Share your interview nightmares, sticky situations and stories!

[George Maxwell]

Thank you so much George! 🦊 Your response has definitely provided me with a better outlook 😊

You are very right - it is quite hard to build rapport sometimes and I’m glad you thought my approach was the right one to take. In your interviews how did you go about building that rapport? also when you mention try to show a “genuine interest” in the person interviewing. How can I do this? When I know nothing about them. I find this part so hard!

I once asked an interviewer what they liked about the firm and they responded 'I have no f****** clue' 🤣 I once asked an associate during an interview at a different firm's vac scheme why he chose the firm and he said 'I applied to 50 jobs and this is the only one I got'!

Way to kill rapport!

You're going to have some strange experiences and yes...I do think that part of this may be down to the unorthodox characters that can be found in high-intensity law firms, but also a lot of the time this will be done deliberately to see how you respond in surprising situations. Clients can behave completely erratically and you're going to have to be able to deal with it.


So how do you deal with something that feels a bit awkward as per your above question, or how do you build rapport more generally?

1. Firstly, don't worry at all if you do something a bit awkward. These are the kinds of situations we all stress about but usually go completely unnoticed by the interviewer. The interviewer in your example was almost definitely just trying to follow the rules and would have felt really bad if she thought that her instruction to ask her at the end threw your confidence.
2. On this same point, rapport is not the main thing to worry about. If you are well prepared and feel that you were able to give good answers to the questions that you were asked, then you should be fine. Trying to be overly friendly or confident can look quite contrived.
3. It is possible to build rapport, however, by doing your research. If you are given the names of your interviewers in advance then look them up! Not all firms will provide you with this information but if they do then it is a gift and you should spend time trying to find common ground between your interests and theirs.
4. If you don't have this information in advance then listen closely to what they tell you when they introduce themselves at the beginning. See if there is anything in their background that you can relate to or would generally be interested in talking about.
5. Failing this, just try to be as amiable as you can at the start of the interview, perhaps asking the interviewers how their week is going or just mentioning how you have enjoyed getting to know the firm and have appreciated the smooth interview process etc.
6. My final piece of advice is to arrive at your interview early. I found that with almost every interview I attended there was one interviewer running late and I had the opportunity to make small talk with the other interviewer. These kind of interactions can be the most authentic and can set the interview off on a good footing if you have already started to build rapport.

Here is my anecdotal example of how I built rapport. I did all my interviews online and always wore a suit whilst my interviewers were in casual clothes since they were working from home. I almost invariably got a comment from the partners that 'We apologise for being so underdressed compared to you', to which it became a habit of mine to laugh and respond, 'It's okay, because you are not trying to impress anyone.' They would then always say that this is not true - interviewing is a two-way street! I would then smile and ask something about whether they thought the conservative law dress code is changing for good or whether they think clients will expect suits going forward. We'd end up having a mini conversation about the current environment before one of them would say 'Alright, it's probably time to start asking some of the questions we have lined up for you'.

It seems weird typing this out as it makes it sounds so rehearsed, which is really the last thing you want yourself to sound like if you are trying to build rapport. Nevertheless, I hope it is at least an insightful example of how rapport can flow from the start of your interview. Ultimately, if you go in with enthusiasm and don't worry about saying something awkward, then I am sure you will build great rapport!

Hi @TheChipmunk,

You are absolutely welcome!

So the first thing I would say is that @James Carrabino's post is gold dust. It has some tips in it that I wish I had known about when I was applying honestly 😅.

For example, I love his point about turning up early. This is obviously advisable for all interviews, but James' example really illustrates a real opportunity derived directly from being early. Knowing your interviewer(s) helps hugely too. If you can, take a look at their profile on the firm's website as well as looking at their LinkedIn. For one of my interviews, my interviewer actually looked at my profile the night before, so I knew who they were (even though this is not something the firm could tell me(!)).

It is difficult to advise on taking a genuine interest in your interviewers, as to be effective it really does have to be authentic. I am quite a curious person so this was never a problem for me. I tend to be interested in why people make the decisions they have taken, and in an interview scenario, I was keen to understand whether I fitted into that firm. Questions flowed from this which led to a fairly natural conversation which I felt gave me more of an insight into the firm and the career(s) of my interviewer(s). Speaking to a Partner, or senior member of a firm is an opportunity in itself, so I tried to make the most of it from a developmental point of view too.

