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The training contract interview itself
I have previously done blogposts here on the online application form for training contracts and vacation placements, including typical questions you might be expected to face, as well as valid responses you might wish to give. I have summarised what could be a reasonable approach for the cover letter, as well as a specialised platform for online verbal reasoning psychometric tests (and free material developed pro bono), which we developed in the Legal Awareness Society, a student society at BPP, but totally independent of BPP. I should now like to devote this blogpost to the interview itself. Please take advantage of any mock interviews at your law school or University, as it is said that poor interviews are really obvious, but easy to improve upon. I hope that you find this blogpost useful and interesting.
Virtually all law firms use ‘competency-based interviewing‘ allowing candidates to demonstrate skills based on past experiences, as these thought processes are considered to be a good predictor of future behaviour. They normally begin with a ‘main question’ proceeding onto a ‘probe’ question, in a technique called ‘information funnelling’. The probe questions, in a conversational way, will ask you to elaborate on aspects which you haven’t spontaneously discussed. An interview for a training contract will normally last for 45 minutes – 1 hours. Companies tend to talk about ‘values’, ‘competencies’ and ‘behaviours’ interchangeably; it is very unlikely that in a training contract interview you will be asked technical matters about law (especially if you’re a non-law applicant).
Look around graduate recruitment websites of various firms; for example there’s a very useful video by Anna King, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Simmons & Simmons LLP, on their website here.
The start of the interview may start with your application form. However, screening of CVs normally does not allow subjectivity or bias to creep into your interview, such that a baseline of performance will have been ascertained already by interview stage. The interview will then get to grips with what you’re like as a person, and whether you’re a good cultural fit for that organisation. Interviewers will often be too busy scribbling, so it’s not uncommon for interviewers to show little eye contact!
Companies ask questions based on their job description for all levels of the organisation, including a list of criteria of attributes a person needs to have to do the job competently; this consists of behaviours, skills, experience and cultural goodness-for-fit. Job descriptions will be specific for the role and the company (e.g. different law firms, vacation scheme or training contract), so it’s important to prepare for every interview individually. The interview is then designed around evidence-seeking, evidence consists of answers to the questions you’ve been asked, to be subsequently analysed after the interview. Scoring matrices are designed around the criteria for the role, and are considered to be the fairest and most robust way to analyse an interview. An example of a matrix around communication might be as follows:
“Star performer” – 10 points
Demonstrates confidence in their communication – spoke clearly and presented information confidently
Effective – 5 points
Mostly clear and spoke with fluidity – occasionally faltered but on-the-whole quite good
Need for improvement – 2 points
Not effective – demonstrated lack of confidence – mumbled, was unclear or hesitant – or was overconfident (tended to be arrogant, boast about achievements, “me me me“, too long)
A matrix for teamwork might look at the following attributes:
- Flexible and open to new ideas and methods
- Maintains a positive attitude in most situations and makes appropriate adjustments when advised and instructed
- displays cooperation and commitment
- readily accepts responsibility
- quickly adapts to change
- conflict-resolution
- shares information
- individual (self) vs. team (other) mindset
- diplomatically states opinions/position
- is personal style compatible with company/group culture?
Another scoring matrix might look at the following attributes for leadership.
- influence on others
- relationship focus
- ability to gain respect of others
- ability to discern/make good judgments
- serving mindset/attitudes
- creativity – readily offers ideas
- committed to learning
- takes initiative/is proactive
- work/life balance
Interviewers are looking for enthusiasm about the organisation (clients, achievements, market context, general business knowledge/commerciality), and a good understanding about the organisation. It is insufficient to know pockets of knowledge, but it is essential to link knowledge in a succinct manner. Here is a previous post on this blog about commercial awareness.
Check
- who are you seeing?
- which office you are at?
- what time do you have to get there by? are there any disruptions planned?
- is your suit ready? are your shoes polished? (a suit is obligatory and is immaculately presented)
- will you be a good Associate or solicitor? (first impressions are vital – you must look as if you’re somebody a Partner would be happy to go to a client meeting with)
- why do you wish to work for a particular organisation (defined on the basis of who there is, what do they do that makes them stand out, their position within the client market, where are they?)
Reading blogs or an article commentary in Charonqc, Legal Week or Lawyer 2 be may be useful. Contributing to blogs can also be useful, to help your understanding! Companies care about how you synthesise this information at a personal level, as it’s a key skill for you behaving with clients professionally.
Listen to the question actually asked. Do not answer what you have prepared if it’s at the expense of what is actually asked. Speak clearly and concisely, with a good structure. Think about the situation overview, the tasks which had to happen for an action to take place, and then what was the outcome/results. Do not answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ without some qualification or background. If you do not understand the question, you should ask the interviewer what they mean; e.g. you could offer to repeat or paraphrase the question (this could even allow you some ‘thinking time’).
Look up the shared values of the firm that you’re applying to. Try to think of examples that you can give for, which could have resulted from your own experience. Here are key values from Eversheds for example:
Our vision
To be a great place to work and the most client centred international law firm.
- Client centred
We will look after our clients’ interests as if they were our own. We will deliver levels of service and build relationships that are second to none.- Straightforward
We will be straightforward, open and honest in all our dealings and we will act with utmost integrity.- Teamwork
We will place the firm’s interests ahead of the agenda of any individual. We will act as one firm, recognising the different important contributions we each make.- Mutual respect
We will take care of each other and we will treat everyone with respect, fairness and courtesy. We will recognise the need to balance personal and business lives.- Accountability
We will take responsibility for problems and strive to always find solutions to the issues faced by our clients and colleagues.- Continuous improvement
We will embrace change and challenge the status quo, always seeking to find better ways of doing things.
