And Now For Something Completely Different

I had my interview yesterday. I think it went okay. The most interesting part about it was that I switched up my usual interview style for something completely different.

I knew when I applied for this job and was invited for an interview that I didn't have the exact type of experience they were looking for. However, it doesn't say on my resume that I do. Their decision to interview me anyway made me think that they were willing to train a new employee, possibly because no one with a lot of experience applied. The partner who interviewed me asked me about my experience in his practice area, and I told him about one related transaction and a few semi-related transactions, but he didn't seem impressed. I started to feel like the interview wasn't going well. Honestly, it pissed me off a little bit because I paid for expensive train tickets to get to the interview and took a day off without pay to be there. My resume details my experience, and they shouldn't have invited me for an interview if it was insufficient.

At that point in the interview, I had a mini-dialogue with myself that took place in about a millisecond. I decided that I wanted to be offered this job. I hate my current day job (my night job is okay, but it's petering out), and while I'm not so keen on moving, I could wrap my mind around it. I liked the partner I met, and I could see myself being satisfied working with him. So, I had only one real option if I wanted to give myself any chance at getting an offer: sell myself.

I am not good at self-promotion. In the past, I haven't needed to be. My resume and my accomplishments speak for themselves, and employers took note. In this economy, with so many similarly highly-qualified applicants looking for work, my credentials alone will probably not be enough to land me a job. In this situation, I did everything I could to convince the interviewer that my personality is a good fit for the firm's culture and that I am a smart person who will pick up the work quickly to compensate for my lack of experience.

I don't know if it will work. The partner may have mentally checked out of the interview the minute he heard about my experience shortage. But this was the only play available to me, and I tried to make the most of it. I'm proud of myself for trying something new, and I hope the gambit pays off.

I should say that I didn't try the drastic maneuver that Mango advocated, which was to exaggerate my experience. According to his shady ass, my unwillingness to lie means I will not last long in the legal profession. Personally, I'm hoping to get this job, but I'd rather not get it and be honest about my experience than deceive my employer into hiring me. It's not like they won't figure out that I lied, and then I'd probably get fired. I have enough problems without that blot on my escutcheon.