So my advice would be to try to clarify why you are asking questions at the end of the interview. I think it is important to develop genuine reasons beyond just "building rapport" as this could come across as a little contrived or fake.

If you don't mind me asking, at the end of interviews, for example, do you struggle to think of questions on the spot (perhaps due to nerves)? Or is it more that you are worried that your questions are not 'good enough' or interesting etc.?

 

[CC03]

I once asked an interviewer what they liked about the firm and they responded 'I have no f****** clue' 🤣 I once asked an associate during an interview at a different firm's vac scheme why he chose the firm and he said 'I applied to 50 jobs and this is the only one I got'!

Way to kill rapport!

You're going to have some strange experiences and yes...I do think that part of this may be down to the unorthodox characters that can be found in high-intensity law firms, but also a lot of the time this will be done deliberately to see how you respond in surprising situations. Clients can behave completely erratically and you're going to have to be able to deal with it.


So how do you deal with something that feels a bit awkward as per your above question, or how do you build rapport more generally?

1. Firstly, don't worry at all if you do something a bit awkward. These are the kinds of situations we all stress about but usually go completely unnoticed by the interviewer. The interviewer in your example was almost definitely just trying to follow the rules and would have felt really bad if she thought that her instruction to ask her at the end threw your confidence.
2. On this same point, rapport is not the main thing to worry about. If you are well prepared and feel that you were able to give good answers to the questions that you were asked, then you should be fine. Trying to be overly friendly or confident can look quite contrived.
3. It is possible to build rapport, however, by doing your research. If you are given the names of your interviewers in advance then look them up! Not all firms will provide you with this information but if they do then it is a gift and you should spend time trying to find common ground between your interests and theirs.
4. If you don't have this information in advance then listen closely to what they tell you when they introduce themselves at the beginning. See if there is anything in their background that you can relate to or would generally be interested in talking about.
5. Failing this, just try to be as amiable as you can at the start of the interview, perhaps asking the interviewers how their week is going or just mentioning how you have enjoyed getting to know the firm and have appreciated the smooth interview process etc.
6. My final piece of advice is to arrive at your interview early. I found that with almost every interview I attended there was one interviewer running late and I had the opportunity to make small talk with the other interviewer. These kind of interactions can be the most authentic and can set the interview off on a good footing if you have already started to build rapport.

Here is my anecdotal example of how I built rapport. I did all my interviews online and always wore a suit whilst my interviewers were in casual clothes since they were working from home. I almost invariably got a comment from the partners that 'We apologise for being so underdressed compared to you', to which it became a habit of mine to laugh and respond, 'It's okay, because you are not trying to impress anyone.' They would then always say that this is not true - interviewing is a two-way street! I would then smile and ask something about whether they thought the conservative law dress code is changing for good or whether they think clients will expect suits going forward. We'd end up having a mini conversation about the current environment before one of them would say 'Alright, it's probably time to start asking some of the questions we have lined up for you'.

It seems weird typing this out as it makes it sounds so rehearsed, which is really the last thing you want yourself to sound like if you are trying to build rapport. Nevertheless, I hope it is at least an insightful example of how rapport can flow from the start of your interview. Ultimately, if you go in with enthusiasm and don't worry about saying something awkward, then I am sure you will build great rapport!

Hi @TheChipmunk,

You are absolutely welcome!

So the first thing I would say is that @James Carrabino's post is gold dust. It has some tips in it that I wish I had known about when I was applying honestly 😅.

For example, I love his point about turning up early. This is obviously advisable for all interviews, but James' example really illustrates a real opportunity derived directly from being early. Knowing your interviewer(s) helps hugely too. If you can, take a look at their profile on the firm's website as well as looking at their LinkedIn. For one of my interviews, my interviewer actually looked at my profile the night before, so I knew who they were (even though this is not something the firm could tell me(!)).

It is difficult to advise on taking a genuine interest in your interviewers, as to be effective it really does have to be authentic. I am quite a curious person so this was never a problem for me. I tend to be interested in why people make the decisions they have taken, and in an interview scenario, I was keen to understand whether I fitted into that firm. Questions flowed from this which led to a fairly natural conversation which I felt gave me more of an insight into the firm and the career(s) of my interviewer(s). Speaking to a Partner, or senior member of a firm is an opportunity in itself, so I tried to make the most of it from a developmental point of view too.

