Law Schools

Your Interview Is Over: Now What?

Thank you notes are a must. Here's some advice on how to handle them.

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With the Ides of March having come and gone, it means that the Spring 1L Recruiting Cycle is in full swing.

To answer the question that has been overwhelmingly posed to me recently, yes, it is completely fine if you do not yet have a job for your 1L summer.  While the Biglaw hiring process might be coming to a conclusion, many employers in the non-profit sector, and elsewhere, are only beginning to start filling out their summer needs.  But whether 1Ls have already secured a job or have just dove into the recruiting waters, it is relatively certain that there will be some type of interview process.

As a sizeable contingent, if not a significant majority, of 1Ls have matriculated directly from their undergraduate studies, for many this will be the first time they try to secure employment outside of the retail or food services sector.  Not surprisingly, the process for landing a legal job is a bit different than securing a position manning the register at the campus bookstore.  While a lot of CSO effort, not to mention digital ink in this space, is spent helping students refine their interview skills — while seemingly obvious, it should be stated that even though it is not your interview, flashing white power symbols that are subsequently used by a white supremacist mass murderer in New Zealand while your former boss interviews for a job on the Supreme Court is something to avoid — there is less effort spent on explaining what to do after an interview.  While this period might not be as important as the actual interview, there are actions one can take that can only bolster the chances of employment.

In this post-interview space, the one topic students often struggle with the most is one that, at first blush, would seem to be relatively easy to tackle: thank you notes.  As was the case when you were a child, when someone does something nice for you, thank them.

What can often being confusing is that the job is not the only activity that justifies thanks.  Whether an attorney with whom you interview works at a firm that sits atop the American Lawyer 100, at a federal agency, or at a two-person non-profit, their time is valuable and sacrificing that to conduct an interview is worthy of thanks.

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With the rationale explained, the next question is the means by which students should express thanks.  This can be viewed through the lens of new media versus old, i.e., emails versus handwritten notes.  For many students, this is an either/or proposition.  I think that’s a false dichotomy.  The best way to express thanks is to send an emailed thank you note relatively soon after your interview (no later than 24 hours) followed by a handwritten note.  This ensures that your interviewer gets thanked while you are still fresh in their minds via email, while the handwritten note conveys a sincerity that is difficult to generate electronically, even if the post office takes a few days to have your note arrive.  While this two-pronged approach is ideal, there are some circumstances where it might not be the best way to express thanks.  When attorneys are taking part in OCI, sometimes going to multiple schools in the span of a few days, the last thing they want is their mobile device blowing up with thank you emails from literally dozens of law students.  This is especially true when these attorneys are already behind on their work and are desperate to find that client email, only to have it further bumped down by more well-meaning students.  Problem is that it can be difficult to surmise which attorney at OCI would welcome an email and which might be slightly turned off.  When in doubt, go ahead and follow the two-pronged approach, though it is understandable to limit it to callbacks or later.  Furthermore, everyone with whom you meet should be thanked, not just the managing partner or someone else in a decision making capacity.

Once you have expressed thanks for your interview, students often think they should just sit back and wait to hear from an employer.  While you do not want to get a reputation for being pushy — yes, candidates can absolutely garner a reputation among attorneys/staff at a firm or other employer — you do not merely have to be completely passive.  After some time has passed, if you still haven’t heard from an employer, reach back out, either via email or telephone, and let them know you are still interested.  This reaffirmation not only shows that you are diligent, but can oftentimes move your candidacy back to the top of the proverbial heap from which it might have fallen.  Even better is if you can update an employer with some new information, e.g., a high grade in a class, new externship, etc.  It can be difficult for some to surmise when one crosses the line between properly engaged and borderline stalker behavior, so if you need a bright line rule, try not to make follow-up contact more often than twice a month.

For law students, getting a job can be a stressful enterprise, even for those who have an array of options in front of them.  That stress only grows while one is waiting to hear back from an employer after an interview.  But rather than stress eating or binge watching something on Netflix — I will follow my Sex Education recommendation from a couple of months back with an equally enthusiastic thumbs up for Russian Doll — there are steps students can take which not only will improve their chances of getting a job, but would probably make their parents smile as well.

Nicholas Alexiou is the Director of LL.M. and Alumni Advising as well as the Associate Director of Career Services at Vanderbilt University Law School. He will, hopefully, respond to your emails at abovethelawcso@gmail.com.

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