Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50903
the biggest interview of your life. Callon-McLean recommends chatting with other students at firms that will be interviewing you. "This is the best source of information, and when you can talk about your discussion or e-mail exchange with one of our students, it shows me that you were interested enough to do your re- search," she says. Sutherland recommends searching www.nalpcanada.com in addition to re- search on firms' web sites — both the student and client pages. It's also a good idea to get to know the people who will be interviewing you by reading their bios. "In addition, students should talk to their friends and colleagues who may have summered at a firm to determine if the firm seems like it offers the type of prac- tice and work environment they are look- ing for," says Sutherland. Taylor suggests some introspection be- fore starting the search. "When preparing this self-assessment, you may want to think about the following: What areas of practice do I think I might be interested in and why? What kind of work environment do I think is best suited to my personality?" She also says it's vital for students to get as much information as possible on the firm before applying, and make sure you won't be caught off guard by ques- tions about your background. "Know your cover letter and resume inside-out and be prepared to talk about everything If you want the interviewer to distinguish you from other candidates, do more than simply answer the questions. — Léna Taylor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP that's on them," she says. Jokinen advises students to find a way to get in touch with either a law student or lawyer at the firm they're applying to, and agrees that it's important to research the people interviewing you. It's helpful to know who these people are and what areas of law they practise, she says. "That may also help them prepare some questions they may want to ask." Jackson, meanwhile, says researching your interviewers will also give you a sense of their "age and stage and background" — important contextual information when meeting anyone for the first time. "You need to try to get as comfortable as possible," says Jackson. "That means you'd better not wait until the last minute to fig- ure out what you're going to wear." She adds that it's important to avoid an awkward, dead-fish handshake. That's no way to make a first impression. "If you've never shaken someone's hand before, I would practise that. I once had somebody here who had the worst handshake ever — it took me about two minutes to get over the bad handshake," says Jackson. And while you may be entering the re- cruitment process from a different place in your life than other candidates, she says it's essential to find a way to stay calm. "I think you need to think about how to best control your nerves, keeping in mind that we're not all the same and some peo- ple have a lot more life experience that lets them do this more easily," she says. n If you're an outstanding student with high aspirations in IP and technology law, launch an exciting career at Smart & Biggar. We're Canada's largest firm practising exclusively in intellectual property, technology law and related litigation. As a student at Smart & Biggar you'll engage in an experience you won't find at other firms. You'll work as part of our team on real cases from our high-profile and prestigious roster of clients, that will provide you with cutting edge experience in patents, trade-marks, copyright and related litigation. Seeking a challenging, well-rounded learning experience and work/life balance? Smart & Biggar is for you. We've got an exceptional hire-back record and actively invest in the development of our team. If you're interested in becoming part of a highly respected firm that's focussed on delivering unparalleled IP, visit the Careers section of our website for information on how to apply. smart-biggar.ca Ottawa Toronto Montreal Vancouver Untitled-1 1 C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SEPT E MB E R 2009 23 2/25/09 10:09:31 AM