Thank you so much!Oh don’t worry about it at all, you’ll get proper training and it’s normal to make mistakes in your first two-three months. It gets better every month and people are very understanding and will guide you. I made lots of mistakes in my first months and people were super helpful whether it’s other paralegals trainees or associates. I understand the imposter syndrome feeling as I felt it until I started going to work for a few days when I started by first legal job and I’m also an international with a different accent but it’s all in our heads, people are usually very sweet and supportive/welcoming and once you start you will be absolutely fine. You will get comfortable very fast and mistakes will reduce everyday, just focus on getting better and make sure you keep a notepad to note down the mistakes the associates tell you about so you don’t repeat them as it’s very easy to forget the points they make especially if it’s your first law job and they may seem minor but it makes a difference overall (I did this and it was very helpful to go back and refer to them when a similar task was given)Lastly, when you hit the three month mark, you’re already a pro
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25
- Thread starter Jessica Booker
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- vacation scheme
- Sep 9, 2024
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Hi @ashwright and huge congrats on getting to the interview stage 🥳 🥳 I am sure you will nail it! My best advice for you to avoid sounding robotic is to not memorize your answers during your preparation. Instead, I think you should simply aim to remember how to link key competencies/motivations with aspects of a wide set of your experiences, and then to practice as much as you can coming up with good answers on the spot. This way, you will develop the most important interviewing skill of all: an ability to express your thought in articulate manner even if you have not considered the issue in the past. I believe this is essential because (i) no matter how much you prepare, it is unlikely that every single question you will be asked will be one you have memorized an answer for; (ii) even if they are, it is unlikely the exact form and framing of every question fits the specific phrasing you have memorized; and (iii) even if you are extremely lucky in this regard as well and everything fits perfectly, given the nerves you will naturally be experiencing during the interview, it is likely you will inadvertently deviate from your pre-prepared 'optimal' answer, which might then make you overthink the issue and end up derailing your entire performance.Hi guys! Didn't expect to be returning so soon but I am happy to say I am back with some questions
I am happy to report that I have been invited to my first ever(!!!!) interview. It's for an in-house legal internship - perfect for me as I need to build up my practical experience. I'm expecting why us/you/this internship questions, as well as 'talk about a relevant news story'. I'm pretty prepared, but am still working on what to say for a strong 'why this internship' answer.
Nerves are kicking in but I am trying to keep calm by keeping prepared. I'd appreciate any advice on approaching interviews - I worry about staying calm, remembering what to say, and not sounding like a scared parrot! As always, I would really appreciate any advice ☺
More generally, to keep calm on the day, I have two central pieces of advice: to focus on doing well, not on being perfect, and to aim to speak at a slower pace. I have explained these two tips in a lot more depth in a previous post, I will quote it bellow:
My top tip would be to focus on doing well and not on being perfect. Many people go to ACs thinking they need to blow away the partners and the recruiters to succeed, but I think this is the wrong attitude to have. First of all, while your achievements and skills might be impressive for this stage, it is quite unlikely you will manage to overly impress anyone no matter how hard you try - you will know a lot less about any given commercial law subject than lawyer in the firm. Secondly, this attitude will make you feel even more stressed than you would normally be and will therefore likely impact your performance. If you will be assessed for a total time of a few hours, it is impossible to be perfect in every moment. When you notice an imperfection in an answer, the right reaction is to acknowledge it but then to move past it and make the best of the rest. Instead, the overly perfectionistic candidates tend to stress about it a lot more than they should, and in attempting to fix the initial mistake they do a lot more harm to their progression chances. People with this mindset thus often end up creating negative feedback loops for themselves: they make a small error, then they begin overthinking it, which decreases their self-confidence, which impacts their next answer, which in turn further intensifies their anxiety; a series of events which can end up completely derailing one's performance.
To avoid this, instead of aiming to excel everywhere, I would simply aim to perform well - to do a good job on every task and score well on every relevant assessment criterion. This boils down to using your preparation to make decent substantive points and communicate them in a clear and confident manner. If you manage to do this you will have performed better than the majority of candidates and in most cases should be enough to get you progressed - it did for me 4/4 times. If you reframe your task in this way, I think you should feel a lot less anxious about it: while perhaps it is difficult to convince yourself that you will pull of an extraordinary performance, you should feel a lot more confident in being able to respond sensibly to tasks and to cover all your bases well.
A final piece of advice I have for calming down on the day and to avoid blanking out is to take your time:
Finally, know that just by getting to the AC you have proven yourself to be one of the very best candidates out of a huge pool, which means you have all it takes to succeed! Best of luck
- Firstly, taking your time before starting your answer. Instead of just jumping into a response the instance the interviewer stops speaking (which is a very natural temptation) take 3-4 seconds to think about and structure your answer. This will significantly decrease the number of times you find yourself blanking out mid-answer or having difficulty finding the right way to end a sentence.
