Hearing Back from Firms + AC & Interview Tips Share - 2018 - 2019

[Amanda]

I’ve just received an interview invite for Katten!! Yay If anyone has done a VS or interview with them I would appreciate any help!! Although I do understand their London office is quite small.

Hi Madison, I know this was a while ago-but did Katten aknowledge they received your application after you had applied and how long did they take to get back to you ?
Well done om thre interview

 

[Salma]

A massive good luck to those starting their vac scheme on Monday!

Some excellent advice from @Lawgirlxo and TCLA’s official vacation scheme guide has been released, have a read here -

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/vacation-scheme-top-tips.1371/

 

[TheCustardPants]

Fantastic news, well done!

Thanks Jaysen!

 

[wwood]

In the hope of keeping this thread as honest as possible and showing both the good and the bad, I wanted to share I was sadly rejected by Slaughter and May for a TC today. I’m gutted as I felt quite invested with them as a firm having attended multiple events and even had coffee with one of their lovely trainees I had met at one. However, onwards and upwards and I’m going to take onboard their feedback and ensure I do as well as possible in my upcoming vacation schemes! Just a reminder to anyone who’s also feeling a bit deflated, one day we will look back when we have a TC and curse the days we spent worrying and stressed out about the future. Hope you’re all having a good day and keep going!

S&M is SUPER hard to get in. I got rejected twice and stopped bothering to apply LOL
In fact none of my classmates in my law school ever got in! Don't feel bad about it, given your dedication, I'm sure you'll have an amazing offer soon from an equally amazing firm! And yeah totally agree w your last sentence - that's what's keeping me going!

 

[wwood]

Hey, guys. Well done to everyone who has received VC/TC. I am a bit disappointed with my journey this year. I had three interviews so far: Slaughter and May, MoFo and Goodwin. All ended up with rejections. I really think that either I am doing something wrong or I am extremely unlucky. My first ever interview was with Slaughter and May which ended up being a rejection (not a surprise as I was so nervous). The second one was with MoFo and I understood the mistakes I've done there and tried to work upon that. But the third interview with Goodwin was a surprise as I actually thought it went well. My point is, would any of you be willing to talk me through one of your successful interviews (I would be forever grateful) as I feel like I am clearly doing something wrong but I don't know what. I have an Assessment Centre with Milbank in April and that's basically my last shot. Thanks a lot for anyone who'd want to take the time to help me and a round of applause for everyone's hard work this year.

Not sure if this helps. My sister is an associate recruiting interns for her law firm. She's not working in those firms you guys are applying for, but what she said may apply to all recruiting processes: often people form an impression of you in the first 5 minutes when you give your self-introduction.

If they like you, then even if you mess up a bit in the interview later, it won't affect your chances. So I think being personable and making them like you is very important, once they stand on your side, they'll go easy on you. If they don't like you, they may reject you based on really minor problems/stupid reasons.

Also, I have another friend who's a consultant at a local law firm. He interviews law students. He says the most important thing for him is confidence, because it's impossible for a lawyer to know everything, but clients expect lawyers to know everything. So being calm and collected when answering questions is very important.

Hope that helps!!

 

[Jaysen]

Hey, guys. Well done to everyone who has received VC/TC. I am a bit disappointed with my journey this year. I had three interviews so far: Slaughter and May, MoFo and Goodwin. All ended up with rejections. I really think that either I am doing something wrong or I am extremely unlucky. My first ever interview was with Slaughter and May which ended up being a rejection (not a surprise as I was so nervous). The second one was with MoFo and I understood the mistakes I've done there and tried to work upon that. But the third interview with Goodwin was a surprise as I actually thought it went well. My point is, would any of you be willing to talk me through one of your successful interviews (I would be forever grateful) as I feel like I am clearly doing something wrong but I don't know what. I have an Assessment Centre with Milbank in April and that's basically my last shot. Thanks a lot for anyone who'd want to take the time to help me and a round of applause for everyone's hard work this year.

To add to what @wwood said, receiving three post-interview rejections isn't that uncommon, especially when those firms are extremely competitive and take few trainees. Have you been able to receive feedback from the firms? It could be the case that you are doing something 'wrong', equally it could be the case that you are a good candidate and you just need to keep at it. Why is Milbank your last shot?

