Slaughter and May Training Contract Interview 2018

[Jaysen]

Slaughter and May training contract interview, December 2018.

Anonymous poster

Congratulations on your interview!

Slaughters is a really difficult interview to prepare for, not because it is difficult in itself, but because it is unpredictable. I personally had a very conversational, not-so-commercial interview, but I have heard of many others who had structured, extremely commercial interviews.

A few things I would recommend for the partner interview:

• Be confident. This is literally the most important piece of advice I can give. The Slaughters interview is very much based on partners getting a feel for your personality and whether you will fit into their firm. 200 of their 220 partners trained at the firm, so 'fit' is quite important that way. Of course, there is more to your personality than just being confident, but by being nervous and uncomfortable you are definitely not demonstrating that 'fit'. I used to go into interviews thinking I had 'gotten lucky', thinking it was a fluke. That really affected the way I interviewed, and generally made my interviewers uncomfortable. Go into your interview knowing you have everything it takes to be there, and that you 100% deserve to get the job (or vac scheme). That will help make your answers more convincing, your demeanour more relaxed and the interview less stressful generally.
• Have 4-5 large news stories you have been following. I usually pick about 3 massive stories (Brexit, US-China trade war etc) and 1-2 smaller stories that I personally find interesting. You are bound to be tested in some way about your commercial awareness, either in your interview or case study, so knowing about the 3 massive stories shows that at least you are aware about popular and current affairs. Having 1-2 smaller stories is helpful just in case they ask you about something you've been following, and you can talk about a less cliche topic and one that is genuinely interesting to you.
• Know your CV inside out. This sounds really obvious, but you need to know everything you have written on your application form, and thought about all the possible questions that might be asked based on that information. For example, if I wrote I was working at a fintech startup, they might ask me what my role was, why did I choose the startup vs a law firm, what did the startup do, etc. If you've highlighted a specific task you did, eg 'drafted opinion on securitisation', be prepared for questions like 'what is securitisation'. The last thing you want is to look like you've exaggerated on your application form.
• Prepare questions to ask after the interview! My conversation with the partners after the interview went on for quite some time, and I got the feeling they were testing both my interest in the firm and also my ability to hold a conversation. Read some of their latest publications, have a look through what the press has been saying about them and come up with 2-3 prepared questions. The rest will flow naturally.

On the 15-minute article, it is always an opinion piece either from The Times, FT or Guardian. The topic is highly unpredictable, but it will never be anything too technical. Just have a grasp of what the article is about, have a viewpoint, and be ready to defend it.

The case study isn't very difficult. You're given 60 minutes - really plenty of time, as the case study itself is only a few pages long. You have the option to type or handwrite - definitely choose to type, unless you're really fast at writing!

The HR interview is really casual, but still assessed, so maintain your professionalism and answer the questions. I was asked about how I thought I did in the interview, and a couple of motivational questions.

 

[Jaysen]

Slaughter and May TC Interview

Just sharing my experience of my successful Slaughters TC interview for future reference.

The interview consisted of a written case study, 15-minute reading exercise, partner interview and HR interview.

Case study

The case study was fairly straightforward – I was given an hour and this was more than enough time to read, structure and type out 2-3 pages.

I was asked to advise the CEO of a fictitious construction company on three alternative business growth strategies, and to decide which was the best option. There were some very basic graphs and charts given - do not skip over these! They are not difficult to read at all, but your case study will be quite incomplete if you don't synthesise the information from these.

Reading exercise

I had 25 minutes instead of 15 for my reading exercise. It was an opinion piece by the Guardian on changing social habits and shifting demographics. It was not a technical piece at all. I was given a pen and some paper to make notes, and sat in the lounge for this exercise.

Partner interview

The partner interview was with two partners. It was very conversational, and I was not asked any commercial awareness questions. I was also not asked directly ‘why Slaughter and May’. However, I have heard that some partners prefer a more structured and commercial style, so be prepared for both.

Most of the questions were based on my CV and application form, so I would really recommend knowing your CV like the back of your hand and thinking of all the possible follow-up questions that could be based off of your CV. Because I wasn’t directly asked ‘why Slaughter and May’, I tried to indirectly align most of the conversation with my motivation and fit for the firm. Some questions I got included:

• Why your university?
• Why law?
• Explain the disparity between your highest and lowest university grade.
• What was your dissertation about?
• Where else have you applied?

We also discussed the article for about 10 minutes at the end, and the conversation was very much about seeing whether I was quick on my feet when questioned about my opinion. In retrospect, I don’t think any of the answers I gave were technically ‘impressive’, but I was sure not to appear startled or fazed by their prodding, and instead calmly thought about their questions and answered as best I could.

HR interview

The HR interview was very relaxed. Most of the questions overlapped with the questions asked in the interview, and were also based off of my CV. It was in a very relaxed setting - on the couch in the lounge - but it is still assessed so try to maintain your professionalism. I was asked questions like:

• Why law?
• How did you feel about the partner interview?
• How did you feel about the case study?
• Why your university?

 

[Charity Mafuba]

I am in the midst of drafting my CV for the Slaughter and May Training contract application. The rep from Grad recruitment told me that it should be one page
Any pointers for the format etc