Articles From the Team

Do’s and Don’ts at interview…

Stand out from the crowd

At BCL, I recruit within the residential property sector across Yorkshire and the North East. One residential conveyancing fee earner CV can look very similar to another. Yes, it is a given that if you are a fee earner you will typically handle a caseload of conveyancing transactions from start to finish, meeting deadlines, adhering to timescales etc etc but surely there is something, which sets you apart from the next person? Have you represented high profile clients dealing with multi million pound transactions? Have you taken part in any specific projects? Do you have any specific responsibilities on behalf of your team? Are you involved in any marketing or business development for your team or firm wide and if so, what? Provide detail to give a clear understanding of what you do.

Be creative but be honest

Providing detail and showing ambition is good but you must always be clear about what you have actually done. Eg. Size of caseload / level of responsibility.

Have you really represented the Beckhams? …if you have, tell people and please send your CV to me!

Be interesting

An interviewer should already know from your CV what you do so tell them about yourself.

What are your hobbies? Is there anything outside of work, which you have a passion for?

Give them an insight into who you are and what you do outside of work, providing this is appropriate!

Body Language

Firm hand shake, smile, don’t fidget and try not to be too animated whilst talking.

Show interest

There are millions of candidates applying for jobs on a daily basis and you are one of the few shortlisted for the role because the firm is interested in you.

A firm will be hugely disappointed if they ask the question

‘What do you know about us and why do you want to work with us?’ and it is clear you haven’t even looked at the basic information on the website.

What do you know about the firm, is it Legal 500 or Chambers listed, office locations, the clients it represents, how is the department structured, how many people are in the team, who is interviewing you? Why do they enjoy working there?

Ask questions!

The time of the people interviewing you is valuable, as is yours so don’t waste it.

This is a big decision in your life and has to be the right move for you.

You spend more time at work than you do at home so you need to come away from this meeting knowing this would be the right place for you.

Do you want this job? Whether yes or no, how do you know this? You should be able to provide detailed feedback following on from your interview if you have asked the right questions to know the answer to this.

There is no hidden agenda

Remember…when you attend an interview, the interviewer is not looking for reasons not to prove you are the wrong person for the job. They are hoping when you walk in the door you are the right person, so prove them right!

Good luck!

For more information please contact Nicola Scahill or visit our website BCL Legal.