About 12 years ago, my project imploded -- fed contract where the budget was cut 85%; the only work that remained was to manage the facility and shut it down gracefully.

I was looking before, as I could see the handwriting on the wall (and I knew to read the congressional defense funding act). But, when the layoff happened, I was still looking. I put my resume up on various job boards, etc. as well as contacting all of the people I knew.

From the Washington post job board, someone searched and found my resume, and wanted to talk to me. I went to the interview -- it was about 1/2 mile from my home in suburbia. The owner of the company is talking to me....he said he was impressed because I am well educated and worked on a variety of projects....but he also liked that I was so close to the office. He wanted someone who could be called if the alarms go off. We talked for an hour, then he handed me about 300 pages of documents to review and to call him back for a technical interview.

Fortunately, the next day, a friend of mine had the perfect job for me -- and it was within the large company I currently worked for. So, I just transferred to his group.

Anonymous wrote:Interviewing at a law firm, the male associate told me they were meeting at a topless place later for drinks and asked me if I wanted to come along. I politely declined that and all further contact with the firm.

Later on at a different firm we went to Jaleo for lunch and I realized he had said TAPAS place. I was just too much of a yokel at the time of the original interview to know about Spanish mezze. Oops.

hilarious! (if it's for real)

I made excuses at my current job about how I needed to meet a friend for an extended lunch blablabla. I showed up for the interview at noon and was told to ask for the HR person when I came in. I did so... and waited and waited and waited. The HR person was nowhere to be found. The receptionist was not able to help me - she just said "no one is answering in her office." Apparently she completely forgot about me and went to lunch. By the time I figured this out, I asked to see the hiring manager instead, and apparently he had given up on me and gone to lunch - walked right past me as sat in reception and I did not realize it til later.

Worse is that I KNOW it was the HR person's mistake- I looked at my notes and had written down our conversation exactly. When I called her afterwards, she made it clear she thought it was MY mistake and needless to say we did not reschedule it.

Small firm. Owned by a husband-and-wife. Was interviewing with the wife and an HR consultant, when the husband came in and he and his wife got into an argument. In front of me in the interview.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biglaw callback. I was given a vibrating stuffed cow to hold, got told a client was a "slut," and that fact was helpful in a lawsuit and reference was made to a very dirty indie film.

I always thought it was weird that when biglaw does on-campus interviews, they are held in hotel rooms. Yeah, you, and some old dude, and a bed two feet away. Just really not professional. Who else interviews recruits in what is basically a bedroom?

That being said, I know that the interviewing partner is doing one recruit after another non-stop from morning to late afternoon, so it's not like these lawyers are offering you drinks and chocolate covered strawberries in their rooms, at least not during OCI.

I heard some inappropriate things that went on. Like, one partner got tired of a recruit's answer and in the middle of it left to take a piss. This was a guy recruit. Some would push the envelope and compliment female law students on their looks ("You are very tall," etc).

My personal experiences were very boring, so unfortunately nothing juicy to tell.

I had one biglaw interview in a hotel room where there were three interviewers but only three chairs. I got a chair, the two associates got a chair, and the female partner lounged full-length on the bed. It was very awkward. Though everyone was pretty good-natured about it.

Another interview where the guy spent the whole time staring out the window, asking questions in a bored voice. Suddenly, at the end, he slewed around in his chair, looked me dead in the eye, and said, "I have just one important question for you. After I'm done with you, where can I go to get a really good chocolate-chip cookie?" Needless to say, I did not get a callback from that firm.

You have to admit the chocolate chip cookie thing is pretty funny!

It was. But sadly, I didn't know any place to get one!

^^^^ which judge??! That's fantastic!

Anonymous wrote:I had an interview with a law firm in which the female partner insisted that I sing opera for her (I was a voice major in undergrad). I declined to do so and she was seriously pissed.

I had the opposite experience. I interviewed for a clerkship with a judge who sang opera and wanted me to sing along with him (not to opera). I can't carry a tune, so declined, but still got the clerkship.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a panel interview just last week in which I was asked, "if you were a food at a picnic, what would you be"

Your answer doesn't matter. They are seeing if you are uptight or not or think about your answer too much.

