Becoming a lawyer is no easy task. It takes years of hitting the books, late nights of studying through college and law school, followed by months of cramming for the bar exam. And then to actually land a good position in this weak job market – well it’s really no surprise that applications to law school have been in a steep decline ever since the market crash in 2008.

And sometimes the biggest challenge faced by an aspiring lawyer comes at the end of the process – after you’ve landed an interview for the job of your dreams and then you find yourself sitting across the desk, trying to have a conversation with a lawyer who is an exquisitely cold fish.

Let’s face it. Some lawyers are lacking in the social graces – small talk is often not a professional’s forte. And anyone who has interviewed with an old line firm like _____& ______ (fill in the blanks yourselves; we won’t because we probably work for them and have friends there) has surely run into a stuffed shirt or two along the way – an interviewer who seems glum or bored or distracted, bereft of personality and unable to do anything other than make you feel discouraged about your prospects. One friend of mine tells a story about interviewing with a Wall Street firm where the partner actually fell asleep five minutes into the interview, only to be woken several moments later, when the ash fell off the tip of his cigar – this being back in the day when you could still smoke a stogie in your corner office on Maiden Lane.

So as a service to all the job seekers out there this Holiday Season preparing for their next round of interviews, our team of Kinney recruiters has prepared a list of suggestions about what to do if by luck of the draw you end up sitting across from one of those painfully shy or rude partners, whether sleeping or aware, who is having a hard time holding up their end of the conversation. Here’s how to get your cold fish to start talking:

1. Of course with any interview your preparation should begin well before you’re ushered into the room. With a little advance research you can easily learn where your interviewer went to school, how long they’ve been with the firm and with any luck some additional info, such as where they’re from. You can also ask mutual acquaintances, such as a recruiter, or the person who set up the interview, for more insight. With your research complete, you’ll have a few good talking points to use when the conversation hits a lull, as it surely will.

2. When you step into their office take a quick look around. See if there’s a golf trophy, artwork or photos of their family on vacation that you can bring up casually in your conversation. Creating a personal connection is important in any interview but particularly when you’re dealing with a cold fish. One thing you can always count on is that someone with children loves those kids, whether he/she sees them very often or not.

3. Don’t get flustered or take it personally if the interviewer seems unresponsive, it doesn’t mean they’re not interested in you or your skill set. Act like nothing is amiss and bring your A-game and be your usual personable self. If they doze off, well then just cough or clear your throat loudly. Remember, they may have pulled an all nighter themselves or just be having a really bad day.

4. Keep in mind that the impression you create in the first two minutes is critical. Try to give the interviewer a sense of who you are as a person, by established personal rapport, rather than presenting yourself as an anxious job seeker. Even a stiff senior partner may loosen up when presented with a smile and a little friendly banter.

5. Be sure to make eye contact and be a good listener whenever your cold fish happens to speak. As with any interview, body language and decorum are very important.

6. Be friendly but go with the flow. If the interviewer is strictly business, stick to their line of inquiry. If he or she says “Tell me about yourself,” you should do so and then you can respond with “tell me about your practice.” But remember that it’s their job to ask the questions.

7. Don’t be caught off guard by traditional interview questions (which are most likely to come from a stuffed shirt). Prepare answers for predictable questions like, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” or “What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?” A good interview should flow like a regular conversation, but a more awkward interviewer will often resort to scripted questions. This is another way in which advance preparation definitely pays off. Here at Kinney, we ask all of our candidates to go through a mock-interview with one of our recruiters before we set up the real thing. It really works; we have been able to turn weak interviewers into stars that way.

8. Do not assume that your interviewer will conform to a stereotype, regional or otherwise. Most New Yorkers are not rude and Texans don’t always have a six-shooter in the desk drawer. Remember that even the blandest lawyer has a beating heart underneath their J Press suit and you should try to connect with them on a personal basis.

9. And finally, if you find yourself facing more than one stiff partner on your round of call back interviews, you have to ask yourself – is this really a firm where you want to work? Think of each interview as a preview of what working at this firm will be like and how you will be treated. If you don’t like it, keep in mind that you might be better off elsewhere. A cold fish in an interview may very likely end up being a cold and indifferent boss tomorrow.