Holiday Weekend Open Thread

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1. Hi! This question is for attorneys/legal recruiters who have been on the hiring-side of callback interviews. I am interviewing next week at a large firm in a city where I have never lived. I have a handful of really good friends in the city, and I am absolutely excited to live and work there. The city is only a few hours from my hometown and I visit 2-3 times per year. The problem is, the city is considered “secondary” compared to nearby Chicago, and I am worried that the firm won’t believe that I am truly interested to work there. How far do I have to go to convey my interest in working for this firm in this secondary market?

   1. Play up any connections that you have. As someone practicing at a big firm in a somewhat unusual market, one of the things we always pay attention to are connections to the city. We like to see that a person is genuinely interested in staying (obviously, lots of associates leave regardless, but we certainly like to increase our odds by assuring that the candidate has a reasonable likelihood of staying in the city). If there are no obvious connections, the candidate has an uphill (but not impossible) battle. You’re just going to need to be convincing that you actually WANT to live there.

      The key question to watch out for (and it will probably come from someone less senior): “Are you interviewing in any other cities?” Your answer: “Yes [assuming that this is true, but do not name the other locals if you can help it], although my first choice is Secondary Market because ______.” Be truthful. Explain how you’ve visited many times, have a built in network, prefer a smaller city — whatever. If this exact question isn’t asked, find ways to work in how much you love the city. (In any way possible: do you like the local sports teams? Find a way to say to. Is there a specific neighborhood where you know you’d like to live? Say so. The more specific the better on this stuff.)

      1. Thank you!

2. Anyone like running skirts? I just started running in one (moved to an area of the country where my running capris were way to hot, don’t like shorts for a multitude of reasons) and I love it!

   I tried Skirt Sports Gym Girl and an Athletic Skirt from Running Skirts. I definitely prefer the Running Skirt one, but the undershorts ride up a little bit. The reason I like the Running skirt one is that it has a little more room in the rear for those of us who have extra junk in the trunk. The Skirts Sports one has better compression shorts, but the rise is too low in the back.

   Okay, mini review. I just ran my first road race in 10 years in this skirt:

   http://store.runningskirts.com/preppy-blue-athletic-skirt-325

   And felt pretty dang adorable. I also ran faster than I thought I would, considering I started couch to 5k about 6 weeks ago.

   1. That is super-cute, I love it. They have good sizing, too. That’s my complaint with Lululemon – I am a 12/14 and the 12s are not comfortable for me, so unless Lulu decides to offer the next size up at some point, I can’t buy any more from them.

   2. I think they’re cute, but I haven’t been able to find one I like because I’ve always had problems with the compression shorts riding up. Ouch :(

   3. I have one for REI that I liked. I actually picked it up for travel – it is black and from a distance looks like any old skirt, so I felt like I could wear it out to eat after a hike or run when I was in NZ.

      But I feel self conscious wearing it around back home. It makes me feel like I am more concerned with looking cute than I am with being a real runner.

   4. Congratulations on your road race!

      I always run in running skirts, and I have amassed quite a collection of various brands. (Most of them are more than a year old, though, so I don’t think you can find the identical skirts online any more.) For now, my priority is having a good pocket for my smartphone. Tops in this regard is The North Face’s “Flight Series.” Not very cute, but the big zipper pocket is along the top seam at mid-back. (It looks like the newer version is cuter.) And there’s an extra pocket on the compression shorts. Second best is Lucy – smaller zipper pocket but in the same place, and reasonably cute. Shorts are not very “compressiony,” but they don’t seem to ride up, either. After that, I move to running skirts with a big enough pocket on the compression shorts to accommodate my phone, but enough compression so that the phone doesn’t drag the skirt down while I’m running. I think the Skirt Sports running skirts are good, but I can understand how they might have too low a rise in the back. My main complaint about Skirt Sports running skirts (and everything from Skirt Sports) is that you’re not supposed to put them in the dryer. Everything else I have can go in the dryer. My favorite is LLBean – cute patterns and an extra side pocket on the skirt itself (but phone flops around there). My REI brand skirt is boring gray, but the fabric is good and the leg pocket is big and has a flap. I tried the Athleta in a tall, and it’s fine (and cute) but no pocket on the compression shorts – just on the side of the skirt. My least favorite (but with the most potential) is a custom running skirt I ordered for $40 from Running Funky. You get to pick the fabrics and they are really fun. My problems with the skirt are: (a) no pockets at all; and (b) the seams on the shorts all intersect right where you don’t want them to intersect. Because it’s custom made, though, I suspect that next time they’d make it however I requested – maybe for an additional fee. I just didn’t think to make any special requests at the time.

