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Interview Experiences 2019 - 2020 Cycle
Slaughter and May Interview 2019 - 2020
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<blockquote data-quote="Jaysen" data-source="post: 26538" data-attributes="member: 1"><p><strong>Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.</strong></p><p></p><p>January 2020</p><p></p><p><strong>Please specify what the interview was for.</strong></p><p></p><p>Summer Vacation Scheme 2020</p><p></p><p><strong>Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.</strong></p><p></p><p>9.30 am: Arrival (for an interview scheduled to begin at 9.45 am)</p><p>9.40 am: Received news article to read though</p><p>10 am: Taken to interview room</p><p>10-11 am: Interview by one partner and one senior associate</p><p></p><p><strong>Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.</strong></p><p></p><p>News Article: Given roughly 20 minutes to process information from article. Mine was from the Times but I understand they can also be from the Financial Times or Economist. You can take notes, and I would advise it, but not for memory purposes since you'll have the article in the interview anyway; just to make it clearer in your own mind. You'll discuss the article for maybe 20 minutes during the actual interview, though it felt like a lot longer to me...</p><p>Question-based Interview (excluding section devoted to article discussion): Lasted roughly 40 minutes. </p><p></p><p><strong>Please list any interview questions you were asked.</strong></p><p></p><p>I wasn't asked the two main questions I expected and was dreading - namely, why law (since I'm a non-law student) and why Slaughters. The partner was non-law (maths) himself, and quizzed me a lot on the topic I'd chosen for my English dissertation and why I'd chosen to write about a historical romance novelist. Actually a lot of time was dedicated to pressing me on how my dissertation had any relevance to modern life. Not something I'd expected but I enjoyed it a lot! </p><p></p><p>I have a lower grade than the others in my A-levels, so I was asked to explain that. Other, more typical questions in this part of the interview were:</p><p></p><p>- What qualities do I have that would make me a good lawyer?</p><p>- What makes firms different from each other?</p><p>- Example of a time I had to build a relationship with someone I disagreed with</p><p>- What criticism do I think people would level at me? </p><p></p><p>The article discussion was a LOT tougher and had the more 'off the wall' questions, a bit like how Oxbridge admissions interviews can be. I was asked chemistry questions (haven't done that since GCSE) and they were clearly enjoying just asking me whatever came into their heads at the time - I could see that a lot of the questions I was being asked were spontaneous, and I wasn't necessarily supposed to be able to answer them. </p><p></p><p><strong>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.</strong></p><p></p><p>Advice for the interview, and everything on the whole day: CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE. I said some pretty stupid things which in the days afterwards made me want to throw myself off a cliff when I remembered them, and I disagreed with them on a fair number of occasions (gently obviously, but I made it clear I had opinions of my own). I'm not naturally confident but I faked it like mad, which meant that even the stupid things I said didn't, in hindsight, sound as horrible as I feared they did. Confidence also helped me speak more eloquently, so it was more like a conversation than an interview. Of course if you don't know what you're talking about, just say so instead of pretending, but if you DO know, then make sure you sound like it. </p><p></p><p>If you can show enthusiasm about something, it would be great too! I recognise that this is more up to the interviewers' inclinations, because I was lucky enough to get questions which enabled me to work in my love of rowing and historical romance books, and this probably helped to 'humanise' me to them. Don't go on about your hobbies, but I don't think it hurts to show your extracurricular interests. </p><p></p><p>I would advise just making sure you have answers to all the common questions. If there's something you'll obviously be asked about, like in my case a lower grade that doesn't match my other A-levels, be comfortable talking about it. Also, at the start of the interview I was told they'd play devil's advocate and propose things they didn't necessarily believe in, just to let a discussion flourish. This helped a lot. </p><p></p><p>Realistically, I think a massive portion (at least half) of my success is attributable to luck, not intelligence or anything on my part. So don't stress about factors out of your control, e.g. which partner might interview you, or the possibility of getting a horrible question. Stay relaxed and it'll go a lot better! </p><p></p><p><strong>Were you successful?</strong></p><p></p><p>Yes</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jaysen, post: 26538, member: 1"] [B]Please state the month/year you interviewed at the firm.[/B] January 2020 [B]Please specify what the interview was for.[/B] Summer Vacation Scheme 2020 [B]Please give an overview of the day with approximate timings.[/B] 9.30 am: Arrival (for an interview scheduled to begin at 9.45 am) 9.40 am: Received news article to read though 10 am: Taken to interview room 10-11 am: Interview by one partner and one senior associate [B]Please provide a summary of each assessment on the day with approximate timings.[/B] News Article: Given roughly 20 minutes to process information from article. Mine was from the Times but I understand they can also be from the Financial Times or Economist. You can take notes, and I would advise it, but not for memory purposes since you'll have the article in the interview anyway; just to make it clearer in your own mind. You'll discuss the article for maybe 20 minutes during the actual interview, though it felt like a lot longer to me... Question-based Interview (excluding section devoted to article discussion): Lasted roughly 40 minutes. [B]Please list any interview questions you were asked.[/B] I wasn't asked the two main questions I expected and was dreading - namely, why law (since I'm a non-law student) and why Slaughters. The partner was non-law (maths) himself, and quizzed me a lot on the topic I'd chosen for my English dissertation and why I'd chosen to write about a historical romance novelist. Actually a lot of time was dedicated to pressing me on how my dissertation had any relevance to modern life. Not something I'd expected but I enjoyed it a lot! I have a lower grade than the others in my A-levels, so I was asked to explain that. Other, more typical questions in this part of the interview were: - What qualities do I have that would make me a good lawyer? - What makes firms different from each other? - Example of a time I had to build a relationship with someone I disagreed with - What criticism do I think people would level at me? The article discussion was a LOT tougher and had the more 'off the wall' questions, a bit like how Oxbridge admissions interviews can be. I was asked chemistry questions (haven't done that since GCSE) and they were clearly enjoying just asking me whatever came into their heads at the time - I could see that a lot of the questions I was being asked were spontaneous, and I wasn't necessarily supposed to be able to answer them. [B]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.[/B] Advice for the interview, and everything on the whole day: CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE, CONFIDENCE. I said some pretty stupid things which in the days afterwards made me want to throw myself off a cliff when I remembered them, and I disagreed with them on a fair number of occasions (gently obviously, but I made it clear I had opinions of my own). I'm not naturally confident but I faked it like mad, which meant that even the stupid things I said didn't, in hindsight, sound as horrible as I feared they did. Confidence also helped me speak more eloquently, so it was more like a conversation than an interview. Of course if you don't know what you're talking about, just say so instead of pretending, but if you DO know, then make sure you sound like it. If you can show enthusiasm about something, it would be great too! I recognise that this is more up to the interviewers' inclinations, because I was lucky enough to get questions which enabled me to work in my love of rowing and historical romance books, and this probably helped to 'humanise' me to them. Don't go on about your hobbies, but I don't think it hurts to show your extracurricular interests. I would advise just making sure you have answers to all the common questions. If there's something you'll obviously be asked about, like in my case a lower grade that doesn't match my other A-levels, be comfortable talking about it. Also, at the start of the interview I was told they'd play devil's advocate and propose things they didn't necessarily believe in, just to let a discussion flourish. This helped a lot. Realistically, I think a massive portion (at least half) of my success is attributable to luck, not intelligence or anything on my part. So don't stress about factors out of your control, e.g. which partner might interview you, or the possibility of getting a horrible question. Stay relaxed and it'll go a lot better! [B]Were you successful?[/B] Yes [/QUOTE]
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Slaughter and May Interview 2019 - 2020
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