Bad Interview Moments Forum

[jess]

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[Lasers]

Just did an interview. I have chronic bronchitis, and sometimes, the urge to cough is so sudden and unexpected. Interviewer asked "Why Y Firm?" We were sitting in really close quarters (she was 3 feet in front of me). I leaned forward, opened my mouth to answer, and coughed in her face.

holy shit, haha. what happened?

[Rocío]

Just did an interview. I have chronic bronchitis, and sometimes, the urge to cough is so sudden and unexpected. Interviewer asked "Why Y Firm?" We were sitting in really close quarters (she was 3 feet in front of me). I leaned forward, opened my mouth to answer, and coughed in her face.

[Near]

Just did an interview. I have chronic bronchitis, and sometimes, the urge to cough is so sudden and unexpected. Interviewer asked "Why Y Firm?" We were sitting in really close quarters (she was 3 feet in front of me). I leaned forward, opened my mouth to answer, and coughed in her face.

I hope you salvaged with "Sorry that was my horribly contagious bronchitis."

[Anonymous User]

Born, raised, and educated in California, but interviewed with one NYC firm for shits and giggles. It is the last screener in a 6-screener day, so I'm pretty weary and have lost all ability to appear polished. Interviewer is a Jewish woman from Long Island, and naturally asks me "why NYC?" I respondec with "well, I really like Woody Allen and Larry David, and I've always seen myself as a New York Jew trapped in a Californian's body." She actually laughed, and I got a callback a few hours later. I would never recommend this approach to anyone, but sometimes it helps to let your guard down.

[Anonymous User]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

[Anonymous User]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

Which office, if you don't mind me asking?

[jess]

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[Anonymous User]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

Which office, if you don't mind me asking?

DC

[jess]

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[Anonymous User]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

Isn't this common? At several firms (screeners & CBs), people texted, IPaded, or e-mailed during interviews. I just keep babbling and pretend like I don't notice.

That happened to me a couple of times as well. Actually once or twice the partner mentioned what they were emailing about, and it ended up contributing to good/funny conversation about ridiculous clients.

[Anonymous User]

I was at a callback lunch with two attorneys, thought all my interviews had gone well. They were asking me about stuff not on my resume and I mentioned that I worked at a higher-end men's clothing store in college. The male attorney asked me what my opinion was on Jos. A. Bank and I talked about how they used to make very good clothing, but went really downhill after they moved their production from Mexico to Bangladesh and moved to a constantly HOLY SHIT EVERYTHING IS BORDERLINE FREE sales model, which made them more comparable to Men's Wearhouse than Brooks Brothers.

That attorney was wearing a Jos. A. Bank suit. Surprise, no offer. Not that was I said wasn't true (I'm objectively correct), but I forgot the golden rule of interviewing: Don't say anything disparaging about anything ever.

[Anonymous User]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

Isn't this common? At several firms (screeners & CBs), people texted, IPaded, or e-mailed during interviews. I just keep babbling and pretend like I don't notice.

I'll be working this summer for a firm who's partner did this in my screener. I got another callback from a firm that had an associate doing this during the screener.

[Bronte]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

Isn't this common? At several firms (screeners & CBs), people texted, IPaded, or e-mailed during interviews. I just keep babbling and pretend like I don't notice.

Yes, it's quite common. Biglaw attorneys are wed to their smartphones. They are usually not texting but instead responding to work emails.

[romothesavior]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

Isn't this common? At several firms (screeners & CBs), people texted, IPaded, or e-mailed during interviews. I just keep babbling and pretend like I don't notice.

Yes, it's quite common. Biglaw attorneys are wed to their smartphones. They are usually not texting but instead responding to work emails.

+1, don't take it personally, and don't get pissy about it. Sometimes they know they like you and they don't really care what you're saying, so don't blow it for yourself.

