How to Turn Your Questions from Good to Great

One of the most important parts of a law firm job interview is when the interviewer asks you: “So, what questions do you have for me?”  Coming prepared with strong questions to ask is critical, including some to have in your back pocket in case the conversation hits a lull.  (For more, watch our video with 10 Questions to Ask the Interviewer.)

So, there are good questions to ask.  And that’s fine.  But, with the right preparation, there are great questions to ask – that will really help you stand out.

How can you do that?

Follow these steps:

1/ Prepare for the Specific Interviewer:  Preparing for the interview is a baseline requirement.  Of course, you want to be prepared with basic information about the firm, what they do, where they are based, and other basic information.  If you are interviewing for a specific practice (some firms hire summer associates into specific practices), then you want to know some basic information on what that practice does at that firm.

Preparing for the specific interviewer is also critical.  In a large majority of cases, the firm will give you the names of the interviewers in advance, so you can prepare for the person you are interviewing with.

Understand which practice area the interviewer is in, and what their title is.  Questions you might have for a partner will be different from the questions you might have for a junior or mid-level associate.  If you interviewing virtually, know which office the interviewer is in.

The reality is… lawyers love to talk about themselves.  It’s funny, but it’s true.  So, not only does it show you are prepared, but you are also giving the interviewer something to talk about that excites them, and makes your interview more enjoyable and memorable.

NOTE: In many cases, your interviewer will change at the last minute.  That’s ok.  This is why it is important to be nimble and come with strong questions in your back pocket that are still great.  If this happens, you won’t be expected to know that much about the interviewer of course, and you can say something along the lines of: “Apologies I did not know I’d be interviewing with you until I showed up for the interview, so I would have read your bio beforehand, but curious to hear more about your current practice.”

2/ Know What the Interviewer’s Practice Means:  Now that you have the interviewer info and know what practice area they are in – that is not enough to come with *great* interview questions.  You want to know what that practice area actually means, so you can prepare with questions that are relevant to that practice.

For example, if the interviewer is Bankruptcy & Restructuring, don’t just stop there.  Spend time, even 5 minutes, understanding what bankruptcy lawyers do.

Same with Litigation, or M&A, or any other practice area.

Our Practice Area Overviews are a GREAT way to get caught up on what practice areas mean without spending much time – with our top-notch content, including hearing directly from attorneys (the best way to learn). We’ve received great feedback from 1Ls who have used our Practice Area Overviews to prepare for interviews – take advantage of it!

There are also other resources available for students to learn about practice areas.  Your law school’s career office may have additional resources, as well as others online with Google searches. 

So, let’s say the interviewer works in the practice area of Corporate Finance.  You get the interviewer info, research what Corporate Finance means, and have a basic idea of what those attorneys do.

In the interview, the interviewer asks you: “So, what questions do you have for me?”

If you weren’t prepared on what this practice area actually means, you would ask a… good … question, such as: “I know you are in corporate finance practice – I’m curious, what does your work include?”

That’s not a bad question, but it’s definitely not a great one.  It shows that you did the minimum level of preparation (knowing which practice area the interviewer is in).  And it does not give the interviewer something to take with them after the interview.

But, since you know, even from 5-10 minutes of reading about Corporate Finance, or watching one of our short video interviews, that Corporate Finance includes helping clients with large lending transactions between borrowers and lenders (which can be banks, private credit funds, or other lenders), and that some groups represent lenders and some borrowers (and some both), you can ask a great question.  For example: “I know corporate finance includes representing clients in large lending transactions. I’m curious to hear from you, what is the most challenging part about that practice right now?”

Now, that is a *great* question.  It forces the interviewer to think, and provide their personal perspective, making it more memorable afterwards.  It shows that you did extra preparation, by understanding what corporate finance is and coming up with a thoughtful and informed question.  

There are a lot of variations to this type of question.  You can use the same introduction, and ask what the interviewer likes most about their practice.  Or how has their practice changed in the last 5 years.

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The best part about these tips is that it doesn’t require much time.  Even 5-10 minutes of basic research about what a practice area actually means can unlock the potential for you to stand out in interviews with several variations of *great* questions.