This is a complimentary article to Joy Holley's blog titled Interview Tips for the Litigation Support Field.
The Interviewer’s Perspective
The interview process can be a very challenging but rewarding exercise if you invest the time into the journey. Each interview I have conducted throughout my career has reinforced the importance of evaluating and retaining well-qualified team members. This can definitely be an experience that qualifies as “you get what you pay for” (or what you invest time into). A couple of practical thoughts regarding the interview process:
Pre-interview
1. Know the role you are offering – assess the current team members in that role. Make the time to take a fresh look at the job description before you submit it. Recognize that you may need to make some modifications to accommodate changes in the workplace over time. Have some general qualifications but also include some specific criteria as to technical skills, which can really decrease screening time and help identify the individuals who actually read the job description.
a. Potential qualifications – firm v. vendor v. corporate experience? College degree?
2. If you’re using a recruiter, ask them to provide specific feedback and make sure they have your vision in mind of a potential candidate. Not all recruiters are created equal in our space, so if you have the option, it is recommended to use providers that have experience in the Legal/Litigation Support space.
3. Take the time to review resumes – look at details, time gaps, grammar, punctuation – the resume is an insight into how the person communicates.
Interview
4. Try not to pack the schedule too heavy. Give yourself and your team time to interview and discuss potential candidates – too many in one day may cause the candidates to blend and you will generally become lethargic later in the day.
5. Be on time and be respectful – you want to be the best example of what you expect them to be.
6. General practical tips:
a. Physical appearance – is the candidate in appropriate and well-maintained attire? How do they carry themselves in the interview? Are they slouched/sitting back or upright? How is their eye contact?
b. Look for pleasantries – please and thank you.
c. Understand that they are nervous and encourage them to relax and be comfortable.
d. Do they use industry jargon in the correct context? Is there a heavy use of slang?
e. It’s not just what they say, but how they say it. Are they directly responding with confidence or are the answers overly qualified with caveats?
7. Questions are likely the toughest, but most insightful, part of the process. A seasoned interviewer isn’t just looking for someone that makes them happy but a qualified and engaged professional that is going to fit well with the team and the role. Open-ended questions can be very helpful as well as specific questions to target technical skillsets.
Several experienced industry hiring managers worked with the Cowen Group to compile a list of sample questions that address 5 primary themes: Business Savvy, Professional Intelligence, Intellectual Curiosity, Political IQ and Social IQ. Here are a few sample questions:
a. Where do you see the industry in X years? What is the future state?
b. What review platforms and technology are you most familiar with? Compare and contrast platforms. Give an example of a time when you used each. What did you like most/least, why?
c. Your client just gave you 100 GB of data that isn’t planned for your budget. What do you do? What is your next step?
d. What do you do when you overhear a team member saying something wrong to an associate?
e. Tell me about a time when you provided guidance/advice to a team member who was using a practice or protocol that you disagreed with? How was that advice accepted or not accepted?
Last but not least, after you hire a candidate, the journey does not stop there. Keep in mind an ongoing development plan so that you can continue to foster an engaged and professional environment within your team.
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