What can career advisors do to encourage law students in the face of today’s distressed legal job market? Our students are as familiar with recent employment statistics as we are: NALP has reported an 85.6% employment rate for the Class of 2011, the lowest employment rate since 1994. Current students can expect only minimal improvement in the market.

By better understanding employer expectations and learning to implement persuasive strategies in their interviews, students can be prepared for employers’ cautious and conservative hiring policies.This cautious approach across all legal sectors means every interview becomes a precious opportunity.

Employers expect an unprecedented level of preparation for every interview. Ann Rainhart, Chief Talent Officer at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, explains: “Hiring well has become the top priority post-recession. Law firms continue to need excellent talent, but are more focused than ever on finding and hiring people who are truly engaged in what we do. We are training our interviewers to ask tough questions, dig deeper into a candidate’s experience and look for ways that experience will translate into the practice and how they will behave and contribute at our firm.” Preparation is equally important for students seeking positions in the public sector.

Read more at NALP Bulletin