This is the thing - the feedback said I was personable, motivated, very enthusiastic and my reasons for the firm were very thoughtful (what they told me on the phone). So it wasn’t like I came across as if I was reading the website
the "buzz words" comment and "over-rehearsed" point more at the form of the answers than their content
probably means that you sound like you have written down the answers to the questions before word-for-word - including all the buzz-words, that normally people do not really include in speech. While structure, flow, and comand of technical terms/buzz words is important, if it is "too perfect" it sounds unnatural.
This is a problem for four main reasons:
- may seem not genuine - everyone is able to memorise a couple of lines and buzz words, which helps if you do not actually mean it
- does not show real communication skills that lawyers need - rarely do you find a situation where you can rehearse exactly what you are going to say
- its is overall unnatural, which "feels wrong" - in the same way as if you were reciting birthday wishes using plenty sophisticated words that you never actually use
The goal should probably be to show that you have thought about
what you were going to say, not exactly
how you were going to say it (beyond maybe some structure).
To improve I would do exactly that - plan with bullet points, not paragraphs.
at least we got a response
