Tips on tackling firm motivation interview questions, from a former Magic Circle recruiter

In this newsletter, ex-Magic Circle graduate recruiter?Hannah Salton?explains how to answer "why this firm?" in an interview. However, before we get started, I wanted to let you know about some updates to our e-learning platform for aspiring commercial lawyers...

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Ex-Magic Circle graduate recruiter?Hannah Salton?worked as a recruiter in the corporate world for eight years, before becoming a career coach. She screened literally thousands of applications and saw a huge mix of great ones, average ones, and ones that were so bad they even got the firm name wrong! So we asked Hannah to provide her top tips for answering "why this firm?" during an interview.

Over to you Hannah...

Tips on tackling firm motivation interview questions, from a former Magic Circle recruiter

Questions that assess your motivation – either for the career path or the firm you’re applying to –?are common at interview stage. But how can you answer firm motivation questions well without gushing? Well, here are four tips to help you tackle questions such as “why specifically have you chosen to apply to this firm?” during an interview.??

1. Build on, but don’t repeat what you wrote on your application form

The?reasons?why?you?have?applied?to?a?specific?firm are?unlikely?to?have dramatically changed application between writing your application and attending an interview. However, it won’t reflect well to recite exactly what you wrote down on your application, as your answers might seem rehearsed, scripted and inauthentic. Plus, in an interview you’re not limited by a word count, so firms might expect a little more detail around your motivations.

Re-read your application to remind yourself of how you originally articulated your motivation. Your invitation to interview clearly indicates that you were doing something right, so this can be a good starting point. But then take the time to think about how you can bring your answers to life when discussing them with an interviewer.

When I interviewed candidates as a recruiter, I liked them to bring in personal details or examples that built on the motivation set out in their application forms, as well as more recent motivators. For example, you could talk about more recent commercial deals the firm has been involved in that have interested you, or explain how you have continued your research on the firm since applying.

?2.?Listen carefully to the exact wording of the question

In interviews, it’s important that you listen to the exact wording of the question being asked. Sometimes recruiters ask motivation questions in a slightly different way, for example, “How would you describe our culture to someone else?” or “What do you think you would enjoy/not enjoy about working here?”. Remember to answer the specific question being asked, and not the one you may have anticipated and prepared for.

3. Reflect on your “why”

For any factor you highlight, you need to explain why that factor is important to you. For example, why is the firm’s culture important to you? Why is the new Hong Kong office interesting to you? What is it about the technology that you find interesting? You need to explain your personal motivation here.

Ideally, you do this by linking the unique selling points back to your personal experiences. For example, maybe you did an internship that had an open culture and you thrived there. Maybe you’re interested in Hong Kong as you studied abroad there. Perhaps you really enjoyed a module you studied at university on innovation and technology.

4. Be real and honest about what’s important to you

The more real you are, the more your motivation will shine. There are no ‘good or bad’ reasons for wanting to join a particular company. What’s important is that you’re genuine, authentic, and specific with your reasons.

Research can help with this, but don’t fall into the trap of feeling like you need to know all the details about everything that has ever been written about the firm. Expressing your motivation is not a memory test! It was always disappointing hearing candidates reel off facts and figures from the firm’s annual report at interview if they couldn’t then articulate why these points were important to them.

And finally…

It may sound cheesy and obvious, but don’t forget to smile. If you’re talking about why you’re passionate about the firm, don’t be afraid to let your energy show.

This is a snippet from Hannah Salton's first book, ‘Graduate Careers Uncovered: Tools and insights from a former recruiter to demystify your job search?, which was originally published in September 2022. To find out more about Hannah’s coaching programmes,?visit?her website?or connect with her on?LinkedIn.

For more advice on how to network and use LinkedIn effectively, check out Commercial Law Academy's?Practical networking and LinkedIn course, which includes a LinkedIn profile deep dive from a LinkedIn expert.

As a reminder,?Commercial Law Academy?offers 20 in-depth courses, covering: insights into legal careers, firm profiles and interview insights, expert advice on writing applications and tackling psychometric tests, dozens of example (verified) successful cover letters and applications, resources to help you prepare for interviews and internships, example interview case studies, practical content to help you understand and confidently discuss commercial concepts and current affairs, plus tips on how to network, negotiate, deliver presentations and write professionally.

Check out this?animated explainer video?for more information!