 

[JoNo]

To add to what @wwood said, receiving three post-interview rejections isn't that uncommon, especially when those firms are extremely competitive and take few trainees. Have you been able to receive feedback from the firms? It could be the case that you are doing something 'wrong', equally it could be the case that you are a good candidate and you just need to keep at it. Why is Milbank your last shot?

I have an upcoming Baker McKenzie video interview and I am bit stuck on what questions they may ask me!

This is my first-ever VI, I would really appreciate help if anyone has done the VI recently.

 

[Deleted member 970]

If anyone has done a second-round Bristows interview and case study, I would really appreciate some advice! Thank you!

 

[Roland]

I have an upcoming Baker McKenzie video interview and I am bit stuck on what questions they may ask me!

This is my first-ever VI, I would really appreciate help if anyone has done the VI recently.

Have pm'd you!

 

[MB1996]

Has anyone done a Baker Mckenzie VI? I have an upcoming VI, and as this is my first ever VI I would really appreciate some help on questions they might ask.

 

[maria.j]

Not sure if this helps. My sister is an associate recruiting interns for her law firm. She's not working in those firms you guys are applying for, but what she said may apply to all recruiting processes: often people form an impression of you in the first 5 minutes when you give your self-introduction.

If they like you, then even if you mess up a bit in the interview later, it won't affect your chances. So I think being personable and making them like you is very important, once they stand on your side, they'll go easy on you. If they don't like you, they may reject you based on really minor problems/stupid reasons.

Also, I have another friend who's a consultant at a local law firm. He interviews law students. He says the most important thing for him is confidence, because it's impossible for a lawyer to know everything, but clients expect lawyers to know everything. So being calm and collected when answering questions is very important.

Hope that helps!!

This really helps. Thanks a lot for the reply. I actually thought that one problem is that I am too nervous during the interview. I'll try to calm myself beforehand and just be confident. Thanks a lot!

 

[Mimi]

Update from Travers Smith regarding direct TC apps - they're only going to start looking at apps now and will hold interviews in the coming months

 

[Sandrou]

Hey, guys. Well done to everyone who has received VC/TC. I am a bit disappointed with my journey this year. I had three interviews so far: Slaughter and May, MoFo and Goodwin. All ended up with rejections. I really think that either I am doing something wrong or I am extremely unlucky. My first ever interview was with Slaughter and May which ended up being a rejection (not a surprise as I was so nervous). The second one was with MoFo and I understood the mistakes I've done there and tried to work upon that. But the third interview with Goodwin was a surprise as I actually thought it went well. My point is, would any of you be willing to talk me through one of your successful interviews (I would be forever grateful) as I feel like I am clearly doing something wrong but I don't know what. I have an Assessment Centre with Milbank in April and that's basically my last shot. Thanks a lot for anyone who'd want to take the time to help me and a round of applause for everyone's hard work this year.

Hey congratulations on the AC/Interviews you’ve had so far. Similar to yourself, and before receiving & accepting my TC - I Interviewed/AC at Slaughters, CC and Jones Day within a week and was rejected off all of them. It could be nerves or it could just be that the firm isn’t the right match; it happens.

What I would say is that do not give up or feel sorry for yourself. You’ve managed to interview at 3 fantastic and highly competitive firms therefore you’re almost there! Try and get some mock interview experiences, record your answers and listen back to them, OVER prepare for the AC/interviews but most importantly, allow your personality to come across by building a rapport.

I later realised that having the grades, experiences etc etc is all good but being personable and having excellent soft skills is crucial when seeking a TC.

In any case, I understand that the feedback you receive is usually generic but I believe if you over prepare, you can rest at ease knowing that you’ve put your best foot forward and the outcome will simply come down to luck and whether you’re a likeable Candidate or not, in my opinion.

I wish you the very best of luck.

 

[ELA]

Hi Everyone,

I just received a Skype interview invitation for a VS at Faegre Baker Daniels. This is will be my first one, so I wondered if anyone could suggest ways to prepare.

The email says the interview should only take about 10 mins!

