Dentons Interview 2019 - 2020

[Jaysen]

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

December 2019

Please specify what the interview was for.

Easer Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

My interview was at 10am, I was able to choose the time when I was told about the interview. It was a 1 hour interview with an external HR representative.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

The interview was roughly 1 hour.
Questions were motivational, and competency based.
One question involved a scenario and we had to say what we would do in that situation.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

The questions were all motivational and competency based questions.
Why Dentons?
How would you pitch Dentons to a client?
What area of law are you interested in?
Tell us about a time that you displayed your organisational skills (along those lines)
Tell us about a time when your organisational skills failed and what did you learn from it?
Tell us about a time when you had to deal with a difference of opinion within a team?
When have you had to display commercial awareness in a situation?
Tells us about a new skill that have you recently acquired? What have you learnt?
When have you had to take your own initiative?
Tell us about a business story that you have been reading recently that will affect the firm?
The scenario question: was roughly about being giving various different tasks during the day even though I was already busy doing an important task for my supervisor and they were out so I couldn't contact them and I had to identify how I would handle the situation or something similar.

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

Make sure you know Dentons back to front. Because you will need to link back every question to the firm.

I would say have various different scenarios prepared that will apply to various competency based questions.
Make sure you have one team example, one commercial awareness example, one taking initiative example, one organisational skill example. If you have those prepared you can find it easier to apply scenarios to different questions that you weren't expecting.

It is okay to ask for a minute during the interview if you need time to think after being asked a question. I found that helped collect my thoughts and think about an answer.

Because the interviewer is an external HR representative the interview can come across quite rigid and structured which makes it difficult to make the interview flow. But don't be thrown off by this. Just make sure you are as enthusiastic as possible. But it is something to be aware of.

In my feedback I was told that I didn't apply my scenarios to being a trainee, or explaining what skills I had learnt and applying it to Dentons.

Were you successful?

No

 

[Jaysen]

Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.

December 2019 and January 2020

Please specify what the interview was for.

Easter Vacation Scheme 2020

Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.

1) HR INTERVIEW: 45 Minutes. If successful at this stage then,

2) ASSESSMENT CENTRE:

9.15am- Arrival
9.30am- Briefing from Graduate Recruitment
10am- 11.15am- Case Study and Interview
11.30am- 12.45pm- Written Exercise and Role Play.

Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.

HR INTERVIEW:

This consisted of simple motivational and competency based questions with a member of the graduate recruitment team. It was very relaxed and lasted about 45 minutes. As long as you have a few examples for competency questions and have researched the firm, you will be fine.

ASSESSMENT CENTRE:

After the initial briefing from Graduate Recruitment on the structure of the day and what to expect, we started the day.

Case Study and Interview:

This was my first exercise. There were 10 of us in total and 5 of us did the case study and interview first whilst the other 5 the written task and role play. We had 5 minutes to read page which detailed the case study, concerning a majority shareholder of a fruit farm who had enjoyed small supplier contracts, and was now entering a contract to supply with a [redacted]. This would require additional financing, and more staff. During this 5 minutes we were asked to consider the following questions for discussion with the partners in the interview:

- What may the majority shareholder want to know from you and what additional information do you need from him?
- What are the different financing options? (i.e. debt financing, equity financing etc)- for this commercial awareness is key! and you will be asked follow up questions. For example as i mentioned both equity and debt financing, I was asked to explain the strengths and weaknesses of each.

I then went into the interview ready to begin discussion on the case study which lasted about 50 minutes. I first explained what I may want to know further, e.g. the share held by other shareholders as this may have an affect on decision making powers.
After this I was asked as explained above about the different financing options. If they are looking for a particular answer, they do try and guide you by probing. I was asked about what I would advise the majority shareholder on what would be the most important things to look out for in the [redacted]- e.g. [redacted]. I was asked about what securities a bank may have when giving out a loan- I struggled here a bit as they were talking in reference to charges which is something you don't learn about until the LPC but as long as you attempt to answer, you will be fine, and they will try guide you without giving answers.

We then had about 10-15 minutes running through some competency questions which are listed below, and I had the last 5 minutes to ask questions. The competency questions part is very short, perhaps because many questions were already asked at the HR interview.

WRITING TASK AND ROLE PLAY:

Both the writing task and role play are on the same issue. A car hire company wanting to expand into either [redacted] and offer either the opportunity to rent a car or car club. During the first hour, you need to write an email detailing the reasons for your choice on which options you would advise are more suitable for expansion in terms of both the location and the type of car hire to be offered. You are presented with documents to help you do this and must make your decision based on these. Two times during the task, you are randomly presented with further information that you must consider.

The role play consists of you acting as a business analyst (lasts about 15 minutes) and advising on expansion. You aren't allowed to take in all the documents you were provided with, but you can take in your typed email. I was challenged and asked if the directors were opposed to your advice and prefer the other location for expansion and other type of car hire, how would you approach that situation? I was also asked what further information I may need to know.

Please list any interview questions you were asked.

HR INTERVIEW:

- Why Dentons?
- Why Commercial Law?
- Give an example of how you have demonstrated your commercial awareness.
- Tell me about a recent news story and how it affects the firm.
- How does the role of a trainee differ from a partner?
- Tell me about a time your organisational skills failed you.
- Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for someone.
- When did you learn something new?

PARTNER COMPETENCY INTERVIEW:

- Why Dentons?
- How does Dentons differ from its competitors and how do you know this?
- What would you say is unique about us which from a client perspective, would make them choose us?

What is your best advice for each aspect of the assessment on the day? Please break this down for each assessment. This can include advice for preparation, as well as tips for the day.

HR INTERVIEW- don't be afraid to ask for a minute to consider a question. Better to think about it then to give a unsatisfactory answer. Make sure you know about Dentons' unique selling points.

ASSESSMENT CENTRE:

Case study and interview- the banking case study is quite technical but try your hardest and this is where your commercial awareness is tested the most. Don't be afraid to as for clarification if you are unsure about something.

Writing task and role play- When choosing the best option for expansion of the fictitious company, focus on the most important factors- e.g. differences in cost based on choices made in regards to expansion. This is because there is lots of information presented and it will not be possible to address all the points. In the role play, they will try challenge you, but as long as you argue your case well, you should be fine.

Were you successful?

Yes