Interview

Google-suggested questions for interviews: do they work?

  • On December 20, 2025
A former Google recruiter lists his top four questions for candidates to always ask in interviews to set themselves apart. Let’s go through them. One of them I would never ask in a Bay Area in-house interview! “What is the company’s north star for the next 12 months?” I don’t recommend this one. While it’s […]
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Interview

How to tweak Accenture’s top interview tips for in-house

  • On November 30, 2025
To glean tips for in-house interviews, I read what execs of top companies say they look for. Sometimes the advice applies and sometimes it doesn’t. This exact scenario was the case with the head of HR at Accenture discussing her red and green flags when interviewing job applicants. Half of what she says is spot […]
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Interview

9 interview mistakes: do they apply to in-house jobs?

  • On October 25, 2025
Yes, I have seen all nine interview red flags cited in this article knock out solid candidates for in-house interviews. Sometimes career advice is too generic for our esoteric space, but these definitely apply to lawyers at all levels applying to in-house jobs in the Bay Area. I’ve put them in the order of frequency […]
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Interview, LinkedIn

3 more ways in-house recruiting has changed over 20 years

  • On October 4, 2025
Last week I talked about the 4 changes I’ve seen with in-house recruiting over the last 20 years (in summary: no more suits, the rise of Zoom interviews, writing/presentation exercises, and LinkedIn profiles). Here are 3 more: Expect employers to back-channel you. Why? Because everyone is on LinkedIn now so it’s easy to see who […]
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Inhouse, Interview, LinkedIn

4 Changes in Recruiting Lawyers over the last 20 Years

  • On September 27, 2025
I’ve been recruiting lawyers in the Bay Area for 20 years now! Four ways in-house recruiting has changed: No more suits in interviews (except maybe for public biopharmas)! Business casual is almost always acceptable. You can ask your recruiter or contact at the company what is the norm. A component of the interview process can […]
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Interview, Networking, Presentation

What is the #1 communication mistake people make?  

  • On September 20, 2025
In today’s job market, landing a job takes a lot of networking. The Bay Area in-house job market in particular requires lawyers to come with good reputations, so folks looking need to keep up with their connections and have non-awkward conversations! I agree with attorney and social media star Jefferson Fisher that the top mistake […]
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Interview

“Sudden death” answers: Do they apply to an in-house interview?

  • On August 29, 2025
NYU Professor of Management Suzy Welch identifies three “sudden death” answers that will “instantly disqualify yourself” in a job interview. But do they apply in a legal in-house interview? While two are spot on, the third requires more nuance, especially for Bay Area lawyers. “I want to start my own business someday.” This is a definite […]
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Interview

What is the Hiring Manager Thinking?

  • On August 22, 2025
I know the hiring process seems like a black box, but hiring managers are actually predictable. Here’s a breakdown of what’s going through their mind at each stage: Are you a good fit on paper? Often managers want to see certain schools and training at specific places. Almost all want to see relevant experience, e.g., […]
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Interview

What NOT to Ask in a First Round Interview

  • On July 13, 2025
Sometimes career gurus will give tips that I vehemently disagree with, like asking this question to “instantly impress” the hiring manager: “I want to make sure I align myself with what success looks like here. What are the top three traits your best performers display, day in and day out, at this company?”  The same […]
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