Biglaw

Interview Horror Stories: Eating And Talking At The Same Time Can Be A Challenge

It's like walking and chewing gum.

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Butternut Squash Mezzaluna RavioliLast week, we here at Above the Law asked readers for their Biglaw interview horror stories. After all, on-campus recruiting season is upon us and it is nearly spooky season. And the tales of terror are already pouring in.

This first one reminds wannabe attorneys that no matter how much you plan, sometimes things *still* go wrong. Especially with all the variables of lunch interviewing. Eating and interviewing are not two great tastes that taste great together.

This is not an on-campus, but actually a call-back interview.  I was a 1L at Michigan in the winter of 1993, and received a couple of call-back interviews to Chicago firms.  Unfortunately, I caught a horrible flu the day before the interviews, and could barely speak.

After my morning interviews, I was taken out to lunch at a French Bistro.  Minding old horror stories I heard from my elders, I thought hard about my entree – no spaghetti, no sandwiches, stay with knife and fork items.  I settled on pumpkin ravioli.  Yum, and safe.

I gesture with my hands even when I have a voice, but I had to do this even more, since at that point, the flu had reduced my voice to a literal pipsqueak.  After taking a bite of food and listening politely to questions, I began to tell my lunch companions about a funny story of my travels.  Fork and knife set demurely along each side of my slightly rounded plate.

Suddenly, my gesticulating right hand came too close to the plate.  The rest was experienced in slow motion.

HA – HA – HA  (hand hits table too close to plate)
HA – HA – HA (fork balanced on edge of plate is hit)
HA – HA – HA (ravioli on top of fork launches into air)
HA – H ——    (my attention is captured by launched ravioli)

[insert music from 6-Million-Dollar-Man TV show slow motion segment]

Ravioli travels across table, lands in Diet Pepsi glass of associate from Firm with an audible PLOP.

No, I didn’t get the job.

Remind you of anything?

Not the finest impression for an almost associate.

Have a terrible tale to tell about an interview gone awry? Please send it our way by email, subject line “Interview Stories.” We’ll read all the submissions and share our favorites in these pages.

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(And remember, as we’ve previously explained, “The ‘horror’ in ‘interview horror stories’ is loosely defined. Stories that are somewhat embarrassing or mildly amusing will suffice.”)

Earlier: Interview Horror Stories: When Ambition Goes Too Far
Interview Horror Stories: When Tragedy Strikes
Interview Horror Stories: How To Respond To A Raging Racist?
Interview Horror Stories: What Was She Thinking — Er, Drinking?
7 Epic Examples Of On-Campus-Interviewing Fails

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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