Top 10 interview tips
updated on 28 July 2009
1. Do your homework
What is the size of the firm? How many partners does it have? What is its turnover? Where are its offices? What are its main practice areas? What reputation does it have? What is its brand or selling point, the thing that stands it apart from other firms? This will be crucial if you are asked why you are applying. Who is interviewing you? Check on the firm's website, in different independent guides and Google them. Are they in the Legal 500? Find out as much about your interviewer as possible. You may find you have a common interest that you can use to establish a link with him/her at the very start of the interview.
2. Know your own CV
Prepare responses to any weak points such as low grades that stand out or previous career choices prior to undertaking legal training. The majority of professional questions will be based on your knowledge as shown on your CV, so if you refer to specific experience, ensure you can talk confidently about it. Give examples to your answers, not anecdotes.
3. Be savvy
Make sure you know what issues are currently affecting the profession should your interviewer want to start off with a few general questions. Hence, have an awareness of the introduction of Legal Disciplinary Practices, the Legal Services Act, the Carter reforms, the slowdown in the housing market and the credit crunch.
4. Have your answers ready
A good interview is like a good exam. You know what questions you are about to be asked and you know what your answers will be. You will always be asked about your strengths and weaknesses, your university choice, your degree and your extra curricular activities. So have concise answers planned. This should ensure that you don't waffle and lose the interviewer's attention.
5. Presentation
This is one of the most important days of your life, so show the interviewer that you are serious and have thought about it. Give yourself plenty of time to get ready, and think about the image that you will be presenting.
Clothing
Have an interview ensemble - ie, a good suit that is preserved only for interviews, along with a good shirt and clean shoes. Jewellery should be kept to a minimum. If you feel you struggle to coordinate a good business look, go along to a good tailor such as TM Lewin or John Lewis, and they will offer plenty of free advice on how to make you look the part as a top-drawer lawyer.
Appearance
Make sure easy things like your hair and nails are taken care of. Always leave a minute or two when you arrive to use the firm's facilities, and check there are no marks on your face or debris from the journey to the office caught in your hair. Use this time to wash your hands, ensuring they are not clammy for the forthcoming handshake.
Luggage
Ask if you can leave your coat and any hand luggage at reception, as you don't want to be wrestling with bags as you walk into an interview room.
6. Be on time
It is inconceivable that you will be late - it is the worst possible impression that you can make. Ensure you know where the interview will be taking place, and that you know how long it will take to get there in the event that the roads are bad or the Tube is down. If possible, arrive some time before the interview, and find a café nearby where you can relax and read through your interview notes. Don't arrive to the actual interview more than 15 minutes early.
7. Handshake
Ever received a bad handshake? The half-shake where someone grabs your fingers? The clammy handshake that leaves you feeling that you need to rinse your own hand afterwards? The vice-like grip that leaves you wondering if you will ever recover the full use of your knuckles? If this happens to you a lot, stop and ask yourself if it is you that is at fault. A handshake is very often a person's first impression of you, so use it. Practice makes perfect.
8. The first 10 seconds
The majority of interviews are decided in the first seconds of contact, when the interviewer makes their initial impression. Get this wrong and no matter how well you acquit yourself under intense questioning, if the interviewer had some reason to feel an initial doubt, the chances are that you will not be successful. You need an easy smile, you need to look your interviewer confidently in the eye as you shake hands and you need to handle the small talk at the beginning of the interview effortlessly. Remember the names of the people who are interviewing you if you were not previously advised of this.
9. Composure in communication
You are likely to have at least two interviewers. Deliver your responses equally; don't ignore anyone. Straight after your interview they will probably have a chat about you, and you don't want one of them to begin the conversation saying how you never made proper eye contact. So don't panic: make good eye contact, keep your delivery steady and don't rush or gabble in your eagerness to get your answers out. Don't look at your watch during the interview. If you forgot to switch off your phone and it rings, don't answer it.
10. Have your own questions planned for the end of the interview
The more questions you have left to ask at the end of the interview, the better. It shows that you are imagining yourself working for your potential employer and are looking at the practicalities. If you think of enough questions beforehand, it is more likely that you will still have a few left unanswered by the end. Don't ask the interviewer for legal careers advice or initiate a conversation about your potential salary and benefits.
After the interview, if you find out that you have been unsuccessful, don't be afraid to ask for feedback. The interviewer will have assessed you for the best part of 60 minutes and can probably provide valuable feedback on your performance so that you can amend your interview performances for the future.
Good luck!
Peter Wright is an associate at Nabarro, a Law Society Council Member and is on the Junior Lawyers Division's executive committee.
