How to ace your Training Contract Interview!

Arriving at your training contract interview is a huge milestone. You’ll have survived the application process, now the interview!

Throughout my years as a legal recruiter, I have come to realise that while some people are inherently confident about their interviewing skills, most people get very nervous about interviews. Thus, for the vast majority of us, it goes without saying that interview preparation is essential, helpful, and absolutely necessary.

A training contract interview can be a nerve-wracking event. That’s why preparation is vital to boosting your confidence ahead of the day.

Most training contracts interviews have several stages from telephone screening, assessment centers or you might be invited to a final interview after the assessment center. It might be a combination of both.

I thought it would be useful to share the content of a presentation, I made when I was asked to take part in this discussion for the Law Society.

Building Rapport During your Telephone Interview – sounds crazy but this matters!

Unlike face-to-face interviews, you will not be able to physically see your interviewer in a training contract telephone interview. This arguably creates more of a challenge in terms of building rapport.

As a result, it’s important to think about alternative techniques you can use to create a positive connection between yourself and your interviewer during your training contract telephone interview.

These may include:

?  Establishing whether there is any common ground between you and the interviewer which can be used in a way to positively engage with them.

?  Smiling! Even though your interviewer won’t be able to see you, smiling will help to relax you. This will help you to feel and come across in a more confident and responsive manner during the interview.

?  Keeping notes to a minimum. Do take advantage of being able to have notes available but limit them to a page so you are not distracted by reams of paper during the interview. Such distraction is likely to interrupt conversation flow, thereby eroding the rapport.

 Training Contract Telephone Interview Questions – questions that are most commonly asked, could be worth having some answers prepared!

Why have you applied to this firm? –

What news story has caught your eye recently?

What other firms have you applied to?

Tell me about a time you’ve had to work as part of a team?

Tell us about a time you’ve failed?

Training Contract Interview Questions to Prepare for – Try not to do a blanket approach on these, it will stand out a mile! Research is key!

Why do you want to be a lawyer?

Why do you want to train with us over our competitors?

Where else have you applied? How are your other applications going?

If you were a trainee with us, how would you get involved and make yourself stand out?

Commercial Awareness Training Contract Interview Questions – don’t let this one slip by! Firms will want to know you have done your research!

Tell us about a recent legal story that you’ve been keeping up to date with, and how it has progressed?

What do you know about the ways we engage our clients?

What do you see as the main challenges facing city law firms today?

Preparing for a Competency-Based Interview – The best advice I could give anyone is practice, practice and that’s right practice!

First and foremost, competency-based interview questions are usually open-ended with the goal of having the interviewee describe a relevant situation or experience. Questions will typically start with prompts like, ‘Tell me about a time when…’ You will be expected to elaborate on a specific scenario and ultimately relate your answers to why you’re a valuable and relevant candidate for the position.

Examples of common questions:

?      Tell me how you’ve taken on leading a project.

?      Describe a difficult situation you’ve encountered and how you solved it.

?      Can you give an example of a time when you led a team?

?      Describe a time you’ve had to deal with conflict and how you resolved it.

Securing a Training Contract can be an emotional rollercoaster! Find the energy to remember you have already achieved so much! From the second you graduated, remember this moment will not define your journey to become the outstanding solicitor you will one day be. You might not secure the training contract from the first interview, the second, or even the third, but it will come. Just keep going!

Rejection isn't the end, just a step on the path!