Compelling 'accomplishment stories' key to successful job interview

As spring semester finals wrap up, the majority of our 1Ls are preparing for clerkships with law firms, externships with state government agencies and nonprofits, clinical experiences such as the Judicial Clerkship Clinic, and summer classes. Last year, 80 percent of 1Ls reported summer employment and/or enrollment in summer school, a law school clinic or a study abroad program, and this year's numbers are shaping up to be similar.

Although it's a little hard to believe, the fall recruiting period for jobs to begin in the summer of 2012 begins on July 1, when rising 2Ls and 3Ls will get their first look at the list of employers that have registered to interview over a six-week period. The deadline to submit a resume for consideration by the Week 1 employers is Monday, Aug. 8, and the first week of fall OCI will take place from Aug. 22-26.

As we've blogged about previously, the first step to a successful fall OCI period is to distill your previous academic accomplishments and work experience into coherent "accomplishment stories."

In the current hiring climate, employers are relying with increasing frequency on behavioral interviewing questions designed to evaluate a candidate's competencies. As described in an article in this month's National Association for Law Placement Bulletin, "[i]n a competency-based behavioral interview, employers work to discover whether candidates possess desired skills and qualities by asking them to discuss a past situation and their response to that situation. Questions beginning with 'Tell us about a time when' are common in behavioral interviewing."

Questions of this type are easy to answer provided the interviewee has thought about his or her academic and work experiences, can recall specific details, and can wrap up the story in a logical and compelling manner. Anecdotes that relate past accomplishments to the potential for future success with that employer are the secret to effective interviewing.

For several years, we've been suggesting the STAR method of responding to behavioral interviewing questions. The method, which is recommended by many interviewing experts, is referenced again in this month's NALP Bulletin article, "Behavioral Interviews — Preparing Students to Tell Their Stories."

The STAR method is simple. In response to a question, walk an interviewer through these steps:

• Situation or Task: Describe the situation you were in or the task you needed to accomplish. Don't rely on a general description of a past event; be specific. Pepper your description with memorable details.
• Action(s) you took: What steps did you take to address the situation? What tasks were necessary?
• Results you achieved: How was the issue resolved? What happened and what did you learn?

An effective "accomplishment story" holds the interviewer's attention and keeps the focus on you, the interviewee.It also provides an interviewee a memorable way to organize and deliver his or her thoughts.

I enjoyed how the NALP Bulletin article, written by Amanda DiPolvere of Penn State Law and Gwen Tolbert of Rutgers Law-Camden, matched specific competencies/traits/skills sought by legal employers to sample behavioral interview questions. For example:

Competencies/Traits/ Skills Sought	Sample Behavioral Question
Taking ownership of assignments.	Talk about a time when you made a mistake and how you recovered from it.
Team orientation	Discuss a situation in which you were on a team and disagreed with the team leader.
Clear communication	Tell us about a time when someone misunderstood your instructions.
Attention to detail	Describe a situation in which a detail you thought to be unimportant turned out to be very important.
Ability to handle stress	Tell us about a stressful situation you have encountered and how you coped with it.

To formulate impressive responses to questions like these, you must first appreciate that you’re likely to be asked to recall the specifics of your experiences (both academic and work related) during an interview.

Approach your summer classes, clinic or work experience with that in mind, and pay attention to details that might enliven your interview responses. Jot down ideas for accomplishment stories this summer, and you’ll be better prepared to excel in interviews this fall and beyond.

Todd Rogers, Assistant Dean for Career Services

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A realistic look at a summer legal job search

As many people know, there has been a heightened focus on the legal job market in the media lately. Most notably, the New York Times recently ran an article on the doom and gloom of the legal job market and the unemployment struggles of new law grads. As a 2L inching closer to my impending graduation in May 2012, I have spent much of the last year and a half job searching. And with the less-than-encouraging stories in the media I thought it would be valuable to provide prospective 1Ls and current 1Ls alike with some realistic insight into a 1L legal summer job search.

