John’s an active member of his university’s law society, which he hopes will show his commitment to law. He reads the Financial Times daily and completes online courses on the financial markets to demonstrate his commercial awareness.⁣
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Steph is passionate about endangered jaguars in Costa Rica. She writes a weekly article on the topic for her blog. She also spends her summers volunteering at an animal sanctuary.⁣⁣
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John’s interviews are awkward. He often stumbles when questioned on challenging commercial concepts. For an interviewer, John is forgettable.⁣⁣
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Steph’s interviews often feel ‘fun’. She’s asked about why she cares so much about wildlife conservation. She gets into deep discussions about ecotourism and why her passions make her well suited to a career in law. Interviewers are fascinated by Steph; she converts most of her interviews into offers.⁣⁣
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‘How do I impress an interviewer?’ is the wrong question to ask. It’ll lead you to pursue the same activities as 99% of candidates. On paper and in person, you end up becoming like everyone else.⁣⁣
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Go do what you actually want to do. That doesn’t mean go pursue ‘easy’ things. It means go dedicate yourself to an area that you genuinely care about. It then becomes fun to interview you. You’re interesting.⁣⁣
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Interesting people receive offers.