I have a job interview coming up for an entry level position as an attorney. However, the interview is being conducted by someone from HR, i.e., someone with no legal experience.
So what is a guy from HR going to be looking for in an interview like this? If he’s not going to evaluate my legal skills, what’s he looking for?
He’s probably looking for fit, making sure you aren’t druggie looking, personable, won’t sue the company, etc.
Is this the only interview?
I’ve had a number of interviews over the years with large corporations, and it was common to start with an HR interview. They were generally the generic questions like - tell me your biggest strength and weakness, how do you work with others, etc. It seemed designed to initially weed out the troublemakers, difficult, entitled, etc.
He’s looking to see if your degree is from Columbia, the school, or Columbia, the country.
Other than that, he needs to record information and make his best guess to see if you are the kind of person his bosses are looking for, and that might be largely based on superficial qualities. Make sure you emphasize your strengths in the field if you don’t know what those preferences might be.
In this case dressing well and being well groomed are probably more important factors than for many jobs. Demeanor will be important. Act lawyerly, whatever that might mean.
Good luck.
Almost always, HR are mandated to find bodies to put through the interview process. They are the first layer of due diligence making sure that you have a pulse and little more. In corporations, they are goaled on filling positions (and not on rejecting candidates).
Be dressed for the part, have copies of degrees and other paperwork with you, don’t be nervous. I’ve found that HR are really happy to answer questions about the “culture of the firm” “work ethic” “standards of dress” and in fact eagerly pontificate at length on any of this kind of horseshit.
And he’s looking to see whether you know they’re spelled differently.