Hi, I keep receiving rejections post interview and I am really trying not to lose hope. Rejection post interview hits a lot harder than rejection post online application form. I'm waiting for my feedback, but I am thinking about my approach during interviews, and I would really appreciate some advice.
I have read not to be casual, but to be chatty and show personality. I have tried to show personality, but I am worried that I don't come across serious enough as my personality is naturally bubbly and smiley (not fake, but naturally), and I'm not sure whether to tone it down and talk with less emotion in my voice to be more business like?
Sorry I just feel clueless at this point. Probably overanalysing but curious what sort of tone people go for in their interviews
I also always feel nervous and I think its definitely obvious I'm slightly nervous, but I don't know HOW to not be?!! Do law firms prefer people who just have no nerves? Not sure how to tackle this if that is the case
I am someone who finds it really hard to sit still with a straight face in most situations, and especially when I'm having a conversation with someone (the TCLA team will probably attest to this- I'm always laughing and joking around in our weekly meetings 😅) Probably because of my cultural background as well (I am Punjabi), being expressive about my emotions comes very naturally to me, and I definitely do not tone this down in life, and in interviews as well.
Your personality is a big part of who you are, and it's important that you let this shine through! I always say that while lawyers do serious work there is no obligation for us to always be 'serious' people- trust that you know how to amend your approach, depending on the situation you find yourself in.
The only tip I would like to give you is to evaluate whether you're speaking in an even tone. An issue that I had during practice interviews was that I'd speak too excitedly and not moderate my tone, which would confuse the interviewer about where I was laying an emphasis. While content and delivery are important, tone is the tool you use to convey context to the interviewer and bring your answer together, and it is often ignored and underestimated.
As for rejections- I completely understand what you mean. You put so much more of yourself out there when you take part in interviews so a rejection hits much harder. The only thing I can say is you're doing exceedingly well by posting here and evaluating how you can improve your applications. Securing interviews is no small feat- your achievements are impressive and worthy of recognition, whether they have a positive outcome or not. Learning from these disappointments and growing from them, as you are admirably trying to do, is the only way to move onwards and upwards.
We're all here for you if you need any help with your applications- you've got this 💪