Articles From the Team
What to say at interview
I’m physically wincing as I type, whilst I reminisce that feeling you get as you are anticipating your first interview question, you want to make an impact, come across clear and concise and demonstrate your expertise without crumbling into a nervous wreck or waffling on about complete nonsense!
And there you have it, ‘why are you interested in residential property?’ ‘Why do you wish to become a fee earner…?’
Well, why do you? Usually typical answers are delivered in the following fashion - "since I was at first school I have always had an inquisitive mind-set and a passion for understanding, how and why so I felt my passion for negotiation and my personality traits would suit a career in which provides development and would suit my skill set and ambitions...” When I role play with candidates, I don't think I have ever really honestly listened to a candidate who answers that question when I initially ask them and fully feel I have got to the bottom of their real passion for the law. There is no right or wrong answer to this question whether it be in an interview or simply discussing your aspirations with your recruiter. To be fair, there is no right or wrong answer to this question, most candidates will say, ‘great career, social status and very reasonable living". Which is totally fair enough!
If you are asked it at the start of the interview, it is usually because the interviewer wants to see how your mind works on the spot, how you think on your feet…delving in to how much you may waffle and kind of ice breaking the conversation to then open up to more complex and detailed questioning where you can start to demonstrate your experience and technical ability (should you be an experienced candidate). The key is try not to waffle, keep your answer concise and try to say something you think the interviewer may be interested to hear about you!
Interviewers want to see your personality, your other attributes, see what makes you tick and what vibe and positive air you can bring to the team. Positive and passionate people succeed, because they believe in their work, their surroundings, their team mates and they all pull together to reach the same common goal. Interviewers want to see that they have a real team player in every colleague and one that is striving to achieve and in return be rewarded for their dedication and commitment with above market rate salaries, progression avenues and qualification options / bonuses.
In the current buoyant residential property market there are endless opportunities up for grabs, the Birmingham City Centre and the West Midlands market place is absolutely thriving! If you have the drive, determination and ambition you can join the residential conveyancing profession and be on your way to CLC qualification in a very short period of time and become a fee earning conveyancer, a large percentage of our clients seek to reward tenacious staff and you will be enrolled on further qualification programmes very early on. Once you are qualified and at three years plus fee earning experience stage you will be open to exploring fantastic starting salaries and be eligible for the same rewards as other areas of law in all national legal 500 firms and you have the options to work in developments as well as your general private client residential property transactions.
Whether you are a junior paralegal or an experienced residential conveyancer, if you are eager, ambitious and passionate and want to get involved in the buzz of conveyancing, I want to hear from you! I have an array of opportunities at in-house developers, legal 500 national firms and boutique regional firms who would be delighted to meet with you, if you are ready to stand out please do send your CV to me at gracehomer@bcllegal.com or call me on 0121 237 5613 for a confidential conversation, I look forward to hearing from you.