the first step and identified what you love to do and what you are proud of yourself. Now show your genuine passion with your eyes lit up, your voice excited, and your face radiated. Let your passion be contagious so your interviewers will remember you at the end of the day. A resume is merely a piece of paper, but passion makes a person stand-out from the two-dimensional page.
Learn about the employer and the people interviewing you. If you discover anything that resonates with your values, passions,
characters, or experiences, connect it and present it in an impressive way. This was how Yingying turned an alternate interview into a callback. While researching the website of ABC law firm, one seemly common sentence struck her—“The history of ABC is a story of imagination, determination and hard work.” From a stay-at-home-mom to a law student, she felt this sentence perfectly depicted her life path. When she told her story in light of this sentence, the interviewers were impressed that she actually read their website and found the match.
Practice before the interview. Setting up mock interviews through the Career Services Office at your law school is idea. The mock interviewers are usually alumni. While they generally provide you feedback over a broad spectrum of subjects, including resume, presentation style, and attire, they are also searching for good candidates for their own employers.
A successful interview shows the employer that you are qualified and competent for the job, that you can work well with other people and that you are open to learning new things. Be yourself and try not to act like someone you think the employer might be looking for. It is also very important to have good questions ready. But make sure the answers to your questions are not conspicuously displayed on the employer’s website.
Lastly, promptly send a handwritten thank you note to your interviewers and point out specific conversation so that the recipient will remember you. With a majority of the population using electronic communication, a formal handwritten thank you note truly makes a good impression.
Sample List of Diversity and Specialty Job Fairs
There are a variety of job fairs, including diversity job fairs in various geographic regions and specialty job fairs such as patent law. The following non-exhaustive list was compiled while Shana held the position of Recruitment Coordinator with the Midwest Black Law Students Association. Be sure to check the websites of each fair to confirm dates and deadlines, as well as whether you meet the requirements to participate.
Diversity Job Fairs
Bay Area Diversity Job Fair - July - San Francisco, CA 5
Boston Lawyers Group Minority Job Fair - August - Boston, MA 6
CCBA Minority Law Student Job Fair - August - Chicago, IL 7
Delaware Minority Job Fair - August - Wilmington, DE8
Equal Justice Works Annual Career Fair and Conference - October - Arlington, VA 9
Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair - August - Kansas City, MO 10
Hispanic National Bar Association Job Fair - August - Seattle, WA 11
IMPACT Career Fair - August - Washington, DC 12
Indianapolis Bar Association Job Fair - August - Indianapolis, IN 13
Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair - August - Washington, DC 14
Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference - February - Chicago, IL 15
Minnesota Minority Recruitment Conference - August - Minneapolis, MN 16
National Black Prosecutor Association Job Fair - July - Orlando, FL 17
Northwest Minority Job Fair - August - Seattle, WA 18
NYU International Student Interview Program - January - New York, NY 19
Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair - August - Denver, CO 20
St. Louis Diversity Job Fair - August - St. Louis, MO21
Sunbelt Minority Recruitment Program – August – Dallas, TX 22
Tri-State Diversity Recruiting Program - August - Covington, KY 23
Vault/MCAA Legal Diversity Career Fair - August - Washington, DC 24
Virginia Bar Association Annual Diversity Job Fair - August - Richmond, VA 25
Intellectual Property Job Fairs
Patent Law Interview Program - August - Chicago, IL26
San Francisco Bay Area IP Job Fair – July – San Francisco, CA 27
The Southeastern IP Job Fair – August – Atlanta, GA28
1 OCI: On Campus Interviews – Student Information, SANTA CLARA LAW, http://law.scu.edu/careers/oci-on-campus-interviews (last visited Feb. 1, 2014); Interview with Dean Robert Rasmuseen of the University Of Southern California Gould School Of Law, TOP-LAW-SCHOOLS, http://www.top-law-schools.com/robert-rasmussen-interview.html (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
2 Prelaw – What is the Timetable for Legal Recruitment, NALP, http://www.nalp.org/pre-law_timetable (last visited Feb. 1, 2014); FAQs about Fall Recruiting, THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA, http://www.law.edu/career/FAQs-FallRecruiting.cfm (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
3 Resumes, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/careers/opia/toolkit/resumes/resume-tips.html (last visited Feb. 1, 2014); How to Write the Perfect Resume, MICHAEL PAGE, http://www.michaelpage.com/content/43-how-to-write-the-perfect-resume.html#.Ut3ARrRMHIV (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
4 Michelle Fabio, 20 Common OCI Interview Questions, ABOUT.COM LAW SCHOOL, http://lawschool.about.com/od/oci/a/20-Common-OCI-Interview-Questions.htm (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
5 Diversity, THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO, http://www.sfbar.org/jdc/diversity/diversity-programs/career-fair.aspx (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
6 Diversity, THE BOSTON LAWYERS GROUP, http://www.thebostonlawyersgroup.com/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
7 COOK COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION MINORITY JOB FAIR, http://ccbaminorityjobfair.org/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
8 DELAWARE MINORITY JOB FAIR/PHILADELPHIA AREA DIVERSITY JOB FAIR, https://law-dmpd-csm.symplicity.com/students/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
9 Conference and Career Fair, EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS, http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/law-school/conference-and-careerfair (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
10 HEARTLAND DIVERSITY LEGAL JOB FAIR, http://www.heartlanddiversity.org/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
11 Career Fair, HNBA, http://www.hnba.com/career-fair/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
12 Career Development Office, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/Impactoptional.cfm (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
13 Diversity Job Fair, INDIANAPOLIS BAR ASSOCIATION, https://law-indybar-csm.symplicity.com/students/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
14 Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair, NATIONAL LGBT BAR ASSOCIATION, http://www.lgbtbar.org/annual/register/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
15 Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference, MPILCC, http://mpilcc.uchicago.edu/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
16 TWIN CITIES DIVERSITY IN PRACTICE, http://www.diversityinpractice.org/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
17 THE NATIONAL BLACK PROSECUTORS ASSOCIATION, http://www.blackprosecutors.org/annualconference.html (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
18 NORTHWEST MINORITY JOB FAIR, http://www.nwmjf.org/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
19 International Student Interview Program, NYU LAW, http://www.law.nyu.edu/isip (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
20 ROCKY MOUNTAIN DIVERSITY LEGAL CAREER FAIR, http://www.rmdlcf.com/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
21 ST. LOUIS DIVERSITY JOB FAIR, http://www.stldiversityjobfair.com/index.html (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
22 SUNBELT MINORITY RECRUITMENT PROGRAM, http://www.sunbeltjobfair.com/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
23 Tri-State Diversity Legal Recruiting Program, BGD, http://www.bgdlegal.com/events/2013/08/17/general/tri-state-diversity-recruiting-program/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
24 Rachel Marx Boufford, Register Now for the Vault/MCAA Legal Diversity Career Fair!, VAULT (May 30, 2013), http://www.vault.com/blog/job-search/register-now-for-the-vaultmcca-legal-diversity-career-fair/.
25 THE VIRGINIA BAR ASSOCIATION, https://m360.vba.org/event.aspx?eventID=28670 (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
26 About, LOYOLA PATENT LAW INTERVIEW PROGRAM, http://loyolapatentprogram.wordpress.com/about/ (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
27 THE SAN FRANCISCO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW ASSOCIATION, http://www.sfipla.com/job.html (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
28 SIPJF, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW, http://law.gsu.edu/careers/7356.html (last visited Feb. 1, 2014).
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