Want to ace your meeting with a hiring partner? Practice questions, research the firm, and know yourself.

An economy in recession. Corporations cutting back on outside counsel. Law firms announcing layoffs. This is not the best of times to be an associate seeking a lateral move. So what can you do to increase your chances of receiving a job offer? Too often, good candidates “fail” the face-to-face inter- view. Nerves are partly to blame. But in my experience as a legal recruiter, I’ve also seen the jobs lost because of insufficient thought and preparation for that critical meeting. With the help of those who conduct these interviews— law firm partners and recruiting coordinators, most in the Washington metropolitan area—let’s take a look at some of the mistakes others have made and thereby avoid walking in their footsteps.

Who’s Asking?
At the beginning of the interview, a job candidate should pay close attention to the style and the personality of the person conducting the interview. “The first misstep a candidate can make is to presume where the interviewer falls on the spectrum of formal versus informal,” says Michael Nannes, chairman and managing partner of Dickstein Shapiro. “Use the first five minutes to assess who you are talking to—and look for signals, verbal and nonverbal cues, as to where they might fall on the spectrum.” Karyn Thomas, lateral attorney recruitment manager for Arent Fox, agrees that it is important to listen to the interviewer first. “You don’t know the person interviewing you, and you don’t know what their personal interests are,” she says.

Not Enough About Us
Once the conversation gets under way, you can make a positive impression by demonstrating genuine curiosity about the specific firm and job at hand. “Where I see associates falling down is with lack of interest, failure to show an interest in us, who we are and what our plan is, what we are trying to do as a firm,” says David Hamilton, Baltimore managing partner at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. All the individuals interviewed for this article commented in one way or another on this simple point of showing interest in a particular firm. Thomas says too many candidates only look at the attorney bios before an interview. “Know the firm’s landmark cases and signature clients,” she suggests. More information about most law firms is readily available on firms’ own Web sites, through Westlaw and Google searches, and via word of mouth from colleagues or a legal recruiter who has a longstanding relationship with the firm. Remember that busy partners are making time for you. You want to show them that you take this opportunity seriously. Lori Ann Bean, a partner at Clifford Chance, explains this from the interviewer’s perspective: “Interviewing is the most important thing we can do for our firm, to invest in the legacy and future of our practice. But keep in mind that, as a practical matter, we don’t have time and we are forgoing client business to talk to you.”

Excited to Be Here
One pet peeve of those who interview is a lack of enthusiasm from the candidate. This reveals itself in different ways: monosyllabic answers, few questions, making the interviewer do all the work to keep the conversation flowing. Don’t fall back on the claim that you are naturally quiet. S. Michael Kayan, administrative partner, general counsel, and hiring partner of Constantine Cannon, says candidates have a responsibility to communicate enthusiasm. “If they are naturally introverted, they need to embellish interest.” Recognize, too, that part of the law firm’s evaluation is how you will interact with its clients. “I want someone who is willing to be sufficiently assertive with me [in the interview] so that I am assured they will be sufficiently assertive for me and my clients in practice,” explains Nannes. Dyana Barninger, manager of associate development and recruitment at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, echoes this point: “Partners have told me they are passing on a candidate because they can’t see themselves trusting the person with their clients.”