After working for a judge and two law firms, I was trying to decide whether I wanted to practice law anymore and was going out on interviews with law firms. I certainly did not get a position with every law firm I interviewed with. In fact, my batting average was quite low. I was usually able to muster up and do very well in screening interviews. Beyond that, smart law firms, after several interviews, would not offer me a job.
One very well-known and smart attorney told me he could tell I did not want the job.
He was right.
It is challenging to fool your way into getting a job if you do not want it. Smart law firms, in particular, can generally tell you do not want to work for them (or any law firm) based on the choices you have made with your career if you are a practicing attorney. For example, attorneys do things like go work in companies, move firms for inexplicable reasons, change practice areas, take a lot of time off, and do other things that show they probably do not want to work in a law firm. Other people show up at interviews and have a sense of indifference to their work. They may have preconceptions about the employer, the type of work, or the practice setting. If you come across as not wanting the job, the odds of the employer being interested in you are very low.
I interview people for positions all the time, and people who work for me do as well.
The other day a woman who works for me was interviewing a clerical person for a job. When asked about some aspects of her experience, the woman replied: You can see it on my resume. This young person did not want the job.
I regularly interview people to work as placement professionals at BCG Attorney Search. It is challenging to get a job at our firm. I would estimate I interview less than 1 in 100 applicants and hire less than 1 in 10 people I ultimately interview. I hire so few people because the people I interview do not know enough about the job to see if interests them. There is plenty of information on our website about what we do, but very few people bother to review and read it when applying to positions. Because they show up not knowing what we do, it often comes across that they do not want the job, and the interviews stop there.
People who do well in interviews (and after being hired) want the job. It is like this with all employers.
These people show up for interviews, are prepared by knowing about the employer, make the employer feel unique, and express an interest in working for the employer. The employer needs to pick up on the fact that you want to work for them—not just because you want to make a high salary, they are prestigious, or you need a job, but because there is something special and unique about the employer makes you like them.