From @Amy Hillier, future trainee at CC. Thanks again Amy!
General points to mention from my experience would be as follows:
In terms of preparation:
- I genuinely believe you can never over-prepare for an assessment centre. This may not be the case for everyone, but for my second AC (which went well), I compiled and learnt a really thorough database of potential questions under the headings, 'the law', 'the firm', 'competency' and 'commercial'. While I probably went over board with 150 questions (which I can send over if that might help people?), it really made me feel confident and focussed going into the day. Even though I wasn't asked many of those questions which I had prepared specifically, I was able to draw on a huge amount of information and integrate that into my answers.
- Re case study prep - in both of my case studies the focus was on an obviously key industry for that firm. I think it is a safe bet to research any challenges or recent new stories surrounding that industry and be prepared to bring that information forward in the case study itself.
- Don't freak out the day before!! Know that you are not going to be able to cram AC prep the day before and therefore plan ahead accordingly.
- Use Youtube to research the firm, and get a feel for the culture. If the firm has good grad recruitment there will be lots of videos out there.
- Make sure you are comfortable with what you will be doing on the day - read through the invitation email a couple of times, talk to other people who have done an AC there etc. It's all about getting into the right mindset before you have even stepped through the door.
- Do mock interviews.
On the day:
- Re interview - again this will vary from person to person but I really believe interviews can lend themselves to being enjoyable experiences. Treat the interview as an interesting conversation and try to relax into it. I always (wrongly or rightly) feel as though being able to build a rapport with the person in front of you, smiling, relaxing and treating the interview as a natural conversation (albeit structured) goes a long way to impressing the interviewer.
- Re competencies - use the STAR method and prepare your answers.
- Re case study - read the question!! Treat this as a test of how well you can respond to a set task. Use a highlighter to draw out what the firm is actually asking you to do (normally this will be very obvious) and note that down straight away. Not responding to one of the key tasks can be fatal.
- Structure and guide your listener through your thoughts in the clearest way possible
- Bounce ideas off the interviewer and ask their opinion on things where appropriate - remember a case study is essentially a simulated discussion
- Re written exercise - just be efficient, answer the question, have a clear layout and leave time to proofread. Also write like a human and ditch the legalese.
- Re group exercise - keep a close eye on the time!
- Learn from your ACs and always get feedback.
General points to mention from my experience would be as follows:
In terms of preparation:
- I genuinely believe you can never over-prepare for an assessment centre. This may not be the case for everyone, but for my second AC (which went well), I compiled and learnt a really thorough database of potential questions under the headings, 'the law', 'the firm', 'competency' and 'commercial'. While I probably went over board with 150 questions (which I can send over if that might help people?), it really made me feel confident and focussed going into the day. Even though I wasn't asked many of those questions which I had prepared specifically, I was able to draw on a huge amount of information and integrate that into my answers.
- Re case study prep - in both of my case studies the focus was on an obviously key industry for that firm. I think it is a safe bet to research any challenges or recent new stories surrounding that industry and be prepared to bring that information forward in the case study itself.
- Don't freak out the day before!! Know that you are not going to be able to cram AC prep the day before and therefore plan ahead accordingly.
- Use Youtube to research the firm, and get a feel for the culture. If the firm has good grad recruitment there will be lots of videos out there.
- Make sure you are comfortable with what you will be doing on the day - read through the invitation email a couple of times, talk to other people who have done an AC there etc. It's all about getting into the right mindset before you have even stepped through the door.
- Do mock interviews.
On the day:
- Re interview - again this will vary from person to person but I really believe interviews can lend themselves to being enjoyable experiences. Treat the interview as an interesting conversation and try to relax into it. I always (wrongly or rightly) feel as though being able to build a rapport with the person in front of you, smiling, relaxing and treating the interview as a natural conversation (albeit structured) goes a long way to impressing the interviewer.
- Re competencies - use the STAR method and prepare your answers.
- Re case study - read the question!! Treat this as a test of how well you can respond to a set task. Use a highlighter to draw out what the firm is actually asking you to do (normally this will be very obvious) and note that down straight away. Not responding to one of the key tasks can be fatal.
- Structure and guide your listener through your thoughts in the clearest way possible
- Bounce ideas off the interviewer and ask their opinion on things where appropriate - remember a case study is essentially a simulated discussion
- Re written exercise - just be efficient, answer the question, have a clear layout and leave time to proofread. Also write like a human and ditch the legalese.
- Re group exercise - keep a close eye on the time!
- Learn from your ACs and always get feedback.
