might be quick because the cases are interesting and "fun" to read.

6. Take Practice Exams
Whether you have an old exam available via a data base or your professor gives you the option to submit an answer to a practice exam, do it. It may seem time consuming, and you may feel like it isn't worth your time, but it is. Trust me. This is especially true if your professor gives you the option to do one. There is no better way to prepare for an exam than to have your professor read over an answer you prepared and critique or grade it, it is an invaluable opportunity. Also, even if you are just using an old exam that you found, you still might be able to take your prepared answers to the professor and at the least talk through them, even if you are not able to receive specific comments. I have done this since 1L year and I can say with certainty it is what has really helped me get the grade.

I hope these tips are helpful, even as a 2L and 3L they can come in handy. Please comment with the things you wish you'd known as a 1L!

Have a great day, y'all!
xoxo