to have to do. The applicant claimed that ‘the fact that I did this successfully shows that I react to challenges well’, but I’m afraid we’re looking for slightly bigger challenges than that!” Face to face So you’ve made it to interview. Well done, but don’t be complacent. You can rewrite an application, but once you’ve got it very wrong in front of an interviewer, there’s not a lot you can do, so stay focused. There are three main ways that an interview can go awry on the interviewee’s part: nervousness, rudeness and inappropriateness. Lawyers are generally a sociable breed whose work involves a high degree of interaction with both colleagues and clients. This means that recruiters are looking for a modicum of social ability, confidence and grace. Nervousness at interview is understandable and all but the most callous of interviewers will allow for this. Before you go to the interview, think about your appearance. As with your application, it’s best not to stand out for the wrong reasons: don’t wear anything too outlandish and do check everything’s done up properly! On your arrival, remember to be respectful. One junior tenant on a set’s interview panel went to the door to meet the applicant, who later described the tenant as “just a receptionist”. Once in the interview room, remember all that experience you’ve had of sitting on – not falling off – chairs and drinking glasses of water rather than pouring them down your front. Similarly, it’s best to wipe clean your specs if they’ve misted up (unlike one candidate who conducted his whole interview through a fog). And remember, the firm wants to interview you; if you bring your mother along, it is unlikely that you, or she, will get a training contract.
Think about what you say, too: a candidate who claimed to have a lifelong love of shipping and the sea (in an application to a shipping firm) eventually revealed that this ‘love’ amounted to a one-week family cruise 15 years previously; while the candidate who admitted to informing herself of current affairs via the tabloids (apparently she found broadsheets boring) was rather ill-advised. It also pays to pay attention at all times – a recruiter at a large, full-service national firm shares this example of how switching off can lead to embarrassment: “Following a series of talks given by our lawyers at an open day, an attendee casually asked one of the speakers (a senior associate) if she thought she might apply for a training contract with the firm following the experience of the open day. Clearly, this individual had been sleeping through the talks!” Further, don’t massively confuse things by answering “Why do you want to be a lawyer?” with “I don’t want to be a lawyer”! One recruiter from a US firm recalls this tricky encounter with an interviewee who was asked for an example of using their initiative: “The candidate talked about working in insurance, cold calling an elderly lady and essentially ripping her off by selling her all of the insurance under the sun! The initiative part related to making more money for the business without being asked to!” Don’t forget that ethics play a big part in a successful lawyer’s career. There are lots of old interview chestnuts that you can expect to be asked, so have an answer ready. These include (with less than ideal answers): what is your greatest achievement? (“Stopping biting my nails.”) What are your hobbies? (“Playing with my girlfriend.”) Why do you want to become a lawyer? (“I used to be a doctor, but I’m tired of having to use my judgement.”) Why are you applying to this firm? (“My zodiac sign
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BECOMING A LAWYER
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