Getting Job Interviews at Law Firms in Different Cities

On many interviewing trips, you exist in a different city for three days with no focus but the interviews and not much energy in the evenings. This condition is accentuated if the city holds no acquaintances of yours. Because interviewing and traveling exhaust the hardiest applicants, evenings consist often of dinner and sleep. More difficult to fill are long afternoons without an interview until 4:30. During these long stretches, especially in bad weather, time moves slowly.

Make an effort to read the local paper(s) — it kills time and arms you for chats with local lawyers. If you are short on interviews in that city, inspect the placement offices or bulletin boards in various law schools, to discover possible avenues of inquiry. Another method of scaring up job opportunities tests stamina and confidence — door knocking (in a building, for example, in which your interview is later scheduled). Door-knocking may be advantageous during lulls in interviewing schedules. In a large building many offices can be canvassed quickly.


Telephone those employers that did not respond to your letter or that indicated you would receive further information concerning possible future interviewing. Notify them of your immediate physical availability and existing interest, and ask to stop in for a half-hour one day during your stay. The "call-while-in-town" approach can be effective in demonstrating your guarded aggressiveness and gratifying interest. An employer is often more eager to interview an applicant when no cost is involved.

Weather can dictate your activities in an unfamiliar city. In pleasant climates and weather, strolling the downtown streets passes the time enjoyably and allows brief relaxation — important and necessary in tense interviewing periods. In poor weather, in addition to the professionally oriented activities described above, museums partially solve the dilemma. If acquaintances work in that city, a brief visit during a hectic or empty day can brighten spirits and divert attention, both often needed ingredients to successful bouts of intense concentration and "lawyer-meeting." Filling odd hours on imbalanced days of interviewing should not be dreaded but rather utilized as opportunities to prepare for interviews, produce new ones, and relax.

See the following articles for more information:

• 21 Major Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
• The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
• How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
• How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
• How to Answer the Do You Have Any Questions for Me Interview Question