5 Great Interview Questions…

Businesses usually don’t hire during the holidays, but in the beginning of the year the job market picks back up. The following five questions could help both employer and applicant have a successful interview.

1.) How do you determine what your top priorities are for the day or for the week? – In the legal industry we are often deadline driven and have to trust our staff to manage their time wisely. The answer to this question helps us understand the thought process a potential new employee goes through in deciding what takes precedence.

2.) Tell me about a time when you made a mistake on a case. What was the mistake, how did it happen and what did you do about it? – As much as we hate the idea of a mistake being made on a case they do happen. How someone answers this question is very telling of how they handle a mistake, what they learned from it (if they did) and how open they are to talking about an error in the workplace.

3.) Tell me about a time when you had a conflict with a coworker while working on a case. – At some point in time employees have to work together on a case or project and personalities can clash. This question helps uncover how someone deals with something like this, which is important to know should it happen when the new employee comes on board.

4.) What is most important to you when you are trying to decide if a job and a company are the right fit for you? – This is extremely important to know. Whether it’s because of money, work environment or the length of their commute, you need to know the why behind their move. Then ask yourself if you can truly provide what they are looking for to make it work in the long run.

5.) Give examples of what you liked and disliked about working with attorneys in the past. – With this question you will want to make it clear that names do not need to be used. Your intention is to understand the type of manager they will work well with in the office. If they like an attorney who checks in with them every day and micromanages, but you need someone independent … then this candidate isn’t going to last.