- Secondly, if you have difficulty with finding sensible points for a question, it is perfectly acceptable to request some thinking time - just say 'May I please take a minute to consider my answer?'. In the unlikely case you do not find anything after that, explain that you are unsure what to say; but also walk the interviewer through your thought process of your best guess.
- Thirdly, aim to speak more slowly. When you are anxious, your hear rate goes up and you naturally start speaking at a higher pace, which is problematic in that this simply means taking less time to think as you answer. This naturally reduces how articulate and confident you seem, especially since speaking quickly more often leads you to losing your chain of thought or expressing yourself in unclear language. As such, try to slow down. Also, use strategic 2-3 second pauses in your speech to add emphasis to points and to get valuable thinking time as you are moving between the different parts of your answer.
- Sep 7, 2024
- 473
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Hiya @Maddy
I’d say it’s definitely worth reaching out to Kilburn & Strode’s graduate recruitment team directly before submitting an application, just to be sure. I’ve had a quick look through the government’s register of licensed sponsors for skilled workers (you can find it here if helpful), and I can't see them listed. That said, the list can be a bit tricky to navigate and things do change (and the mere fact that an organisation is on the list doesn't mean they will automatically sponsor), so I’d still recommend confirming it with the firm directly before making any decisions about applying. Hope that helps and good luck if you do end up applying!
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Does anyone have any insights into the Payne Hicks Beach TC AC? Thanks very much in advance!
Paul Hastings first stage interview invite for their PHirst scheme ?!
I've already accepted a summer scheme during their placement - do you think I could ask to be considered for the DTC route for Paul Hastings instead?
I've already accepted a summer scheme during their placement - do you think I could ask to be considered for the DTC route for Paul Hastings instead?
Hi, I did an AC there last year and made it to the final interview (unsuccessful after that).Does anyone have any insights into the Payne Hicks Beach TC AC? Thanks very much in advance!
I don't know if they will have changed any aspects this year, but this is what it was like last year and sorry if I miss some parts out, I might not be remembering everything.
In the morning it began with an ice breaker activity, which involved everyone individually speaking for couple of minutes.
Then (to be honest I can't quite remember if this was before or after lunch) there were short presentations from different members of different areas of the firm, with the chance to ask questions.
At lunch we networked with some of the trainees.
Afterwards there was a group excercise which was observed by a firm partner/associate - the group excercise was in regard to making decisions for running a business and we were given an information pack on the business.
Lastly, we had to complete a writing task - again we were given an information pack for details etc.
Sorry I can't really remember timings for the group and written tasks!
I emailed to ask what the day would consist of before attending and the HR manager jumped on a short call with me, so I think they are very much open to questions.
Overall I would just say to be yourself and I know it can be hard, but to be confident and to make sure you are keeping up with the news at the moment.
Hope that helps!
hey huge congrats, out of interest when did you apply? and is this the stage after app?
- Sep 7, 2024
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Hiya @abbiewhitlock03
Well done on securing both opportunities! I think @Jessica Booker would have more to add here, but I definitely think it’s worth reaching out to Paul Hastings to ask if you could be considered for the direct training contract route instead. As I've mentioned before, a good number of their trainees have come through that pathway, so it’s not at all unusual. You could simply explain that while you're really interested in the firm and keen to accept, you’ve already accepted another vacation scheme that overlaps with their PHirst scheme, and you’d really appreciate any flexibility they might have to consider you via the DTC route. If they say that’s not possible, then it may come down to which option you feel is better suited to your interests and where you’d most like to train. But it’s absolutely worth asking first.
Best of luck with the interview!
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Thank you!! I applied on the 1st March. Yep I believe so, I haven't completed any tests or anything
Hugeee congrats man! You might be the first person on the forum who has received an interview lmao -- good luck!!Thank you!! I applied on the 1st March. Yep I believe so, I haven't completed any tests or anything
Thank you so much!!
I will definitely contact them and ask about the DTC route - whilst I am keen to be considered for the PH scheme, I am also looking forward to my other summer scheme and I'd hate to renege on the offer so I think asking to be transferred to the DTC route is probably best. The initial interview would also be right after a spring scheme I'm doing, so I don't think I'd be able to adequately prepare for it as well.
Thank you again! I really appreciate your help
Sorry if this comes across as blunt but do you mind sharing how long you have until the interviewThank you so much!!
I will definitely contact them and ask about the DTC route - whilst I am keen to be considered for the PH scheme, I am also looking forward to my other summer scheme and I'd hate to renege on the offer so I think asking to be transferred to the DTC route is probably best. The initial interview would also be right after a spring scheme I'm doing, so I don't think I'd be able to adequately prepare for it as well.
Thank you again! I really appreciate your help
I don't think so, it is just a first-stage interview so I'd imagine that would be later down the line
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some (at least one) people have received ACs, most have been blanked, as of now.
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