So my advice would be to try to clarify why you are asking questions at the end of the interview. I think it is important to develop genuine reasons beyond just "building rapport" as this could come across as a little contrived or fake.

If you don't mind me asking, at the end of interviews, for example, do you struggle to think of questions on the spot (perhaps due to nerves)? Or is it more that you are worried that your questions are not 'good enough' or interesting etc.?

Hi @James Carrabino and @George Maxwell 👋🏻

Thank you both for sharing your experiences and views to my responses. I really like that example you provided @James Carrabino and I like the point where you mentioned about showing up early, I’ll make sure I’ll take this on board. Also you are very right, I need to sound genuine and not forced, which I think has been my problem.

Thanks @George Maxwell - I will take all your comments on board as well. Regarding your question, I’m not sure I come up with genuine questions I am interested in. For example, I have quite a lot of volunteering experience at charities, so I am genuinely interested in pro-bono work. Also, I am very fond on D&I so I speak about that. So I think my questions are fine.

But I do worry sometimes my questions may be quite vague and very common. So, would like to ask what sort of stuff did you talk about at the end of your interviews to show that genuine interest in the firms you were interviewing with?

 

[James Carrabino]

Hi @TheChipmunk,

You are absolutely welcome!

So the first thing I would say is that @James Carrabino's post is gold dust. It has some tips in it that I wish I had known about when I was applying honestly 😅.

For example, I love his point about turning up early. This is obviously advisable for all interviews, but James' example really illustrates a real opportunity derived directly from being early. Knowing your interviewer(s) helps hugely too. If you can, take a look at their profile on the firm's website as well as looking at their LinkedIn. For one of my interviews, my interviewer actually looked at my profile the night before, so I knew who they were (even though this is not something the firm could tell me(!)).

It is difficult to advise on taking a genuine interest in your interviewers, as to be effective it really does have to be authentic. I am quite a curious person so this was never a problem for me. I tend to be interested in why people make the decisions they have taken, and in an interview scenario, I was keen to understand whether I fitted into that firm. Questions flowed from this which led to a fairly natural conversation which I felt gave me more of an insight into the firm and the career(s) of my interviewer(s). Speaking to a Partner, or senior member of a firm is an opportunity in itself, so I tried to make the most of it from a developmental point of view too.

So my advice would be to try to clarify why you are asking questions at the end of the interview. I think it is important to develop genuine reasons beyond just "building rapport" as this could come across as a little contrived or fake.

If you don't mind me asking, at the end of interviews, for example, do you struggle to think of questions on the spot (perhaps due to nerves)? Or is it more that you are worried that your questions are not 'good enough' or interesting etc.?

Hi @James Carrabino and @George Maxwell 👋🏻

Thank you both for sharing your experiences and views to my responses. I really like that example you provided @James Carrabino and I like the point where you mentioned about showing up early, I’ll make sure I’ll take this on board. Also you are very right, I need to sound genuine and not forced, which I think has been my problem.

Thanks @George Maxwell - I will take all your comments on board as well. Regarding your question, I’m not sure I come up with genuine questions I am interested in. For example, I have quite a lot of volunteering experience at charities, so I am genuinely interested in pro-bono work. Also, I am very fond on D&I so I speak about that. So I think my questions are fine.

But I do worry sometimes my questions may be quite vague and very common. So, would like to ask what sort of stuff did you talk about at the end of your interviews to show that genuine interest in the firms you were interviewing with?

Hi @TheChipmunk

@George Maxwell is very kind! I am really glad if you find the example useful as well as the suggestion to show up early (not too early by the way, just a few minutes 🤣). I do think that my number one piece of advice though is not to let yourself get thrown by anything and to just keep being your authentic self throughout. If, for example, you prepare something with my or George's advice in mind and then for whatever reason you are not able to include that in your interview, don't stress at all! Part of the skill is being adaptable in the moment.

If you are not genuinely interested in the questions you are asking then I would not ask them. That said, if these topics are of interest to you then I am sure there is something there that you would be interested in asking. The questions you ask are really for your benefit and so I would not worry about crafting them to sound impressive. Nevertheless, if a question arises from something the interviewers have said (either when they introduced themselves or throughout the interview) then that can show that you have really engaged throughout the interview and have not relied on your rote preparation!

