A former Google and DoorDash recruiter listed the 5 things to do when preparing for an interview to stand out. Let’s go through them to see what works for in-house searches. About half you should definitely do, but the rest you need to adapt because some things that work for business folks don’t work for lawyers as written.

1. Look for a job when you have one. This counts as a yes, but, really, is that something to do when preparing for an interview? I call that a misnomer, but I agree in general that having a job strengthens your hand and increases your attractiveness. And what I’ve seen that makes you even more attractive is having multiple companies courting you.
2. Be bold. Maybe? The example given is a candidate who “emailed the CEO 21 days in a row, a different email each time, in which he discussed why he wanted to work for Doordash and why we should interview him.” That would be a hard no for Legal (stalkerish, lacks judgment). The  main point apparently is “not to be too afraid of cold outreach.” For law, cold outreach could work if it’s short and engaging, but a warm intro is significantly better and would require you to use your network.
3. Do more than prepare basic questions. Yes. The recruiter says you “should be looking on the company’s website and reading up on the company’s values, vision, and mission statement to start.” If the company is public, definitely check out its SEC filings and earnings reports. For private companies, the recruiter notes “a lot of founders these days are on a podcast or are online in some way” and thinks “it’s amazing when candidates can come in and say, ‘I was listening to your founder say [fill in the blank]’ and then give specific examples of what they heard.'” All true.
4. Tell stories to illustrate accomplishments. Yes. This is an absolute do. If you list your general skills, employers have a hard time assessing your level, but if you tell short dynamic stories with concrete examples, employers can understand not just your breadth but depth. And you are much more memorable!
5. Stand out by doing a business case. Yes stand out, but no you don’t have to go into the field. The recruiter gives the example of a successful candidate who analyzed operations and came up with solutions (“Once when I was interviewing someone for a sales role at DoorDash, the candidate said they’d gone to 10 different restaurants that didn’t offer the DoorDash service and asked them, why not? The candidate then brought those answers to the interview, and also came prepared with solutions on how to get those restaurants on board. That candidate stood out to us; it was as if they had done the job already before the interview. We ended up hiring them within 24 hours.”). This type of homework applies more for business applicants. For law, it’s better to show you have solved similar problems or launched similar programs, and have someone they trust recommend you.