A law student’s job search begins halfway through 1L year. This is when students can finally meet with Career Services, per rules of the American Bar Association, and begin to contact legal employers. The Office of Career Services provides several opportunities to begin your job search. For starters, Career Services holds Legal Career Options Day in the fall where students have the opportunity to speak with different types of legal employers (firms, corporations, government, etc.). Career Services also has a mentor program where 1Ls are matched up with KU Law alumni. The program provides a great way to begin networking and gives 1Ls the opportunity to ask questions of people who have been in their shoes. In the spring, 1L on-campus interviews (OCI) take place. During OCI, employers come to campus over several weeks and interview selected students. OCI is a great way to get experience with legal interviews, and some students do get jobs through them. But a majority of students find summer employment through other avenues. Along with checking job postings on the Symplicity website, other avenues include networking with family, friends and alumni.

I took advantage of all of these opportunities provided by Career Services during my 1L year. I also attended various workshops for resume writing and information sessions on different types of legal employment. After four or five months of my 1L job search, sending out countless emails and networking, I found myself without a job. Although I was a bit discouraged at first, I spoke with Career Services Dean Todd Rogers, took a week or two off of looking for work, and then resumed my search.

When late April rolled around, I still didn’t have anything lined up, so I enrolled in two summer classes. After enrolling, I continued to apply to postings on Symplicity, and I finally received an unpaid clerkship at a courthouse, along with a part-time position with a small law office. My summer turned out to be the best of both worlds; I was able to gain legal experience while taking additional courses.

In the end, my 1L job search was more difficult and took longer than I had thought it would. However, I think it prepared me for my 2L job search (another blog entry entirely) and my future post-law school job search. Something others can take away from my 1L job search is that, although the economy is tough, there are opportunities out there for 1Ls to gain legal experience and position themselves for their future job searches.

Here are some tips, pointers and thoughts to keep in mind for the 1L job search:

• Do something law related, whether it is taking a class, doing an unpaid externship or working a paid job. As nice as it might sound, do something other than sit around the entire summer.
• Be persistent. It is unlikely that one email or phone call – or even interview – is going to get you a summer job. Continue to search, apply and interview until you find something.
• Take a break. There may be times where you feel discouraged. Take a week to stop job searching. Get outside, hang out with friends, focus your efforts on school work or do something else. When you get back to it the next week, you will feel rejuvenated and ready to continue your search.
• Networking is as important as everyone says it is. In a tough job market, nothing can get you a job faster than networking. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Ask your family and friends for referrals. Once you meet someone, follow up with them and keep the lines of communication open. Networking is more than just asking for a job.
• Career Services is your friend. Todd Rogers, Karen Hester and LaVerta Logan are great. Make an effort to introduce yourself and get to know them. They are there for you if you need someone to review your resume and cover letter, to help you create a job-search plan, or even if you just want to talk. Work with Career Services!

Matt Meyer, 2L and Student Ambassador

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Tapping into social networks

Amanda Ellis, a legal recruiter based in Dallas, recently wrote an article for the Texas Bar Journal entitled The Big Three: Using Social Networking Sites to Connect with Employers and Clients.

I’d like to focus on two techniques Ms. Ellis suggests to identify potentially helpful job hunting contacts. The first is a Facebook application called BranchOut.

Let’s assume you want to work for US Bank. BranchOut allows you to browse your friends’ employers, so you can identify who currently works at US Bank or who has worked there in the past. You can also invite your friends to join your BranchOut network, which will enable you to see where their friends work.

By establishing a contact at US Bank through your friends or the friends of your friends, you’ll have the opportunity to gain insights about job opportunities and will be in a better position to prepare for an interview.

Similarly, LinkedIn provides a Company Search tool. On the LinkedIn main menu, click on “Companies,” then enter the name of the organization with which you’d like to establish a contact or about which you’d like to learn more before an interview. LinkedIn will then display employees at the organization who are in your network, as well as your connections’ connections who work there.

You’ll be able to identify shared connections, which will help you determine which members of your network you can ask for introductions to fruitful job hunting contacts outside your network.

For more tips on how to use social networking sites to your advantage, check out Amanda Ellis’s blog, The 6 Ps of the Big 3: Getting Hired Using Social Networking.

Todd Rogers, Assistant Dean for Career Services

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