BEST RECRUITER – LARGE CITY FIRM
We also look for some commercial awareness – not of the type that you would expect of a veteran investment banker or economist, but basic business-related common sense.” The style in which the assessment process is conducted is also important – the firm eschews the combative approach popularised in the public imagination by TV programmes such as The Apprentice . “The process – including the interview stage – is not about making candidates feel uncomfortable or trying to trip them up,” Louise explains. “Our approach is twofold; we want to test candidates’ abilities and strengths, and to take them outside of their comfort zones to see how they think on their feet. This means that we ask fairly probing
questions about the topics we cover in interviews, but we do this in a way which is supportive and which encourages the candidate to shine. In our experience, candidates tend to enjoy being stretched and challenged, as long as this is done in the right way.” Adeela Khan is a current trainee in the litigation team, whose memories of the assessment process are still relatively fresh. She first encountered Hogan Lovells while studying for her Graduate Diploma in Law in 2014. “It was perhaps quite an unusual connection,” she recalls. “I was still undecided about where I wanted to train and was volunteering at the National Pro Bono Centre in London at the time, where I was working with the Access to Justice Foundation. I
got involved in a campaign called ‘It’s Not Just Peanuts’ – the initiative was all about encouraging firms to donate unclaimed client account money to Access to Justice causes. When I asked about how the campaign originated, I learned it was the brainchild of Hogan Lovells’ pro bono team. Everyone at the centre knew that I was interested in career opportunities at corporate firms and encouraged me to apply. After that, everything seemed to fall into place – Hogan Lovells was the first corporate firm that I applied to for a training contract and was also the first to invite me to an interview.” The firm has always taken its social responsibility seriously. It was the first firm to hire a dedicated pro bono manager – 20 years ago. The process which Adeela experienced remains the same today, both for applicants to the firm’s vacation schemes and those who apply directly for training contracts. Her initial application was reviewed, before she was invited to the next stage – a telephone interview and an online version of the Watson Glaser Test, which examines candidates’ critical thinking skills (skills highly relevant to the role of a lawyer). Following this she was selected as one of the six to eight candidates invited to a full-day assessment centre in the firm’s London office. “Although I – and probably many of the other interviewees – was nervous at the start, everyone we met was welcoming, and I got the feeling that the process was about getting to know us, rather than looking for faults. This made me feel calmer and able to show my skills and personality at their best. The assessment day began with a welcome from the graduate recruitment partner at the time, Tom Astle, who put us at ease and gave
If you are a prospective trainee looking for a combination of really extensive global reach, breadth of practice, a supportive and collaborative culture, and a first-class legal brand in the eyes of clients, then come to Hogan Lovells
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