Self-confidence is a major ingredient to success in show business, the legal industry and virtually every other field.  It is not arrogance, however, which is an unjustified self-confidence – the belief that you are great when you really are not.  It is the feeling you get when you are fully competent at what you are doing and you are thoroughly prepared.  It is the security you gain from being a true expert in your area and doing whatever it is you do exceptionally well.

Self-confidence is also critical to doing well in law firm job interviews.  Law firms, like every other employer, want people who are justifiably self-confident about themselves and their abilities.  But self-confidence in an interview can be harder to come by than self-confidence in doing your legal work.  You spent three years in law school and thousands of billable hours learning how to successfully litigate civil disputes, make deals, provide advice on tax laws, etc.  By contrast, you have not had any classes or significant experience interviewing at a law firm until you actually do it.  And the interviews that you had as a law student are going to be very different from the later interviews you will have as an associate, and especially as a partner.  Consequently, your law student interviews will provide little guidance for your future interviews.