Recruiters, obviously, spend a fair amount of time preparing lawyers for the interviews we arrange for them. After years of working in legal recruitment, here are my top tips when preparing for an interview with a top tier law firm.
Preparation should not be overcomplicated, you should focus on:
1) Initially – research the firm, the partners, the team and the work they do – not necessarily because you will be expected to answer questions on it, no one gets a job for their knowledge of the team, but because it gives you confidence to perform safe in the knowledge you have a good understanding of who they are. Partners also expect you to have done proper due diligence.
2) Revise your CV – focus on reminding yourself what you did on every transaction or matter you have listed on your CV so you can answer questions on it. This is the most important aspect of the interview and therefore where you should spend most of your preparation time. This is also where technical questions will arise from. Also, demonstrate that you understand what service your team/firm was delivering to the client overall, not just your niche role on it. It conveys a more commercial mindset.
3) When answering technical questions – be prepared and expect to be pushed until you cannot answer and when you reach this point do not panic. Understand that from an interviewing partner’s perspective, they cannot determine the extent of your knowledge and understanding until you can’t answer anymore. Reaching that point does not mean you have failed, even if the partners remain stone faced. You may well have exceeded their expectations at the point you fail. Further to that, at the point you cannot answer offer a suggestion based on previous experiences, it demonstrates an agile mind. If you can’t then you can’t and clearly state that and why you feel that is without looking crestfallen.
4) Be prepared to answer why you are interested in their team and why you are interested in leaving where you are. The reality is that in order for a candidate to be progressed to receiving an offer to join, these motivations need to appropriate. A good candidate will have legitimate reasons for their move. If one doesn’t have satisfactory reasons for the move then it can be difficult to present differently. Spend time thinking about this and take advice from your recruiter.
General Hints & Tips:
- In my experience, the best candidates (the ones who get the jobs they want), are those who are able to be themselves and don’t feel the need to try and be something else. They are also extremely easy to work with, value the input of a recruiter and take their advice. I stress, by that I mean their personality is such that they are easy to work with, not simply their ability to work with a recruiter, more that they can work with anyone pleasantly and without fuss. If you don’t fall in to one of these categories, have a think about why. It will help.
- Take your time to prepare – spend multiple sessions preparing, not just the night before. Easier said than done but it is important to perform optimally.
- Remember you are not revising for an exam, it is not about cramming information like a maniac. It’s about doing appropriate preparation to give you confidence to be yourself and perform well.
- Understand that an interviewer, be they in the legal industry or any other, wants to meet people who are enthusiastic about the opportunity. Do not act aloof or as if you are there to be impressed. Partners hate this.
- Avoid dreaded phrases such as, “I’m generally happy where I am, just seeing what’s out there’, or similar interviewing-killing phrases. That may well be true and in top tier legal recruitment it is actually often the case, but that does not mean you say or act like it. Play the game. No partner will progress a candidate, no matter how good they are, if they seem disinterested or demonstrate that sort of attitude.
- Remember there are certain qualities all businesses look for – a positive attitude, a hard worker, good energy, a personality which won’t disrupt a collegiate team, ambition, being team orientated and of course capable.
- Remember that, aside from impressing the partners, you need to come out of an interview knowing whether you are interested or not. Do not save up questions for the end. Ask questions as and when they arise. It gives you the information you need, builds a conversational interview and allows the partners to get a feel for what it might be like to work with you. There is no harm in getting to the end of an interview and when asked, ‘ do you have any questions for us?’, to be able to say, ‘No, I think you’ve answered all I needed to know throughout the interview!”.
Final point, leave the partners under no illusions that you are there to work hard and do whatever is required.