      I have capris from Running Skirts and I really like them, but I had to get a wide band of elastic added to the waist because they slid down all the time. Now they’re great.

      Some links:
      North Face Flight Series: http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/women-39-s-eat-my-dust-skirt.html?parent_category_rn=&variationId=NE6

      Lucy: http://www.lucy.com/Propel%20Run%20Skirt/213083,default,pd.html?cgid=Other_Activities

      LL Bean (looks like they have only boring black now):
      http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/68081?feat=505515-GN3

      Athleta: http://www.athleta.com/products/running-skirts-and-shorts.jsp

      Running Funky: http://www.runningfunky.com/store52/agora.cgi?product=skorts

      Congratulations on Couch to 5K! I’m new to running myself (just under 2 years), and I love it.

   5. OMG – I am getting this in the black! It is TOO COOL! Will no doubt shave MINUTES off my PR ;)

3. I just wanted to say that I bought my first Longchamp yesterday, the “Planetes Tonal” tote, and I already love it!!! I’m a 2L schleping around to class and to call backs, and I think it’ll be great for both. I’m a convert :)!

   1. I wouldn’t bring it to call backs just fyi, it is not really an interview bag. Not a big deal if you do or anything, but I wouldn’t.

      1. I was just thinking that…it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. But I have been carrying extra copies of my resume/transcript/writing sample, so it would be nice to have somewhere to put those. I’m in a city so I take transit everywhere, can’t leave extra “stuff” in my car (one thing I miss about driving.)

         1. I actually think it looks perfect for a call back! As a NYC lady (who also went to law school in the city), it looks like just what you need for class-to-callback. Good luck!!!

      2. Literally 1 out of every 10 women I see on the street in DC is carrying a Longchamps bag. I think it’s totally fine so long as the color goes with your interview outfit.

         1. It’s black-on-black. The only drawback I saw for a call back would be size. I’m definitely excited about putting my backpack away and using it to go to class though!

            1. I took it to an interview – the exact bag (black on black) and I am super middle aged (staring down 45) and got the job! You go, girl!

   2. It’s a *great* interview bag in neutral tones. You’re not trying to be cooler than the interviewer, you’re trying to be polished, professional, prepared. Your bag is ideal if your attitude is. Good luck in school and the wide, wild world! You sounds practical and modern… you’ll be great.

4. What do you ladies think of coworkers who bring documents into the bathroom with them to read? This has happened in 3 different places I have worked and it has always been a male colleague who has done it. It always grosses me out because I know at some point in the future, I will be handed that document and asked to do something with it. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode in the bookstore.

   At my current job we have a table outside a conference room w/ magazines and people will grab one of those and take it into the bathroom with them. It just seems like such a pronouncement of “off to take a crap!”

   Now, I have no problem at all with people crapping at work, heck, its a biological necessity. Also, I have no problem with them taking however long they need. But reading documents while they crap, documents we all have to later touch just seems really gross to me.

   Since it has now happened at three places, maybe I’m the only one that is grossed out by it?? Ladies, what say you.

   For the record, if I need bathroom entertainment, I just bring my iphone. Nobody touches that but me.

   1. I think that’s really gross and I’ve never seen anyone bring any reading material into the bathroom in the workplace. I also think it’s rude to bring your phone if you’re talking on it (and kind of gross even if you’re not talking on it, since you hold it up to your face).

      1. Oh, I don’t talk on it! I play scrabble LOL. I usually leave it in my office though.

      2. Last week I was in a stall next to a woman talking on her phone. It made me super uncomfortable.

   2. I agree that it’s gross. I’ve seen many men do this at the workplace, but never a woman.

   3. I think, “Fecal Matter!!!” is what I think!

   4. Yes, this is what smartphones were invented for. Read your email, check facebook, play angry birds – and no one will be the wiser.

5. Anyone set up their own ebay store or used amazon marketplace to sell unwanted stuff? We are looking at a cross-country move at the end of the year and I would love to sell a few things, without making a second career out of it. I have good stuff, like Ray-Ban Jackie Oh sunglasses, etc. so it would be nice to make a little $$ instead of lugging them along or gifting them to relatives and sticking them with the burden. Right before moving we always wonder how did we get so much stuff, I think it secretly breeds in the night ;)

   1. LOL! I know my vera bradley bags are spawning, no way I would have so many otherwise! If I could get the time and energy to sell them online, that would be awesome…

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