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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Abbie Whitlock" data-source="post: 224244" data-attributes="member: 42112">Hey!I'm really sorry to hear about the CMS rejection, but you should be super proud of being invited to the Reed Smith online assessment - congratulations!Of course, I can share some general tips for the strengths-based interview!In general, it's really important that you are fully answering the question and that any examples you use actually fit with the question. In the past, I used to have a tendency to try to fit my most substantial and 'best' example to each question - however, the graduate recruitment team can usually tell that this is what you are trying to do. I would therefore focus on using the example that fits the strengths question the best (even if it is a less substantive experience) - think about what skills and traits the question is asking you to display, and go with an example that fits that.I would also make sure to utilise the unlimited prep time, as this is really useful to have a clear idea of what you are going to say before you start recording. I wouldn't worry too much about the firm checking to see how long you have spent on prep time - Reed Smith actively encourage you to make the most of it, and I believe I spent around 30 minutes to an hour for each VI question! I would, however, avoid writing a script, as this can end up sounding robotic and could reflect badly on your overall performance. The method that helped me was to write my main bullet points that I wanted to cover on a post-it note, and use the unlimited prep time to practice over and over again. This meant that I could ensure that my answer was fully developed, but I didn't have to rely on notes to remember my answer.There's a video on the TCLA Law Firm Directory that I always recommend, and I'd definitely encourage you to give it a watch if you haven't already - you can find it <a href="https://vimeo.com/1036680373?fl=pl&fe=sh" target="_blank">here</a>.Overall, particularly for strengths-based assessments, the important element is to answer truthfully and be yourself. With strengths-based assessments, they are looking to see how you would handle specific problems, your general working style, and the traits that you naturally possess that would make you a good fit for the firm. I would have a think about what your key strengths are, and how they align with the role of a trainee. If given a hypothetical situation, talk the interviewer (aka your computer!) through each step you would take to address the situation, and how you would use these strengths to aid you in handling any issues that arise.These types of questions are often very reflective and might also ask you a specific question about your working style - for example, in an interview I did for a separate firm, I was asked "What type of person are you under pressure?". I'd just make sure you take a moment to actually think your answer through and reflect on your past experiences, and construct an answer that is rooted in previous examples.I hope that assists - if you have any other questions, please do shout! Best of luck with the assessment <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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