Make sure
- that you’re polite throughout;
- that you’re not too early as the reception will need to alert people that you’ve arrive;
- that you’re comfortable with shaking hands;
- that you thank the interviewer for their time;
- that you do not sit before your interviewer, or take your jacket off without being asked;
- that you keep eye-contact with all people in the room (not just the interviewer);
- that you do not slouch.
This is an independent blogpost, and nothing to do with BPP (including their Careers Service), or any specific law firms. Students may use this information at their own risk, and the information is only provided out of goodwill, and for educational purposes.
Examples of practice for online verbal reasoning test questions: useful practice for training contract applicants
In the article below, none of the exemplars have been written by or in collaboration with any testing provider. Candidates are advised to look at their learning materials carefully.
In some verbal reasoning tests, you are usually provided with a passage of information and required to evaluate a set of statements by selecting one of the following possible answers:
A – True (The statement follows logically from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
B – False (The statement is logically false from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
C – Cannot Say (Cannot determine whether the statement is true or false without further information)
This presentation is on the verbal reasoning test.
In the example below, you might give your answer to each question by clicking on either A, B or C. You will be told whether your answer is correct or not.
Example passage:
Over 60 years ago, evolutionary biologist Bernhard Rensch calculated that males are typically the larger sex in big-bodied species such as humans, whereas females outdo them in small-bodied species such as spiders. Now it turns out that many plants obey Rensch’s rule too. Most plants produce both male and female sex organs, but around 7 percent are dioecious, meaning individuals are purely male or female. Recent results provide that female stems also must be large enough to display the fruit and support the animals that spread the pollen or seeds. If metabolism, predators or climate promote the evolution of smaller plants, however, males can shrink because their gametes are smaller.
Examples of questions might be:
1. Over 80 years ago, Bernard Rensch calculated that males are typically the larger sex in big-bodied species.
CANNOT SAY – the passage says that Bernard Rensch calculated this over 60 years ago, but it is not possible to say from the passage whether he calculated this over 80 years ago.
2. Around 7% of plants are dioecious, but it is not necessary for female stems to be large enough to display the fruit.
FALSE – whilst the first part of the statement is true according to the passage, the second part of the statement is clearly false, making the entire statement false
Here are example questions with a business theme.
QUESTION
Business schools and venture capital firms have long organised entrepreneur-in-residence programs, tapping seasoned founders for a year or two to mentor students or evaluate potential investments. Now U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are launching what it calls its own “Entrepreneurs in residence” initiative, to bring business leaders and academics into the agency to meet regularly with officials to improve the visa process. The goal is to “capture the full power of the laws that currently exist to attract talent to spur entrepreneurial growth, to maximize innovation – all for the benefit of our economy and the American worker“, according to agency director Alejandro Mayorkas. Specifics on the push Mayorkas announced today are still being hammered out. Names of the participants and mechanics on how the in-person meetings will work have not been announced yet, though the organiser expects to do so in the next week or so.
Venture capital firms have only recently been involved in organising entrepreneur-in-residence programs.
FALSE. The passage states that venture capital firms have ‘long organised’ such programs.
Names of the participants and information about how the in-person meetings will work will be announced within the next week.
CANNOT SAY. The passage provides that it is expected that this information will be provided within the next week, but it is not definitely the case that the information will be announced within the next week.
QUESTION
The number of so-called contingent workers has not been measured since 2005, when the Bureau of Labour Statistics last calculated the population. And now that the bureau has requested funding to resume the headcount, the Freelancers Union advocacy group is calling for changes in the way these workers are labeled and how their contribution to the U.S. economy is being measured. In a new policy paper, the Freelancers Union argues that the government is “ignoring a crucial, and growing, segment of the economy that is transforming the U.S. workforce.” The BLS’s ‘contingent work supplement’ was discontinued six years ago due to lack of funding. That year, contingent workers, which the BLS defines as labourers who consider their jobs temporary, made up about 4 percent of total employment.
‘Contingent workers’ are workers for work for an organisation on a non-permanent basis.
CANNOT SAY. This is in fact a valid definition of ‘contingent workers’, but this definition is not provided in the passage.
The BLS’ ‘contingent work supplement’ was discontinued a month ago due to lack of funding.
FALSE. This supplement was discontinued six years ago.
QUESTION
Small business owners are suffering from an economy hurt by reduced consumer? spending and stagnant growth, according to a new survey by the National Small? Business Association, a Washington, D.C., trade group. More than one-third say they aren’t confident about the future of their business from a financial perspective. Eighty-eight percent anticipate a recession or flat economy in the next year, an increase from 78 percent six months ago. Forty-five percent expect no growth opportunities in the coming year, up from 40 percent in December. Given the ongoing economic difficulties the U.S. has faced the past three years, small business owners overwhelmingly cited economic uncertainty as the most significant challenge to the future growth and survival of their business, according to the report.
Small business owners are suffering from lack of bank loans.
CANNOT SAY. Consumer spending and stagnant growth are cited as causes of hurt for small business owners, but one cannot exclude the possibility of small business owners suffering from lack of bank loans.
Six months ago 10 percent anticipated a recession or flat economy in the next year.
FALSE. Six months ago 78 percent anticipated a recession or flat economy in the next year.
To access lots of free materials, including factsheets and videos on psychometric tests, please go to the ‘Legal Recruit’ website.
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