Screening Recruits the Goldman Way

http://www2.goldmansachs.com/careers/begin/interview-skills/index.html

Since the bank's vetting process is notorious for rigor, ambitious lawyers can only benefit by prepping (maybe over-prepping) the Goldman way. Here are some tidbits from the Goldman video:


First, the Dos:

1. Make a list of your qualificatons--academic and work experiences. Goldman's favorite buzz terms are "team orientation," "leadership potential," "problem-solving," and "creativity." Law firms like creative problem-solvers (translation: good legal researchers), but I'm not so sure about the leader stuff.

2. Create a narrative about why you are applying for a particular job or firm. Example: "I've had a fascination with hostile takeovers since childhood, and keep an active scrapbook of Marty Lipton.

3. Practice your talking points and memorize the names of the interviewers (assuming you know beforehand).

4. Develop a conversational, confident tone. This requires practice--if not an acting coach; it's not easy bragging about yourself in a nonbragging way.

And now for the Don'ts:

1. Don't come off being clueless as to why you are interviewing for the job.

2. Don't ask about mundane things like money and benefits. The mantra is to snag the offer, then ask about what you really care about later.

3. Don't get lost on the way to the interview. Studying the subway map ten minutes before your appointment is not advisable.

4. Don't send a thank-you letter by mail (too slow) or call (too awkward). But do send a thank-you e-mail.

What really makes a Goldman interview the gold standard are the "competency" questions that it throws at interviewees. The video says the idea behind a "behavioral" or "case studies" interview is to see how candidates solve problems. Take this question: "How many manhole covers are there in New York City?" The video says you could multiply 12 avenues by 150 streets to get 1,800 manhole covers. That answer "may or may not be correct," says the video, but it demonstrates "an approach."

As you might know, there's talk that law firms will eventually adopt some of these screening tools to weed out applicants. So perhaps it's a good time to practice explaining the rule against perpetuities.


Thanks Vivia Chen