Stellar grades and work experience do not guarantee a job offer. You must be able to interview well. Interviewing is a skill that can be refined through practice and preparation. Although preparing for an interview seems like a no-brainer, it is surprising how many job candidates I’ve interviewed that were not prepared. Here are a few ways you can prepare for your next interview.

Research the Employer

In preparing for an interview, it is important to research the firm or company as well as the people you will be meeting with, if you have their names. There are many simple ways to research legal employers and learn valuable information such as business history, practice areas, clients, work culture, hiring practices and more. Since research skills are vital to the legal profession, coming to an interview with no knowledge of the employer can defeat your chance of winning the job.

Prepare Your Pitch

The purpose of an interview is to sell yourself. Think about the skills, experience and unique talents you have to offer and prepare a two to five-minute pitch that highlights that information. You can inject this information into conversations with interviewers or in response to open-ended questions such as “Tell me about yourself” or “Why did you go into law?” Considering your skills and talents beforehand will also help you formulate answers under pressure.

Prepare Questions for the Interviewer

Most employers believe it is extremely important for job candidates to ask questions during an interview. It’s often helpful to prepare a list of questions before the interview. If you don’t have any questions following an interview, fake it and ask a few questions anyway in order to demonstrate interest and enthusiasm for the job.

For more information on acing your next interview, review these interview strategies for legal professionals. Do you have any interview preparation tips or interview stories? Feel free to share them here or on the legal careers forum.