Interview technique
and other interviews. You don’t need to know everything, but you need to be able to give your opinion coherently and concisely. Reading the legal press is also essential, as candidates are likely to be asked about current affairs and the wider legal market.” On the day itself, arrive with time to spare. If you get caught up in travel delays, call the firm to let them know. Don’t follow the example of the applicant from Leeds who turned up two hours late for an interview with a firm in London armed with several Harrods shopping bags, or the candidate who failed to show up for an interview without explanation, then rang the chambers a week later demanding to know why they hadn’t heard from them. For online interviews check the interview timing and your internet connection ahead of time. Assessment centres The selection process at solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers can range from a series of interviews to half a day of group exercises and assessments, designed to test whether you have the skills for the job. Assessment centres usually take place at the organisation’s offices but, throughout the pandemic, firms and chambers were holding them online too, using platforms such as Forage. It’s likely that these online formats are set to stay in some capacity. An assessment centre might include group exercises, ability tests, presentations and in-tray exercises. Some candidates may even be let go halfway through the assessment centre, with those left then having a final interview. Remember that although they might sound intimidating, the exercises generally aren’t set to trick you. One firm likes to test applicants’ initiative by asking in a written assessment whether you know its address and phone number (the answers are on the pen you’re given to write the answer!). Be your best self on the day and don’t let nerves get the better
When you’re invited to an interview, the first thing you should do is pat yourself on the back. The process to get to this stage is highly competitive, so you’ve already shown that you’re a good candidate for a training contract. Nerves will probably soon follow, and you’re bound to wonder what you’ll be asked and what the process will be like.
Read on for advice on how to maximise your chances of success.
Preparation It’s your application that’s roused the
firm’s/chambers’ interest, so reread it. Try to imagine some of the things that your interviewers might focus on (eg, what you’ve gained from your experiences in terms of skills and personal development). Reading the legal press is also essential, as candidates are likely to be asked about current affairs and the wider legal market Read the firm’s/chambers’ recruitment literature and browse its website. Read the trade press, such as The Lawyer , Legal Week and Law Society Gazette , as well as the law sections of The Times (if you can access a subscription) and Guardian , so you’re aware of current legal issues. If you can’t face trawling through the broadsheets, head to the News section on LawCareers.Net. Alix Balfe-Skinner, HR manager at Taylor Vinters LLP, emphasises the importance of research and preparation: “It’s vital that students understand and know as much as possible about the firm they’re applying to and the challenges and opportunities currently faced by the firm. This is often a key questioning area in training contract
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THE LAWCAREERS.NET HANDBOOK
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