TRAINING CONTRACT INTERVIEWS MADE EASY
Throughout an interview, your interviewer will be trying to assess how good you will be with clients Hanging on the telephone Telephone interviews may sound scary, but they usually take the form of an informal chat, rather than a full-on grilling. Your interviewer will ask questions about what you wrote on your CV and application form, but the conversation could go off in any direction at all. If this happens, don’t worry and let the conversation flow. Make no mistake that you are being assessed, though, and bear in mind these tips on etiquette and preparation to make the best impression: • Preparation is key – if your interview is with a high-street firm, make sure that you are up to date with recent landmark rulings and social issues being reported in the media. If your interview is with a commercial
shouldn’t bring your mother with you, conduct the entire interview with misted-up glasses or ask your interviewer whether she is free for a date that evening! All real examples. One firm describes the time when a candidate’s phone rang during the interview (bad). She answered the phone (very bad) and then asked for some privacy while she conducted her conversation (very, very, very bad). Hard to imagine how it might get worse? Well, we’ve also heard of a candidate pouring hot tea into the interviewer’s lap and another who had to wear an inappropriate party dress because she’d spilled coffee down her shirt. In fact, hot beverages can be generally problematic – remember, if you are given coffee, avoid the chocolate biscuits. The chocolate melts a little as it rests on the saucer against the cup and you can guarantee that someone will want to shake your hand just as you realise you have chocolate all over your fingers. If it all goes really wrong, just apologise or explain. Don’t leave interview is not sandwiched into a busy schedule – you should leave some free time before and after your interview in case the interview’s timing doesn’t go according to plan. Doing this will also help you to focus and remain composed. phone got enough battery charge for the call? You also need to decide on somewhere quiet and with good phone signal well ahead of the interview. application form in front of you, as your interviewer will almost certainly base some of her/his • Get the basics right. Has your • Have a copy of your CV and firm, use the legal press to appraise yourself of what is going on in that firm’s strongest practice areas. • Make sure that your phone
questions on the information contained in these.
• Sound interested in the
your interviewers to wonder why you have arrived covered in blood (from a stress-induced nosebleed, which the interviewee failed to mention). And take comfort in the fact that it’s not just interviewees who suffer mishaps – one recruiter conducted an entire interview calling the candidate the wrong name and then fell down the stairs while showing her out. questions at the end of the interview, so have a couple prepared. Base these around who your interviewer is; a partner will know lots about the cases and deals that the firm works on, while a HR staff member or graduate recruiter will know more about the firm’s recruitment processes (eg, vac schemes, open days and assessment centres). discussion and not monotonous, and avoid slipping into slang. • If you don’t quite understand a question, politely seek clarification – this will not count against you. • You will be invited to ask
Good luck!
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