« Supreme Court TV |
Main
| E-Mail Overload »
Videos Going Mainstream
These days, it's not just the occasional lawyer dabbling in videos. Now, Videos are the New Recruitment tool (National Law Journal, Sheri Qualters 1/26/07). The article discusses Ropes & Gray's use of videos, featuring associates in "unscripted" interviews, who share their experiences working with clients, collaborating with partners and, in general, working for the firm.
I've always enjoyed online videos because they reveal another dimension about lawyers that may not be apparent from written descriptions. But the recruiting videos are too heavily "produced" to convey an honest impression of the firm. Most of the associates interviewed are casually dressed, well coiffed, fresh faced and awfully relaxed. That's quite a contrast from what I remember back in my days of interviewing during law school. Most the associates I spoke with seemed impatient, as if they couldn't wait for me to leave the office to get back to work. And at one New York firm, a young female associate, with blonde, unwashed hair, a pallid complexion and dark circles under her eyes couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for her job. I remember her saying, "We work hard, but ..." and was unable to complete the sentence. I didn't accept an offer from that place.
One of these days, a clever "anonymous lawyer" type will prepare an expose video that shows the side of large law firms that I remember from working there (and it will be truly hilarious). Until then, while videos are an interesting addition to a firm's recruitment package, there's no substitute for in person, due diligence when choosing a job.
Posted by Carolyn Elefant on February 1, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Permalink
| Comments (0)