Hopefully, by early fall, schools will begin contacting you to schedule interviews at the AALS conference. The "meat market" takes place in late October or early November in Washington, D.C. (October 25 - 27, 2007). Based upon your performance at the conference, schools will decide whether to invite you back to their campuses for full day interviews. The number of interviews you receive, of course, will depend upon the strength of your candidacy. As a general rule, you should accept all interviews you receive unless you are absolutely certain you would not work at a particular school. In that case, you should politely decline.
Interviews at the conference last 30 minutes. Typically you will meet with 3 to 4 members of the law school's faculty, but it could be as few as one or as many as an entire appointments committee. The interview will not be like a law firm interview - it will be very substantive. You will be asked to discuss your work, so be prepared to talk in depth about your existing publications, works in progress, and your scholarly agenda. In addition, you should be ready to ask intelligent questions of the interviewers that reflect a sincere interest in the school and the people interviewing you.
Interviews are held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. The hotel has a number of separate towers and can be confusing. In addition, the elevators cannot handle the number of people trying to move from interview to interview and are often quite slow. If you have back to back interviews scheduled at the conference, make sure you know how to get from one interview room to the other, or you risk being late to an interview.
The Academic Careers Program sponsors a hospitality suite for affiliates of NYU Law School. The suite is open on Friday and Saturday of the conference and offers beverages and snacks, as well as answers to questions and a supportive environment for candidates.
If you receive only a few offers for short interviews, you will need to decide whether it is worth your time, money, and energy to travel to Washington, D.C. In some cases, especially if the law schools that have extended interviews are located nearby, you can schedule your short interview on campus and avoid traveling to the conference.
Tips from Former Candidates:
“As soon as your phone rings, schedule an interview, especially if the school offers to do it before the DC meetings. Most schools in your area will try to schedule something beforehand. You become better with each interview. My first interview was a phone interview with 6 people and it was great practice. To practice for the interview, I had a friend call me up and simulate being an interviewer. It helped a lot.”
“Ask who will be attending the interview. Getting a sense of who your interviewers will be might be helpful in anticipating questions.”
“Bring copies of your paper and CV. On occasion, people asked me for that. Also, get somewhat familiar with the school and where it is located. Some questions will focus on how you envision your life at School X in town X, and it helps to have a clue.”
“Bring something to eat just in case you don't have time for lunch. Powerbars, nuts, etc. “
