Good and bad technique - it's in the DNA

Scenario 1:

It’s the law fair next week. You're pumped. This is your big chance to make an impression, work out which firms really have what you want and meet your new colleagues. You've been preparing for weeks and know more about the various firms' businesses than the top analysts. You have a searching question that cuts to the very heart of the organisation planned for all the recruiters you aim to meet. These encounters will be the final pieces of the jigsaw and afterwards you'll be confirming your shortlist and beginning applications.

Scenario 2:

"What? Law fair? Today? Yeah OK, could be a laugh."

I expect that your attitude to the approaching law fair season will be somewhere between these two extremes. Sure, you're not quite up with Mr and Ms Perfect, but you're not as bad as some, right? Somewhere in the middle is OK to get through isn't it? If you want to stay somewhere in the middle of the peloton, then it probably is. But the law fairs really do offer you a chance to break away from the pack and up your chances of success. And it's all down to putting in a bit of preparation.

If you read my previous post about why firms go to fairs, you will recall that there are two kinds of conversation you can have with a firm: functional and conceptual. In the first they answer your boring questions about basic information on the firm and wish they (and you) were somewhere else. In the second they feel that they are meeting a keen, well prepared, realistic employment prospect with whom they are exchanging vital signals and information that will help decide whether things go further….

Probably the best way to illustrate how the conversation might (should) go is to go through a list of DNA - that's 'Do Not Ask' - questions. If these are the best you can do, then don't get your hopes up. I'll also give you some related questions that might work a lot better.

DNA: "Do you have an office in [insert town where the law fair is being held]?"

You should know the answer to this! If they do, you should already have known about them, but in most cases, outside the big cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds, the majority of law firms attending fairs are large commercial ventures, very probably internationalist in outlook. They probably feel dirty just stepping outside the urban business environment into your one-horse university town. Don't suggest they work there.

Try instead: "I see you have a network of offices worldwide. Where would you say is the genuine heart of the office and do you see a geographical shift in this heart over time as the world economy adapts to the rise of countries like China and India?"

DNA: "Do you do human rights law?"

Firstly, see the point above about most firms at fairs being commercial firms (they have the manpower and budget to attend). Secondly, if you are set on a particular work area, you should have trawled through the list of attendees to identify which you should target.

Try instead: "Your key practice areas seem to be corporate, property and energy. How do you structure your seat rotation to give trainees good sight of all these areas and are able to select the career route that will make best use of their talents?" And a follow up might be: "Do you find that new trainees' preconceptions of different work areas are reinforced or confounded by actually working in those departments?"

DNA: "What can your firm offer me?"

"A swift boot in the derriere you arrogant little…” This is recruiters' single most hated question - it displays a multitude of deficiencies in your suitability for a job: no preparation, no eye for detail, a lack of understanding how teams work, inability to communicate, no commercial nous... the list goes on.

Try instead: "I've been involved in setting up some very interesting projects while at university and find that I thrive on working hard with a team of like-minded individuals to successfully achieve our aims. Would working at your firm help me further develop these skills?" (Ok, this one is a bit crawly but you get the idea!)

DNA: "What's the money like?"

Firstly, this is information in the public domain; all firms post their pay rates, so you could/should know. Secondly, getting onto cash is a bit presumptuous when you are only just meeting them.

Try instead: (ideally to a trainee rather than a recruiter) "The pay looks pretty top end and I'm sure you have to work hard for it wherever you are. But how would you say the firm fits in in the scale of work/life balance with the places your old mates from law school ended up?"

I could go on indefinitely with these, but let's draw out a couple of rules. One - the more research you do about a firm in advance of a meeting (be it at a fair, presentation or open day), the more you will look like you know what you are talking about, and understand and impress them. Two - ask questions in such a way that people have the opportunity to establish a proper conversation where you can talk about yourselves and each other. This is where the rapport develops and you get noticed. Three - it's understood that this can all be a bit hair-raising. Do your best to appear confident, be unfailingly polite and well briefed, and anything else will be forgiven.

Enjoy the fairs.