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Interviewing

Interviewing

During the interview process employers will learn about your communication skills, your ability to present your experience and achievements in a precise manner, and your interest in the organization and its work. The key to a successful interview is preparation, including both research and practice.

You have two primary goals during the interview. First you need to determine whether this employer meets your career goals and objectives. Second, you need to make the interviewer aware of your unique qualities, interests, and skills. Employers prefer candidates who:

  • Have thoroughly researched the employer and know why the employer and its work interest them
  • Exhibit leadership
  • Demonstrate good judgment and intellectual ability
  • Are problem solvers
  • ​Take an active part in the interview and are positive and enthusiastic

Yale Law School is committed to ensuring that its students receive fair treatment from employers who use CDO's services, and that the law school, its students and employers act in good faith in the recruiting and hiring process. Please review CDO’s Employer Recruiting Policies, Yale’s Sexual Misconduct Policies, and NALP’s Principles for a Fair and Ethical Recruitment Process, to understand the rights and responsibilities of students and employers during the recruiting process.
 

Interview Advice Videos
  1. Getting Started (4 min)
  2. Understanding the Interview (9 min)
  3. Preparation: Knowing Yourself, the Employer, and the City (9 min)
  4. Preparation: Answering and Asking Interview Questions (7 min)
  5. Preparation: Planning Your Attire and Your Interview Environment (5 min)
  6. Conducting the Interview (10 min)
  7. After the Interview (8 min)
     
Virtual Interview Preparation Advice
  • Test in advance your technology including camera, audio, and any necessary software
  • Confirm that your interview location sufficiently lights up your face
  • Simplify background; avoid showing bed if possible
  • Consider using virtual background - access Office of Public Affairs virtual backgrounds here
  • Eliminate background noise - silence your phone; close out of all other applications on computer; close windows and doors; ask roommate(s) to be quiet
  • Dress in professional business attire
     
Additional CDO Interviewing Resources: