Yes, lawyers are all about planning, but sometimes we are just out of time! What happens if you have an interview coming up and only have 5 minutes to prepare? Pick at least one of these things to do!

1. Reread the job description, and think up an example showing you understand the space and can do the work. Practice telling it out loud so you can see what parts are too long and what parts you stumble over. Consider if any part is confidential and what you can say about it.
2. Run through an explanation of your history to show this job makes sense for your career/why you are interested (i.e., you are not a flight risk, especially if you made some moves before).
3. Talk to a friend who works there or who is a competitor to find out the top things this employer cares about and issues it’s facing.
4. Don’t have time to talk to anyone? Then pull up info on the Internet. If the company is private, look at its website (including its products and news sections) and TechCrunch profile. If the company is public, skim its annual report and note what areas are growing, what the disclosures reveal, who its competitors are, etc. And be sure to mention in the interview that you read the annual report (or watched video of CEO, whatever you did online) to show you did the research because that signals interest and diligence.
5. Look at the company’s stated pay range and formulate a plan to address comp if asked what you want to make.