 

[George Maxwell]

Hi @James Carrabino and @George Maxwell 👋🏻

Thank you both for sharing your experiences and views to my responses. I really like that example you provided @James Carrabino and I like the point where you mentioned about showing up early, I’ll make sure I’ll take this on board. Also you are very right, I need to sound genuine and not forced, which I think has been my problem.

Thanks @George Maxwell - I will take all your comments on board as well. Regarding your question, I’m not sure I come up with genuine questions I am interested in. For example, I have quite a lot of volunteering experience at charities, so I am genuinely interested in pro-bono work. Also, I am very fond on D&I so I speak about that. So I think my questions are fine.

But I do worry sometimes my questions may be quite vague and very common. So, would like to ask what sort of stuff did you talk about at the end of your interviews to show that genuine interest in the firms you were interviewing with?

Hi @TheChipmunk

@George Maxwell is very kind! I am really glad if you find the example useful as well as the suggestion to show up early (not too early by the way, just a few minutes 🤣). I do think that my number one piece of advice though is not to let yourself get thrown by anything and to just keep being your authentic self throughout. If, for example, you prepare something with my or George's advice in mind and then for whatever reason you are not able to include that in your interview, don't stress at all! Part of the skill is being adaptable in the moment.

If you are not genuinely interested in the questions you are asking then I would not ask them. That said, if these topics are of interest to you then I am sure there is something there that you would be interested in asking. The questions you ask are really for your benefit and so I would not worry about crafting them to sound impressive. Nevertheless, if a question arises from something the interviewers have said (either when they introduced themselves or throughout the interview) then that can show that you have really engaged throughout the interview and have not relied on your rote preparation!

Hi @TheChipmunk,

It is great to hear that you have found our advice helpful. From what it sounds like, you are asking the right sorts of questions for you if you are asking about topics you care about or have prior involvement in.

Personally, the questions I asked generally centred around the individual(s) on the other side of the table. These ranged from why they chose law to how they felt about the firm's recent decision to X or Y. There were also interviews where I prepared more technical questions (because I was genuinely interested).

As @James Carrabino touches on in his last post, I think it is really important to avoid asking questions for the sake of it. One of the things I hated about the application/interview/AC process was the needless questions some people would ask either to sound clever or to 'build rapport'. Questions which are obviously designed to do something other than satisfy a genuine curiosity really irritated me (and I am sure they did the people they were aimed at too!).

On a related point, I particularly like what James says about being adaptable and trying to ask questions sparked by elements of the interview. I think he has got it spot on about trying to be your authentic self. For this reason, I would again advise against asking questions which are intended to be unique or impressive(!).

Ultimately, the overarching purpose of questions at the end of an interview should be:
1. to learn more about the people interviewing you and/or their thoughts on X or Y and/or
2. to find out about the firm and the opportunity for which you are applying.

For example, it is a good idea to find out about what training is actually like at the firm and what the people supervising you seek in trainees (at the very least). Even if these sorts of questions are very common, they are absolutely fair enough. Do not be afraid of asking them if you want to know! As @AvniD has said in many posts, interviewing is a two-way process.

I hope that helps 🙋‍♂️

 

[Legal_Hawk]

I once asked an interviewer what they liked about the firm and they responded 'I have no f****** clue' 🤣 I once asked an associate during an interview at a different firm's vac scheme why he chose the firm and he said 'I applied to 50 jobs and this is the only one I got'!

Way to kill rapport!

You're going to have some strange experiences and yes...I do think that part of this may be down to the unorthodox characters that can be found in high-intensity law firms, but also a lot of the time this will be done deliberately to see how you respond in surprising situations. Clients can behave completely erratically and you're going to have to be able to deal with it.


So how do you deal with something that feels a bit awkward as per your above question, or how do you build rapport more generally?

