Hey guys, I need some advice because I'm not really sure what to do. I've been lucky in securing a fair few interviews this cycle but I've been unsuccessful after all of them. I think my commercial awareness is generally okay, and I don't think I do badly in researching the firms.
I think I fall short in answering the more casual questions (e.g. tell us about yourself) and maintaining a rapport with the interviewers. Basically, I'm not the most social, charming and confident person and I know that commercial law is a 'people' job. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to improve? Or any success stories of people who weren't that confident still securing TCs to give me a boost of confidence? I'm losing hope but I really am determined to secure a TC in commercial law. Thanks in advance
I may not be the best person to answer this (I'm quite outgoing and a people-person) but here's a few things I did at my AC:
1) stayed relaxed and smiled - small step but the most important
2) talked about my personal *non-polished* experiences - so be authentic. Interviewers asked me to talk about a mistake, I said I applied for biochemistry initially and "absolutely hated" the lab job during an internship so it was a bad decision, they had a good laugh. I usually polish up 90% of my experiences and leave like 1-2 examples non-polished, so that my polished answers sound authentic too.
3) appropriate jokes - a bit more difficult, depends on the personality of your interviewer. If they're the poker-face type of person, or if you're not sure about your sense of humour, I'd be careful with this.
4) listened to what they said and showed that I was interested in them - their work, experiences, hobbies. Engage with what they're saying. My interviewer mentioned that he's specialised in ESG, I brought up a recent case in ESG, and we joked about making the world a whole lot better (LOL).
5) advice: don't script your answers or deliberately make yourself sound like a politician or diplomat. Talk normally and use normal conversational language. And if you're an introvert, no need to pretend that you're not one - just communicate clearly, show good respect and friendliness.
Just my two cents!