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[Lawstoodent]

Hi everyone!

It's a bit random, but does anyone have any specific things they do in interviews to stand out/ perform well?

 

[elisa08]

Hi everyone! I am a law student from Austria and this is my first year trying to apply for vacation schemes in the UK. I would appreciate any kind of tips or help or maybe someone just want to connect and go through the recruitment process together

 

[Thanks@2025]

Hi everyone!

It's a bit random, but does anyone have any specific things they do in interviews to stand out/ perform well?

Hi, hope you're doing well!

I say this based on both my successes and failures at interviews (both video interviews and ones with a real person).

• For video interviews, Jaysen actually mentioned a great tip in one of his videos, which is taking your energy levels up a notch. If you have energy levels between a scale of 1-10 and normally speak at 5 (according to your own evaluation), take that to a 7 in terms of excitement and enthusiasm. Since you can't bounce off of the interviewer's energy or responses to your answers, think of it as though you're bringing two people's worth of energy into the room.
• With most answers, it is best to use fewer points but go into more detail. We are often tempted to bundle too many things into one answer, but that risks diluting each point and limiting them to the surface level. For example, in a "why this firm" question, it is better to take your two minutes to flesh out two key points as opposed to simply mentioning 3-5 points without elaborating.
• For situational judgment questions, take the interviewer through your thought process. This means not just telling them what you would do in their stipulated situation, but also highlighting all the factors leading to that decision - which stakeholders you consider, which assumptions you make, which limitations you operate under. And if you do make assumptions, also try and tell them what you would do if that assumption were false. Eg: If my colleague is still in the office, I would "...". However, if they have left for the day, then I would "...". This shows that you can also react to curveballs or unexpected drawbacks.
• I always try to utilise the end of the interview to ask meaningful questions (that you would not find through a quick google search) to the interviewer based on their designation. For instance, I ask grad rec members about specific aspects of the training structure that I am intrigued about, or support that trainees get at different levels. On the other hand, I would ask a senior associate why they have specialised in their specific field and not switched (or why they have recently switched, if that is the case). I would ask partners questions regarding their thought process or experience during any recent changes or growth the firm might have had, or what motivates them now that they have already reached such an advanced stage in the corporate ladder.
• I always try to make interviews as conversational as possible. I do this by asking the interviewer if I can clarify anything, or using rhetorical questions at times in my answers (which makes the other person feel more included in your process and answer). I also try to smile as much as possible and pick up on things they say at the beginning to use in my own questions. (for example, if they mentioned a recent deal they worked on or a new initiative they are excited about).
• I have found that my answers have always been stronger if I add structure at the start and end. For instance, I use phrases like "I found this deal interesting for 2 key reasons. First, ..., second, ..." or "To conclude, these are the three reasons why I want to be a commercial lawyer". Adding structure was in fact the defining factor that I think helped me clear video interviews after my first cycle.

Lastly, as a general point, try to head into interviews with a relaxed, excited mindset. It is an incredible opportunity to get to be in those rooms and conversations with industry leaders, and no matter what the outcome, you have the chance to leave the room with more wisdom and knowledge about the industry. All the best, I hope this helps!

 

[Thanks@2025]

Hi everyone! I am a law student from Austria and this is my first year trying to apply for vacation schemes in the UK. I would appreciate any kind of tips or help or maybe someone just want to connect and go through the recruitment process together

Hi, it must be a daunting process going through all these forums and seeing an overload of information when you're just starting out. For starters though, I would suggest doing these things:

• Introspect and figure out why you want to pursue commercial law. Look at your background, educational journey, professional exposure, extra curricular activities, or general points of curiosity to figure this out. The aim is to come up with an answer that (a) does not apply to other careers, and (b) is unique to you and your journey as opposed to other candidates (even your friends or classmates. This will be the backbone of your application journey, and you should try to put this down in about 200-250 words as well as practice saying it to people (classmates, friends, family, colleagues- anyone really)
• Once you have figured out why commercial law, read up on the different practice areas there are, such as M&A, litigation, IP, employment, finance, private equity, etc. Platforms like TCLA and Chambers Student are great sources for this. Your interest in practice areas can be from your university courses, work experience, extracurriculars, volunteering, or personal life. The more your interest is based on your existing journey, the better. This is because your journey will then help you demonstrate your interest. Select 3-5 such practice areas.
• Then, go to lists like Legal 500 or Chambers and Partners to see which firms lead in those practice areas. Don't stop at the highest tiers though, because a higher tier ranking does not always mean the best work. Often firms do incredible work in much smaller teams, which leads to a lower ranking than firms that do a larger volume of work in that area which may not interest you as much. This is where you shortlist firms to apply to and build the ability to send out a large number of applications. Instead of applying to 25 firms for 25 different reasons, you now have 3-5 practice areas which these 25 firms specialise in. Your motivation to apply to these firms is therefore at least partly the same. The only thing you then have to do is to figure out how each firm differs in those practice areas than their competitors, and how that specific point of difference is of interest to you. Additionally, you can research these firms more and find that you like a number of things about them, like their training environment, seat options, secondments, client base, etc. However, the core of your motivation to apply to a firm should be rooted in the work they do, since that is what you will also be doing if you join the firm. Recruiters need to know that you genuinely enjoy doing what the firm does.
• Outside of this, build a bank of 7-8 skills that you have demonstrated through your past experiences (these can be as simple as when you worked in a group to deliver a class presentation; they don't have to be restricted to professional experiences). Use the Context-Action-Result format (which you will find many YouTube videos on) to draft 150-250 word extracts highlighting your contributions that showcased the skill you are highlighting. Note that sometimes, the same experience can be rephrased to highlight different skills. You could have demonstrated adaptability, teamwork, and time-management in the same scenario, so you can definitely tweak your answer to fit each skill by emphasising different aspects of your actions and thought processes.

With this, you will have completed at least 60% of your work on applications and built the foundations on which you can start a strong application cycle. All the best!