1. Firstly, don't worry at all if you do something a bit awkward. These are the kinds of situations we all stress about but usually go completely unnoticed by the interviewer. The interviewer in your example was almost definitely just trying to follow the rules and would have felt really bad if she thought that her instruction to ask her at the end threw your confidence.
2. On this same point, rapport is not the main thing to worry about. If you are well prepared and feel that you were able to give good answers to the questions that you were asked, then you should be fine. Trying to be overly friendly or confident can look quite contrived.
3. It is possible to build rapport, however, by doing your research. If you are given the names of your interviewers in advance then look them up! Not all firms will provide you with this information but if they do then it is a gift and you should spend time trying to find common ground between your interests and theirs.
4. If you don't have this information in advance then listen closely to what they tell you when they introduce themselves at the beginning. See if there is anything in their background that you can relate to or would generally be interested in talking about.
5. Failing this, just try to be as amiable as you can at the start of the interview, perhaps asking the interviewers how their week is going or just mentioning how you have enjoyed getting to know the firm and have appreciated the smooth interview process etc.
6. My final piece of advice is to arrive at your interview early. I found that with almost every interview I attended there was one interviewer running late and I had the opportunity to make small talk with the other interviewer. These kind of interactions can be the most authentic and can set the interview off on a good footing if you have already started to build rapport.

Here is my anecdotal example of how I built rapport. I did all my interviews online and always wore a suit whilst my interviewers were in casual clothes since they were working from home. I almost invariably got a comment from the partners that 'We apologise for being so underdressed compared to you', to which it became a habit of mine to laugh and respond, 'It's okay, because you are not trying to impress anyone.' They would then always say that this is not true - interviewing is a two-way street! I would then smile and ask something about whether they thought the conservative law dress code is changing for good or whether they think clients will expect suits going forward. We'd end up having a mini conversation about the current environment before one of them would say 'Alright, it's probably time to start asking some of the questions we have lined up for you'.

It seems weird typing this out as it makes it sounds so rehearsed, which is really the last thing you want yourself to sound like if you are trying to build rapport. Nevertheless, I hope it is at least an insightful example of how rapport can flow from the start of your interview. Ultimately, if you go in with enthusiasm and don't worry about saying something awkward, then I am sure you will build great rapport!

@James Carrabino I'm curious how you responded to the "I have no f****** clue" or "I applied to 50 jobs and this is the only one I got"? I'm guessing you just laugh it out?

 

[James Carrabino]

@James Carrabino I'm curious how you responded to the "I have no f****** clue" or "I applied to 50 jobs and this is the only one I got"? I'm guessing you just laugh it out?

Haha, I think for the first one I laughed nervously and then they sort of backtracked and gave a brief explanation before saying that we should continue with the interview. With the second I just totally related with the guy and was like hey that's fair enough

 

[SLKEJRWOI97]

I will kick this off by sharing my (nightmare) interview story.

The story

To summarise: I brought up a topic that I really shouldn’t have.

So, this was one of my earliest interviews(!). For context, at the time I had been really enjoying studying International Political Economy at university.

When the interviewer (a Partner) asked me about a topic that I was interested in, I mentioned the possibility of introducing a global currency transaction tax (“CTT”). It sounds nerdy but I found it super interesting at the time.

Anyway, given that this topic was something I studied the term before, and was certainly not something I was planning on mentioning in my interview (so I had not revised it or looked over any relevant materials prior to my interview), I quickly realised that I knew less about a CTT than I thought.

After pretty extensive prodding by the interviewers (primarily the Partner), it became pretty clear that I didn’t really know much about the technicalities of a CTT, nor how it would actually be implemented… Suffice to say, it was a difficult (and fairly uncomfortable) experience which I definitely learned from.

Oh! And adding to this was that I had not appreciated the danger of mentioning a topic/area about which my Partner interviewer was an expert. Given that they were the Head of Tax of said firm, it was not the cleverest interview move. 😅

My reflections

Looking back, I would not have (voluntarily) brought up an extremely technical area which:

a. the Partner interviewing me was extremely knowledgeable about and
b. I didn’t fully understand (or remember the details of!).

Ultimately, it was an ok interview, although I was unsuccessful. It was a situation where I had to talk myself out of a really tough line of questioning (for which I didn’t really have the answer). This was honestly my nightmare scenario and I came out the other side.

So tell me, what is your interview fear/nightmare?

@James Carrabino @AvniD @Jessica Booker @Jaysen

Also interested to hear from the wider community!

@F1_Legal @futuretraineesolicitor @ek125712 @SLKEJRWOI97 @Roxana Tudosa @Breeg345 @nkji500

Thank you for tagging, apologies for not seeing this earlier!