- Does anyone have experience of Faegre Baker Daniels Skype interviews?
- Any questions I should prepare for?
- Any general tips?

Thanks in advance. This forum has been so helpful already

Elise

 

[Helena]

Hey congratulations on the AC/Interviews you’ve had so far. Similar to yourself, and before receiving & accepting my TC - I Interviewed/AC at Slaughters, CC and Jones Day within a week and was rejected off all of them. It could be nerves or it could just be that the firm isn’t the right match; it happens.

What I would say is that do not give up or feel sorry for yourself. You’ve managed to interview at 3 fantastic and highly competitive firms therefore you’re almost there! Try and get some mock interview experiences, record your answers and listen back to them, OVER prepare for the AC/interviews but most importantly, allow your personality to come across by building a rapport.

I later realised that having the grades, experiences etc etc is all good but being personable and having excellent soft skills is crucial when seeking a TC.

In any case, I understand that the feedback you receive is usually generic but I believe if you over prepare, you can rest at ease knowing that you’ve put your best foot forward and the outcome will simply come down to luck and whether you’re a likeable Candidate or not, in my opinion.

I wish you the very best of luck.

I agree with you Sandrou. It is about being prepared and having those interpersonal skills. Where would you suggest getting more mock interviews over and above those on offer at TCLA? Thanks

 

[D.Cole]

People who interviewed at Slaughter and May, how long did they take to get back to you? My friend got rejected after 10 days at 2am, so I wonder if they send out automatic rejections after 10 days have passed or something!

 

[Abstruser]

People who interviewed at Slaughter and May, how long did they take to get back to you? My friend got rejected after 10 days at 2am, so I wonder if they send out automatic rejections after 10 days have passed or something!

I heard back with my offer 3 weeks after I interviewed, so I do not think it is an automated rejection.

 

[D.Cole]

I heard back with my offer 3 weeks after I interviewed, so I do not think it is an automated rejection.

Wow, well done with your offer! Can I ask how you felt the interview went - like did you feel it went well afterwards? Did they really grill you?

 

[Kelvin]

Hey, guys. Well done to everyone who has received VC/TC. I am a bit disappointed with my journey this year. I had three interviews so far: Slaughter and May, MoFo and Goodwin. All ended up with rejections. I really think that either I am doing something wrong or I am extremely unlucky. My first ever interview was with Slaughter and May which ended up being a rejection (not a surprise as I was so nervous). The second one was with MoFo and I understood the mistakes I've done there and tried to work upon that. But the third interview with Goodwin was a surprise as I actually thought it went well. My point is, would any of you be willing to talk me through one of your successful interviews (I would be forever grateful) as I feel like I am clearly doing something wrong but I don't know what. I have an Assessment Centre with Milbank in April and that's basically my last shot. Thanks a lot for anyone who'd want to take the time to help me and a round of applause for everyone's hard work this year.

Hey, I think it's normal to be disappointed but I wouldn't be too disheartened at all!

I myself experienced quite a few final round TC interview rejections at top-tier firms, and virtually everyone I know has experienced rejection at some point too - it's part of the process when you have so many high-quality applicants competing for a small number of places every year (and an inherently subjective interview process that depends a lot on how your particular interviewers feel that day and whether they can establish somewhat of a connection with you in the short amount of time you interact with them).

I think you should be positive about the fact that you are getting interviews - your credentials and applications must be of a good enough standard for that to be the case, so that's important. All you can do is seek as much feedback as possible from your interviews and work on mock interviews and on improving the areas of weakness (this is not a criticism - everyone can improve!).

In my opinion (and experience), you just need to stay motivated and try as hard as possible to remedy certain areas of your interview technique/substance and the rest (that includes some good luck) will come naturally. Good luck!

 

[Sandrou]

I agree with you Sandrou. It is about being prepared and having those interpersonal skills. Where would you suggest getting more mock interviews over and above those on offer at TCLA? Thanks

Hey, I mainly had family/friends go through mock questions. Aside from that, Rare recruitment are really good but getting onto that program is really competitive too & only open to a selective few who meet certain requirements!

So yes, practicing with friends/family. I went as far as to recording whole interviews and then listening back to them to pick up pros & cons. You gradually see yourself improving.