Once you’re in the interview, you have an hour to impress. While this might seem daunting, there isn’t actually a lot of time. Among the formalities, resume deep dive and time given for you to ask questions, you need to really make the effort to showcase yourself. While there is no formula to absolutely acing the interview, here are some things I did which helped me put my best foot forward.
Tip 1: Have the Right Mindset – the Silent Hustle Mentality
You would have heard many times – “the interview is just a conversation” and to some extent, this is right. In the interview, treating it like a conversation helps you calm down and remain confident – two traits that are immediately noticed by interviewers when you walk into the room. If you can demonstrate these traits, it is viewed very positively. I have had my share of awkward and unnatural interviews and it definitely is not the position you want to be in. Part of their assessment is based on whether they would enjoy working alongside you, so if there is a natural flow between participants, you’re already halfway there.
But here’s the thing. You’re only halfway there. After all, this “conversation” is an assessment and only half of the candidates progress through each round of interviews. What else can you do?
This method has been tested and works well for me. I call it the “Silent Hustle Mentality”. The concept is simple: be confident, respectful and enthusiastic, but also be ready to seize every opportunity to impress. Be alert to how you can turn every question into an opportunity to talk about yourself, showcase your experience or outstanding qualities. It could be a question about your interests or what you think about the legal industry. In my experience, I found that almost every question that I was asked could be substantiated by talking about my experiences and strengths.
If you aren’t getting the questions you are looking for, be proactive and hustle. Take the initiative to create those opportunities for yourself. You could find the right time to bring up your passion or link it with whatever they have previously mentioned. Make it your mission to talk about all your impressive accomplishments and you will walk out of the interview with a smile on your face.
Tip 2: Practice – the only way
Practice really does make perfect.
Come up with some general questions that will be asked in the interview and rehearse the main points that you have prepared. Being able to deliver a structured and interesting response on command will help to settle any nerves or mind-blanks you have in the interview.
The core questions to prepare for:
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Tell us about yourself
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Why this firm?
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Which practice area are you interested in and why?
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What do you want out of this clerkship?
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Tell us about a time where you faced a setback. How did you respond to it?
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Tell us about a time where you had a conflict and how did you overcome it?
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What subjects did you enjoy in university and why?
Tip 3: It is always Question time
Questions throughout the interview
In the interview, it is always question time. Dispel from your mind the concept that questions are only asked after the formal part of the interview has concluded. To keep your interviewers engaged, follow up their responses with relevant questions. Questions here can be as simple or insightful as you like. A simple example could be “I noticed you mentioned you worked in New York, how was that experience? Are there similar opportunities here?” The primary purpose is to facilitate a more seamless and engaging conversation.
Here’s why asking questions throughout the interview worked for me.
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Interviewers become engaged. Lawyers really enjoy talking about their experiences and what they have achieved. As such, relevant questions that make them excited to respond would reflect well on you as a candidate and potential colleague to work with in the office.
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Breaks the interviewer-led dialogue. The interview will naturally become a conversation if there are questions and ideas being exchanged between parties. It would make you stand out from others who are simply answering questions posed to them and improve the flow of the conversation.
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Takes the pressure off you. Questions initiated to the interviewer at the start of the interview can help you ease your nerves and stay composed. It can also take some pressure off you throughout the interview and prevent you from adding unnecessary “fluff” to your answers.
Questions after the interview
When you reach the end of the formal part of the interview, be prepared to ask a few insightful questions. This is a very important part of the interview as it gives you an opportunity to show exactly what excites you about the firm and the people.
In most interviews, especially second round interviews, you are given a lot of time to ask questions. At one clerkship interview, I was given 45 minutes to ask away. What I learnt was to never try to fill this time with unnecessary and trivial questions. This could reflect badly on you – it may reveal a lack of research and understanding of the firm and its strengths or that you are simply wasting their time. Generic questions could also produce underwhelming impressions of you as a candidate. Remember, the interviewer will only remember the insightful and interesting aspects of the interview. The more uninteresting moments you provide them, the lower your chances are of progressing to the next stage.
While the abundance of time left for you to ask questions may seem daunting, I would suggest asking a maximum of 3 questions.
Confidence goes a long way, so stay strong – Good Luck! If you would like to read more on how to prepare for your interview, read this article.