[Anonymous User]

STB Screener: "What newspapers do you like to read?"
Me: "The Wall Street....Times"
Screener: "You mean the Wall Street Journal?"
Me: "Yeah, that's it"

End of interview walking out: hit all the hangers on the closet next to the door and knocked them into the interviewer as she was behind me

still got a callback

[jess]

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[Anonymous User]

On my very last callback, 5 different interviews, normal back to back style:

Associate #1: so how are you going to choose between firms?
Me: i'm friendly/social and want that blah blah
Associate #1: you should choose a different firm


Associate #4: so do you know what being a lawyer is like?
Me: Well sort of, I come from a family of attorneys....
Associate #4: it's MISERABLE

no news about offer/no offer, but I wouldn't want one anyway!

[Anonymous User]

My resume had a line describing some volunteer work I did building homes in a hurricane-ravaged region. Following the advice that every resume line should contain a brief explanation of what the candidate learned from the experience, I put the following description under the line describing my volunteer work: "Gained a unique understanding of the socioeconomic diversity of the United States." I though it sounded pretty high-minded.

My resume worked quite well until I got to one particular screener. After she asked some warm up questions, a cold look came over my interviewer's face and, her voice dripping with incredulity and even disgust, she said, "What does this mean, 'Gained a unique understanding of the socioeconomic diversity of the United States'?"

I stammered, "Um, I... grew up in the suburbs?"

She ended the interview shortly thereafter, and I did not get a call back. I promptly took that line off of my resume.

[Anonymous User]

Just did an interview. I have chronic bronchitis, and sometimes, the urge to cough is so sudden and unexpected. Interviewer asked "Why Y Firm?" We were sitting in really close quarters (she was 3 feet in front of me). I leaned forward, opened my mouth to answer, and coughed in her face.

holy shit, haha. what happened?

I apologized profusely and told her I had been battling bronchitis for a long time now. She looked down at her hands, probably remembering how she shook my hand when I first walked in. Then I launched into my answer. I can't wait to get the ding!

Was this an NY firm? If so please tell me it was 440 or later. Those rooms are so tiny and I really don't want bronchitis.

[jess]

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[IrwinM.Fletcher]

Location: NYC

Firm: V5, my most preftigious CB

Commencing Deathspiral: Morning callback followed by lunch. Early interviews go fantastic and I feel amazing about my chances by the time lunch rolls around. Really, really clicked well with everyone I met with and the firm felt like a perfect fit.

Recruiting grabs me after my last 30 minute office interview and tells me that the partner who was supposed to take me to lunch is unavailable. No biggie, they pair me up with a couple of cool associates who say that we're gonna walk to XYZ restaurant and go ahead and use the partner's reservation.

I'm not from NYC and am only vaguely familiar with where stuff is in MFH. It's August and hot as balls. We start walking. They have no idea where the damn restaurant is. After ten minutes, I've sweated through my shirt and freezing to death in arctic waters sounds like a welcome release. We wander around for 45 minutes, go to the wrong place twice, and then FINALLY find the right damn restaurant. I look like I've exited a turkish bath at this point, and conversation has thoroughly sucked for the last 20 minutes of frustrated wandering because we're all sweaty and pissed.

Lunch begins and everything is fine...until the attractive female associate launches into some yoga story. It's boring and lasts for like ten minutes and I start to space out. At the end, and I could still swear to God I heard her say it, I think she says she just recently found out she's pregnant. I congratulate her on expecting. She says expecting what. I say expecting good news on the apartment she said she'd made an offer on like 4 conversations ago. Everyone pauses, puzzled. Re-commence brow sweat. I change subject to the Knicks.

No offer, duh.

[Anonymous User]

Screener interview at OCI with O'Melveny (Partner and Associate) - halfway through my interview the associate starts to text under the table. I realize she is doing this and just stare at her while I keep answering the last question. She notices that I know she's texting and continues to do so. No CB. I should have just walked out.

My OMM screener with a partner, the partner was yawning all through the interview. Dinged the next day. I would've dinged them if they hadn't dinged me.

[Dany]

I put the following description under the line describing my volunteer work: "Gained a unique understanding of the socioeconomic diversity of the United States." I though it sounded pretty high-minded.

[mr_toad]

Multiple interviewers looking at a descriptor line under a resume line for an upcoming internship: (variants on) "What does that mean"?
Me: I'm not actually sure, that's more of a placeholder while we work out the details.