Fruit salad. I'm really sweet AND good for yo u.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biglaw callback. I was given a vibrating stuffed cow to hold, got told a client was a "slut," and that fact was helpful in a lawsuit and reference was made to a very dirty indie film.

I always thought it was weird that when biglaw does on-campus interviews, they are held in hotel rooms. Yeah, you, and some old dude, and a bed two feet away. Just really not professional. Who else interviews recruits in what is basically a bedroom?

That being said, I know that the interviewing partner is doing one recruit after another non-stop from morning to late afternoon, so it's not like these lawyers are offering you drinks and chocolate covered strawberries in their rooms, at least not during OCI.

I heard some inappropriate things that went on. Like, one partner got tired of a recruit's answer and in the middle of it left to take a piss. This was a guy recruit. Some would push the envelope and compliment female law students on their looks ("You are very tall," etc).

My personal experiences were very boring, so unfortunately nothing juicy to tell.

I had one biglaw interview in a hotel room where there were three interviewers but only three chairs. I got a chair, the two associates got a chair, and the female partner lounged full-length on the bed. It was very awkward. Though everyone was pretty good-natured about it.

Another interview where the guy spent the whole time staring out the window, asking questions in a bored voice. Suddenly, at the end, he slewed around in his chair, looked me dead in the eye, and said, "I have just one important question for you. After I'm done with you, where can I go to get a really good chocolate-chip cookie?" Needless to say, I did not get a callback from that firm.

You have to admit the chocolate chip cookie thing is pretty funny!

I had an interview with a law firm in which the female partner insisted that I sing opera for her (I was a voice major in undergrad). I declined to do so and she was seriously pissed.

Interviewed for a front desk position at a chiropractors office at 6:30am. He was really creepy and had me recite a script and kept leaving the room. Pretty sure he was masturbating.

One time a lawyer recited a strange version of The Raven and expected me to comment after every verse. It was completely freaky.

I went to a panel interview for a short-term position that I wasn't very interested in, but it was the only interview I had at that time.

After 10 minutes of answering questions to the panel it was obvious to everyone in the room that I was not going to get the position. It took every fiber of my being not to get up and say "Well, I think we're done here." and walk out. I finished the interview and didn't get a call back, thank goodness.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interviewing at a law firm, the male associate told me they were meeting at a topless place later for drinks and asked me if I wanted to come along. I politely declined that and all further contact with the firm.

Later on at a different firm we went to Jaleo for lunch and I realized he had said TAPAS place. I was just too much of a yokel at the time of the original interview to know about Spanish mezze. Oops.

OMG! That is so funny.

That joke is so old. Nice try.

I don't care how "old" YOU think the joke is. It actually happened to me in 1998 when I was applying for a summer associate position.

So I guess you're right, the "joke" (which lets face it, is on me) is over 15 years old now. God I'm old.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Biglaw callback. I was given a vibrating stuffed cow to hold, got told a client was a "slut," and that fact was helpful in a lawsuit and reference was made to a very dirty indie film.

I always thought it was weird that when biglaw does on-campus interviews, they are held in hotel rooms. Yeah, you, and some old dude, and a bed two feet away. Just really not professional. Who else interviews recruits in what is basically a bedroom?

That being said, I know that the interviewing partner is doing one recruit after another non-stop from morning to late afternoon, so it's not like these lawyers are offering you drinks and chocolate covered strawberries in their rooms, at least not during OCI.

I heard some inappropriate things that went on. Like, one partner got tired of a recruit's answer and in the middle of it left to take a piss. This was a guy recruit. Some would push the envelope and compliment female law students on their looks ("You are very tall," etc).

My personal experiences were very boring, so unfortunately nothing juicy to tell.

I had one biglaw interview in a hotel room where there were three interviewers but only three chairs. I got a chair, the two associates got a chair, and the female partner lounged full-length on the bed. It was very awkward. Though everyone was pretty good-natured about it.

Another interview where the guy spent the whole time staring out the window, asking questions in a bored voice. Suddenly, at the end, he slewed around in his chair, looked me dead in the eye, and said, "I have just one important question for you. After I'm done with you, where can I go to get a really good chocolate-chip cookie?" Needless to say, I did not get a callback from that firm.