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OCIP Questions and Answers

I recently accepted an invitation to join the N & B team. I warned them, and I'll warn you: I rarely have anything useful to say. I'm not very involved with school politics or informed about the larger legal world. My posts will most often consist of random musings about one absurdity or another I've encountered in my travels as a law student and future attorney. If that interests you, fantastic. Glad to have you aboard. Otherwise, please just ignore me. I ignore a healthy portion of the people I've met, so it's totally fair. That's my disclaimer. On we go.

I generally like the feel of ocip interviews. Unlike those in the business world, law interviews tend to feel like a chat with someone you just met at a party or, more aptly, like a first date. They can be awkward, sure, but the questions are rarely substantive, which reduces the B.S. quotient as much as is possible in such situations. Still, a few questions I heard last week did give me pause. Here are my favorites:

"What is the one thing you want us to know that is not on your resume?"
A lot of firms asked me this, even some I really love, so I don't mean to make fun of them. But this question is pretty ridiculous. I put everything I want you to know on the resume. That's what it's for. Anything I say in response to this question is, therefore, post-hoc b.s. Still, I thought of a few good answers, including:
--[whispering] "I'm Batman."
--[rapping] "I...like...big...BUTTS AND I CANNOT LIE!"
--[glancing around and silently mouthing] "They're listening."

"What sets you apart from everyone else we've interviewed today?"
This question basically asks you to be a douchebag. I can't say why I'm better than my classmates, probably because I'm not. Hell, I'm still surprised I got in. So the only real answers to this question are absurd, like:
--"Time and distance."
--"I'm sitting in front of you right now."
--"I want you to hire me."

"Do you have any questions for us?"
This one is a necessary part of any interview, and it may even lead to an enlightening conversation about the firm or its summer program. But it bothers me because it ignores the elephant in the room. The only question I really want answered is the one I can't ask:
--"Are you going to hire me?"

What are your favorite questions so far? How do you wish you could have answered? Sound off below.

Full post as published by Nuts & Boalts on August 31, 2008 (boomark / email).