I have two interview nightmares, both in non-legal jobs though:

1. Marketing Director - I tend to forget things a lot and the company I was interviewing with is a brand that owns a brand i.e. Company A is a brand in itself and owns Brand A which is another business service but marketed as if it was a separate company.

I forgot the difference between the two in the presentation round (third stage out of four), blanked out and then said "I think Brand A does this and Brand B does this".

Safe to say I didn't get the offer lol...


2. Marketing Executive - Because I hadn't been interviewed in a while I kept using lots of informal language during my practice interviews. I thought I resolved it but in my most recent role interview for a wealth management company, I said the words: "legit", "totally", "cool", "I know that's right".

I got the offer so I'm not sure what happened there... lol

 

[George Maxwell]

Thank you for tagging, apologies for not seeing this earlier!

I have two interview nightmares, both in non-legal jobs though:

1. Marketing Director - I tend to forget things a lot and the company I was interviewing with is a brand that owns a brand i.e. Company A is a brand in itself and owns Brand A which is another business service but marketed as if it was a separate company.

I forgot the difference between the two in the presentation round (third stage out of four), blanked out and then said "I think Brand A does this and Brand B does this".

Safe to say I didn't get the offer lol...


2. Marketing Executive - Because I hadn't been interviewed in a while I kept using lots of informal language during my practice interviews. I thought I resolved it but in my most recent role interview for a wealth management company, I said the words: "legit", "totally", "cool", "I know that's right".

I got the offer so I'm not sure what happened there... lol

Hey @SLKEJRWOI97!

Thanks for these. Out of interest, when you gave those answers how did your interviewers react? In retrospect can you identify hints that the language you were using, for example, wasn't appropriate?

Also tagging @Jessica Booker to share her thoughts on this thread! No pressure Jess, but I am intrigued after you mentioned that you might have some fun stories to share 👀

 

[SLKEJRWOI97]

Hey @SLKEJRWOI97!

Thanks for these. Out of interest, when you gave those answers how did your interviewers react? In retrospect can you identify hints that the language you were using, for example, wasn't appropriate?

Also tagging @Jessica Booker to share her thoughts on this thread! No pressure Jess, but I am very intrigued after you mentioned that you might have some fun stories to share 👀

The first example, not too well but in all fairness, it's a very confusing business. 3 months later they still haven't hired anyone so I wasn't too bothered.

For the second example, I don't think they realised. I guess going forward, I'd know my examples (by lightly rehearsing them) and pausing before I respond to gather my thoughts before. I got the offer in the end and the team is so lovely so it worked out. I did also have one TC interview where I spoke about my concealer shade with a magic circle partner. We got along well regarding that! So the message really I'm trying to convey is: read the room.

 

[George Maxwell]

The first example, not too well but in all fairness, it's a very confusing business. 3 months later they still haven't hired anyone so I wasn't too bothered.

For the second example, I don't think they realised. I guess going forward, I'd know my examples (by lightly rehearsing them) and pausing before I respond to gather my thoughts before. I got the offer in the end and the team is so lovely so it worked out. I did also have one TC interview where I spoke about my concealer shade with a magic circle partner. We got along well regarding that! So the message really I'm trying to convey is: read the room.

That's great advice thanks for this! I agree.

Although this is tricky in an online environment/zoom (rather than in person).

Were your interviews in person or online @SLKEJRWOI97?

 

[willturnbull60]

During my video interview for Simmons and Simmons, I wanted to say 'I’m particularly attracted to the firm’s strong private equity team.’ Unfortunately, I said ‘I’m particularly attractive...’ Needless to say, I didn’t make the cut, but I like to think someone had a laugh at the other end...

 

[George Maxwell]

During my video interview for Simmons and Simmons, I wanted to say 'I’m particularly attracted to the firm’s strong private equity team.’ Unfortunately, I said ‘I’m particularly attractive...’ Needless to say, I didn’t make the cut, but I like to think someone had a laugh at the other end...

Thanks for sharing @willturnbull60 😂

 

[James Carrabino]

During my video interview for Simmons and Simmons, I wanted to say 'I’m particularly attracted to the firm’s strong private equity team.’ Unfortunately, I said ‘I’m particularly attractive...’ Needless to say, I didn’t make the cut, but I like to think someone had a laugh at the other end...

This is brilliant