OBA | Professional Development
Interviewer Skills:
How to Select the Cream of the Crop
Young Lawyers Division
Date:
Thursday, May 28, 2015| 1:30 am to 4:30 pm
Location:
Twenty Toronto Street Conferences and Events
20 Toronto Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto
Program Chairs:
Emily Hubling, Torkin Manes LLP
Natalie Breger, Metrolinx
In-Person
This program contains 3 Professionalism Hours
The OBA has been approved as an Accredited Provider of
Professionalism Content by The Law Society of Upper
Canada.
12:30 pm Registration and Networking Lunch
•
1:30 pm Welcome and Opening Remarks
Panelists:
Dal Bhathal, The Counsel Network Deborah
Deborah Glatter, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Natalie Zinman, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Ryan Campbell, Rubin Thomlinson LLP
1:40 pm Putting Your Best Foot Forward: The Initial Steps
•
Understanding your firm or organization’s place in
the job market
•
Framing your firm and the job opportunity
•
Selling yourself: An interview is a chance to learn
about candidates, but it is also a time to put the best
face of your firm/organization forward
2:00 pm Is Good On Paper Good in Person?
•
Critical things to look for in resumes and cover
letters
•
Differentiating between candidates with strong skill
sets and the right candidate for the job
•
Errors in speling ‘n grammar – how much do they
really mean?
•
“Googling” Candidates: What does facebook, twitter
and other social media really tell you?
2:20 pm Preparing for the Interview
•
Coming up with questions based on resume and
cover letter review
•
Being prepared to answer detailed questions about
the job
•
The pros and cons of working from a set list of
questions
•
Know logistics in advance – location and length of
interview, single or multiple round process, when
and how will you respond to candidates, how many
interviewers will be in the room and how will you
divide the questioning process
Webcast
General etiquette: dressing to represent the firm;
respecting the candidate
2:30 pm Effective Interview Questions
•
Substantive vs Behavioral Questions
•
Questions to determine skill level vs personality fit
•
Role of in-interview “testing” (ex. asking candidates
to read and respond to a case scenario)
•
What not to ask: Taboo and Illegal Topics
•
Ending the Interview: Smooth Good-byes; Law
Society Rules on Promises
2:50 pm Networking Break
3:05 pm Awkward Situations
•
Dealing with the dead fish candidate
•
Deal breakers vs red flags vs forgivable flops
•
The Connected Candidate (ie. How to handle the
managing partner’s nephew)
•
You committed an interview blunder, now what?
3:30 pm Follow Up
•
Remember candidates
•
Contacting references
•
Responding to thank you emails (or what to do when
you don’t get a thank you email)
•
Rejections
•
Next steps for strong candidates
3:50 pm Interactive Session – Putting New Knowledge to Work
Mock interviews on stage/at front with critique and
questions from audience
4:10 pm Interview Rock Stars Share Top Tips
Panel of interviewing pros talks about successful
interviewing strategies
PROGRAM REGISTRATION IS ONLINE
Questions? pd@oba.org
www.oba.org/pd
300-20 Toronto St. Toronto, ON M5C 2B8 | Toll Free: 1-800-668-8900 | Tel: 416-869-1047 | Fax: 416-642-0424