Interview Guide
Modern interview techniques are considerably more complex with many law firms and companies now having unique approaches and methods that they utilise to assess future hires. This can prove challenging to interviewees, which is why we recommend preparing for all interviews with the help of our legal interview tips.
Interview Guide 2023/24
Before the Interview
These steps will help you to prepare for your interview. Taking the right steps in preparation for your interview will help to improve your overall confidence during the interview, allowing you to stand out from the other candidates.
Network
Homework
Spend time reviewing the job description, researching the firm and the profiles of your interviewers. Make sure you are in position to further expand on your CV.
Social Media
Look at the social media presence to study the culture of your future employer. Remember employers can view your social media footprint prior to interview.
Anticipation
Reflection
Ensure that you are able to discuss your motivations for moving on from your current role and why you are interested in the role you are interviewing for.
Objectives
Highlight your key strengths and weaknesses for the role and be ready to counter any difficult questions. Have a plan of what you want to achieve.
During the interview
The interview itself presents a unique opportunity for you to showcase your experience and to stand out from the crowd. It is your chance to impress, to sell your experience and to convince the interviewer that you should be hired. This is a daunting process, particularly for recently qualified lawyers and solicitors. To make this process less nerve-wracking, we offer law firm interview tips and guidance to help you improve your interview skills, in turn helping you to successfully interview for your dream legal role.
Even with all the right preparation, it is essential that you preform well during the interview, demonstrating your capabilities.
Listen
Ensure you provide concise answers relevant to the questions being asked. If you are asked to expand on your response, this is an indicator that you have not got it right first time around. Ensure you provide answers that backup what ‘you’ do. Do not be afraid to ask for clarity if you are unsure of a question.
Be Confident
Have the knowledge that you have prepared in advance for the interview and let the interviewer see your personality, as well as your technical ability. Your interviewer will also find it preferable for you to take your time to construct the right answers. An extra moment to think can make a real difference.
Knowledge
Use the interview as an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the role, the team, the culture and the organisation. Personality fit for a role is as important as technical ability and it is vital to ensure you demonstrate a level enthusiasm and energy to your potential employer.
Ask Questions
Ensure you have pre-prepared questions. This will show your level of interest and additionally will provide assurances to the interviewer that you fully understand the role on offer. While it is good to have some pre-prepared questions make sure you also raise viable questions that have arisen from the interview.
Competency based questions
The purpose of a competency interview is to allow employers to to question you on specific character traits: leadership, autonomy, collaboration and people-management are common examples. Think of situations that demonstrate relevancy to the role, You may be asked to give position examples as well as difficult situations where things did not go according to plan. For these type of questions it is important to recognise your faults and mistakes but also to show the lessons learned and the resolution to the situation.
Situation
Set the scene- always aim to use recent, relevant and professional examples from your career to date.
Task
Demonstrate the results of your actions and highlight the overall success and learning outcomes.
Action
Focus on the specific actions that you adopted and your reasons for doing so. Demonstrate that your actions.
Result
Describe the task that you undertook ensuring that you provide details of the challenges and responsibilities that you faced.
Further guidance
While the above tips and advice will help you to start preparing for your next interview, these tips do not ensure that you are prepared for your specific interview. Our team can provide you with further guidance relating to your next career move. It is worth remembering that interviews can vary hugely internationally as well as across law firms and roles. Thomson Legal can help you prepare for your specific interviews, ensuring that you are fully prepared for everything that may come up. Additionally, our team can help calm your nerves to ensure that you are feeling prepared and confident for your next legal interview.
Do you feel prepared for your next interview? Find out how we can help you by speaking to a member of our team.
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