Esssential reading for anyone attending a trainng contract interview

Read this very useful article on L.C.N weekly to gain an insight into the Assessment Centre process and to practice some of the critcial thinking tests that firms commonly use.

Preparing for interview (part ii)

Here's the next installment of 'preparing for interview'.

As well as the general reading mentioned in part i of this set of posts you also need to be researching the particular employer and the role you have applied for. This research means you will be able to handle the motivational questions that recruiters love to throw at candidates that go a bit like this:

• Why do you want to work for our Firm/Chamber/organisation?
• Why did you apply for this vacancy?
• What do you know about us and the work that we do?

Many people answer these questions a little something like this... "I really love the sound of your organisation as you carry out really interesting work with high profile clients. I particularly want to work for you as you are a prestigious organisation and well thought of in your field."

Giving a generic and vague answer like that won't earn you much respect from recruiters. You need to be showing that you genuinely understand the work that the organisation is involved in and know some of the specifics about them. Perhaps this means having an appreciation of how they differ from their competitors or maybe you've read about a specific client/case/issue that they've been involved with and that particularly interested you because it had links to your dissertation topic. These answers need thinking about in advance and to be supported by genuine knowledge about the recruiter.

**Top Tip**

As well as the employer's website try and read other sites or news articles that mention the organisation and their work. If you've been lucky enough to meet staff from that organisation at a Careers Fair or open day mention it and the impact it made on you or the knowledge you gained. 

For those of you who want to know more about handling this type of question the following articles and websites might help:

TargetJobs

Guardian article

Lawyer2B article

If there is a particular interview question you dread or have no idea how to handle let me know via the comments option below and I'll try and include some advice in a future post.

With great power...

...comes great responsibility.

It may come as a surprise but this mantra doesn't just apply to superheroes. It is equally important for you as you progress to the point of being offered training contracts.

Hopefully you know that The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) sets out the requirements that Law Firms should follow when training a trainee solicitor. This ensures that trainees are treated fairly and have access to a high quality training process that meets the required professional standards. What you might not know is that the SRA have also written a voluntary code of good practice relating to trainee recruitment. As well as addressing the way employers should behave it also contains a section about the responsibilities of the student.

It's worth taking a look at the SRAs Code of Practice (opens as a pdf) to check how you are expected to behave with regards to accepting an offer of a training contract.

Preparing for interview (part i)

Were there any stories in the news over the last week that interested you?

Argue for/or against the right to anonymity for the defendant in rape cases.

What changes would you make to the UKs anti-terrorism laws?

Tell me about a recent legal case that interested you?

How would you handle the above questions at interview? Hopefully you would simply cast your mind back to the latest legal blog or news report that you read and calmly use this information to inform your answer. However, if reading those questions induced panic and resulted in you breaking into a cold sweat then now is the time to do something about it.

A good interview performance requires preparation. As part of that process you need to make sure you are keeping up-to-date on news and legal issues rather than hoping you can cram some key facts into your (potentially nervous) brain the night before the interview. Here are some useful websites that can help you keep your opinions informed and current affairs knowledge fresh and relevant:

• The Lawyer
• Legal Week
• The Law Gazette

It's not just news sites that can be useful, finding blogs that interest you can add an alternative angle to your research. There is also the bonus that you can get some practice at discussing issues and developing your opinion by joining the conversation. Remember to check out how reputable a blog is and their remit before you believe everything it tells you! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• UK Human Rights Blog (published by members of 1 Crown Office Row barristers' chambers)
• Legal Action Group (published by a national charity)
• Technollama (posts are cyberlaw related)
• Employment Law Blog (written by an Employment Barrister)
• Legal Futures (posts relating to ethics, conduct and the future of the legal profession)

Of course there is literally a whole world of blogs and legal information out there. If you know of a great blog or fantastic source of online news why not share it by adding a comment to this post.