How to prepare for a legal job interview
Though the legal industry is currently one of the strongest sectors for recruitment growth, job interviews can be a daunting process wherever you are in your career, take a few moments to focus on the following tips from our industry experts. Whether you’re just starting out your legal career or if you are an experienced lawyer with many successful years behind you, having strong interview skills is essential to secure the perfect job.
Highlight your successes
Your Cv is the only initial opportunity you get to demonstrate your expertise to a potential employer so it’s important you the most of it. If you’re a senior candidate with years of experience you should include a couple of career success stories in your CV with some key points about each one. Not only will this highlight your work experience and qualifications, but it will also help build your personal brand and show hiring managers that you are someone they want to work with.
Be knowledgeable about what you have achieved
When writing your Cv you should only mention the jobs you have actually had a significant input in, the ones that you’re willing to talk about in detail. Even if you’ve only mentioned them briefly on your CV, prepare a clear and concise description of each of your previous roles before an interview. Once you have explained these roles, you can ask the interviewers if they want you to go into further detail. It’s likely they won’t, but it shows that you’re articulate and well prepared.
Frame your experience for the role
When going for a new position, it’s essential that you frame any experience you have in a positive that’s tailored to the role. You should always refrain from talking about current or former employers in a negative way as it is extremely unprofessional. For example, if your current role doesn’t offer much in the way of responsibility or mentoring possibilities, frame that experience as a reason why you are now looking to take on more duties in an entrepreneurial role with a smaller firm.
Know what’s going on
Before heading into an interview, its important to research all the latest market developments within the legal industry that might be relevant to the area you work in and let the interviewers see that you are up to date.
Sell your soft skills
It’s extremely important for candidates to strike the right balance between hard and soft skills. It’s not all about technical skills and knowledge, you must demonstrate your ability to handle different stakeholders. This is particularly important for all legal positions and effective lawyers will not only need to demonstrate their legal expertise, but also strong commercial acumen and an ability to partner with multiple teams across the company to help the business develop.
Prepare your questions and your answers
Asking the right questions in an interview can be the most effective way for a candidate to demonstrate their ambition for the role. Please prepare up to 4 questions that will help you decide if the team/job is the right fit for you, if the job is offered. If you ask something to make yourself sound very experienced, then you should also have an answer prepared for your own question just in case the interviewer turns it around and asks you for your opinion. The general rule of thumb is to never ask a question you’re not prepared to answer yourself.
Dress to impress
When going to an in person/online interview for a legal position, the first impression always matters. Candidates should dress professionally and appropriately to let interviewers know they are serious about the position.
Remain calm and confident
You should never feel intimidated if you are being interviewed by a senior partner in a law firm. It is important to remember that they were once in your position as a jobseeker. The success or failure of the interview will largely depend on the rapport you build with the interviewing panel, so don’t be too mechanical and don’t let the interviewers feel like they are pulling information out of you. Be open and conversational and don’t forget to ask them questions.
