Tag: career

Tips to Rock an Interview

Going through an interview process can be a really stressful experience. It’s easy to feel like you answered a question “wrong” or you didn’t give the perfect answer that you should have. Rest assured, everyone has felt this way before. But interviews don’t have to be traumatizing experiences. Here are some things I keep in mind whenever I’m interviewing somewhere:

First & foremost, I treat every interview like it’s a casual chat over coffee with an acquaintance. Obviously, you must always remain respectful & professional, but there is nothing wrong with telling yourself that the interview is just a friendly, low-stakes way for the interviewer to get to know you better. If you ensure that you aren’t treating the interview like it’s the end-all-be-all of your legal career, you’ll be able to relax into the conversation more & really show the interviewer your best qualities.

This tip might be more controversial, but I never take an interview too seriously. I’ve interviewed for jobs that I have really, really wanted. It can be particularly heartbreaking if you convince yourself that this opportunity is the only one you’ll get & you have to land this job or else you’re doomed. That is rarely, if ever, actually the case. The law is constantly changing, & you never know what the next opportunity you will encounter will be; it could even be better than the one you’re interviewing for now! All of this is just to say that you shouldn’t put too much weight into your “performance” or the interview itself. What is meant to be will be, & the world doesn’t begin & end at the firm you’re hoping to join.

On the same thread of not taking things too seriously – I like to think of interviews as the greatest quizzes ever because I already know all of the answers! The questions will be about you: who you are as a student, as an employee, & as a person. You know all of those answers. The key is just being able to articulate properly what qualities & traits you want to present, & that skill just comes with practice.

Speaking of practice, talking out potential interview questions with a friend is always helpful. It’s just like giving a presentation – if you get in there & go off the cuff while thinking on your feet, you’ll probably do fine, but you’d likely do even better if you’d lightly practiced what you wanted to say first. I don’t suggest that you should go into an interview with a predetermined script of what you HAVE to say. I just mean that you might have a lot of ideas swirling around about how to best encapsulate yourself, & practicing what you want to say makes executing the conversation that much easier in the moment, which will help you feel less stressed.

Finally, my favorite tactic is the positive sandwich. If you have a fact that you want to minimize (like maybe your GPA wasn’t as high as you wanted, or maybe you have a gap in your resume, or literally anything!), use the positive sandwich technique. Start your answer with your first piece of bread: a highlight or positive takeaway you got from the negative experience. Then, the meat of your sandwich will be the fact that you want to minimize. Immediately follow it up with a second, even bigger, piece of bread filled with positive aspects about yourself that will make you a great employee & someone worth hiring. It might feel clunky putting the sandwich together at first, but this is a scenario where practicing with friends comes in handy.

Above all else, remember to have fun & be yourself! The right opportunity will come along. Good luck!

Student Involvement

One thing we are not short of at Widener is student organizations. Signing up for an organization or attending organization events are not only a great way to network, but it is also a helpful way to determine what type of law you would like to practice one day. I remember in my first year, the first student organization event I attended was hosted by the Business Law Society. The Business Law Society invited Widener alumnus, and adjunct professor, Todd Shill to speak with students. Todd is a practicing entertainment lawyer, TV and film producer, who also founded the media production company, 75|77 Entertainment. During that event, Todd presented an episode from Netflix’s reality series, Deaf U, which he was production counsel for. Todd explained the legal issues he faced in the production of the series, and how he dealt with them. As a first year student, I not only found the presentation exciting, but also rather inspirational. Todd emphasized to students that a JD is practically a springboard for whatever you wish to pursue in your life. He explained that when he was a student at Widener, his wish was to become an entertainment lawyer and one of his closest friends (who, coincidentally is also an alumnus and adjunct professor) wanted to become an NFL agent. Spoiler alert, both Todd and his friend are pursuing their dreams now while inspiring students.

              After taking Sports and Entertainment Law (which I highly recommend), Todd offered me an externship position. An externship is a student’s experiential requirement for graduation. I began working with Todd this Fall and have been assigned exciting projects. Researching artificial intelligence litigation and previewing unedited films for potential copyright infringements have been among my favorites thus far. Not only did that single Business Law Event pique my interest in entertainment law, but it also inspired me to be an active member of the Business Law Society. As a first-year Business Law Society representative, my duties were limited but still allowed me to be an active member. As a representative in my first year, it allowed me to earn the Social & Events Chair position during 2L. This year I have been elected to serve as the President of the Business Law Society. It is sort of a full-circle moment in my law school career, one attendance at an event lead to leadership positions within the student organization, and an incredible externship.

              In short, I cannot recommend attending student organizations’ events enough. Not only does it help you navigate your legal career and network, but it also shows your peers support for their hard work.