Articles From the Team

Landing NQ solicitor jobs: an interview refresher

NQ solicitor jobs: are you doing all you can to land ‘the one’ at the interview stage? We’ve just witnessed the first group of trainees become newly qualified solicitors. In the process, some were retained by the law firms they trained at, qualifying into chosen teams, and some will be looking to move on to another firm. To those who sit in the latter group, please read on…

Are you fully prepared for what's quite possibly your first interview since landing and beginning your training contract?

Most NQs in search of a new role will want to work for a firm whose ethos marries up with theirs. With this as your motivator, you put in all the groundwork (astutely match your experience to the job specification) to land interviews, but as the interview confirmations come rolling in (if they haven’t or you’re struggling, please get in touch) and you book time off to attend them, are you fully prepared for what’s quite possibly your first interview since landing and beginning your training contract?

You did it once and you can do it again (impress the interview panel); revise and follow these steps:

• Know the interview process, including how many stages there are and what the stages entail.

• Research the firm. Websites are a great place to start, they have sections regarding the firm’s history, various teams, cases they’ve worked on in the past and corporate responsibilities etc.

• Find out who’s hosting the interview and what their background is, including how long they’ve been at the firm and how they relate to the position you’re applying for.

• Research the team if possible. Once again, look to the firm’s website or the Legal 500.

• Print out a copy of your CV and the job specification. Highlight the key skills on the job specification and match them up with the experience you gained during your training contract.

• Know your CV inside-out. Be able to give clear and definitive examples of cases you’ve worked on during your training contract, client training seminars you’ve hosted and if you’ve done much advocacy.

• Prepare some questions relating to the firm: its training and development, progression, where you’d fit into the team, growth plans etc.

• Bring a pen and jotter with you. It’s okay to take notes during an interview; you may hear something interesting mid-conversation and wish to revisit the topic towards the end of the interview.

Prepare to succeed

Follow the above to alleviate at least half of the stress that comes with interviewing. The panel is made up of people who’ve been in your position.

Are you an NQ in Birmingham?

I have plenty of interesting litigation vacancies in Birmingham city centre, and I’m keen to discuss them with solicitors looking to make the next move in their career.

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